Beyond the classroom: the rest of your university education
When considering your options after graduation it’s important to examine all of the possibilities: further study, graduate programs versus a specific vacancy, relocating for employment etc. It’s also important to stay open to the sources of information around you and to ensure your readiness for the ‘real world’.
Sources of information are all around us at university but many of us fail to use them to our benefit, only realising their true value after we have already left the university and have entered the workforce. In particular, careers offices, clubs and societies, career fairs, employer campus visits and even campus newsletters are fantastic sources of information. You never know where that one important contact or piece of knowledge will come from.
As an organisation whose mission is ‘to enable members to realise their potential’ Golden Key is committed to providing opportunities to members while they are at university, and information to help their transition to the workforce. Members have access to our careers library with tips on interviews and CVs, profiles of recruiters, industry message boards and more. We also send targeted emails to alert members to relevant graduate programs and opportunities. This is in addition to the scholarship programs (over $400,000 annually through a range of scholarships and awards programs) and local chapter activities that membership entitles you to.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of moving into the workforce is securing the position you want with the organisation you want. During the interview, of which there may be several, it will be important to give evidence of your abilities, both academically as well as socially. Employers will be looking to gauge your people skills. Some students don’t gain work experience during their time at university so it’s important to demonstrate an ability to work in a team, communicate with people you don’t know, perhaps even speak in public. Active involvement in the life of your university through a student association or a club can help you gain this experience, the ‘soft skills’ that can make a big difference at an interview.
Even better: take on a leadership role. Manage a team, organise volunteers, plan events, manage a budget, launch a community service initiative. Experiences like these will certainly give you something to talk about at interview and may prove to be the point of difference between you and the next candidate.
Golden Key is one organisation that provides these opportunities. The key word here is opportunity, as with everything in life it is up to you to make the most of it. We recognise outstanding academic achievement; we believe talent and effort should be rewarded, but it is up to each and every student to take advantage of all of the opportunities made available to them at university. Get involved, the more you put in, the more you get out.
Andrew Roe
Director, Asia-Pacific
Golden Key International Honour Society
FIND OUT MORE
To find out more about the Golden Key International Honour Society, the benefits of membership and how to join, visit www.goldenkey.org
.