The model below depicts the four stages that make up the career development cycle. By thoughtfully progressing through the stages of this process, you are able to develop goals and strategies for pursuing a satisfying career. Over time, you will recycle through this process as you, and the employment market, inevitably change. This implies that career decisions and strategies are not one-time events but are steps in an ongoing and life-long career development process.
 

Self Awareness

Understanding yourself, and knowing what you want to become and by when are the most important pillars in your personal career development plan. This is the fundamental starting point to determine what kind of job suits you best.

You need to identify what  you enjoy doing most and skills that you have mastered. You will also need to discover the kind of people you enjoy working with and your preferred working environment and conditions. Eg If you are an active on the go person, a desk bound job will not be suitable for you.

Research

Do research for a good understand on the existing employment market and its trend particularly for the industries that are of interest to you. With market intelligence on hand, it becomes easy to identify companies / organizations to approach. The research information you have onhand will also come in handy during the interview process when facts are required to convince prospective employers that you are the right person for the job.

Packaging 

Resumes & Cover Letters

Resumes and Cover Letters are the most common and universally accepted packaging tools used in the job hunting process. Not surprisingly therefore, job hunters devote a significant amount of their time and energy on these 2 items.

Knowing that resumes are used mostly to screen candidates out, you can increase your chances for success by tailoring your resume to the individual job you seek. Your resume must be the result of the work you have done in the self assessment and job targeting. Without this preparation, your resume will not be effective.

Writing a competency-based resume, also referred to as a functional resume, may be a strategic choice in a competitive job market. Unlike chronological (time-based) resumes, competency-based resumes focus on your core skill groups and qualifications. During the job interview, competency-based resumes also allow you to confidently respond to the interviewer's questions about why you are the best fit for their job opening.
 

Personal Branding

The way we manage our careers is changing due to the rise in competition. In order to extend our reach, visibility and networking capabilities, we must turn to personal branding as our marketing strategy. The concept of personal branding has become increasingly popular over the past decade. More and more professionals across industries and functional areas are discovering the value of creating, communicating and maintaining personal brands, both in their career search and in their continuous professional development.

Networking and Relationship Building

Networking can help you keep up with changes in your industry and develop new relationships or clients. It can also help you find hot job leads and explore new career options. Building a network is simply a responsible thing to do. So start today.

Interviewing Skills

Interviewing is the probably the most important job-seeking skill and the one barrier that every job seeker must face before getting hired. But it doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. At it’s core, a job interview is really just a specific type of conversation.

Ensure that you prepare yourself adequately before each interview as to keep the conversation focused, productive and pleasant,.

Job Search

From a career management perspective, implementation is all about marketing and sales. Remember that even the best plans are worthless unless they are well implemented. There is no better indicator of your professional attitude and behavior than how you manage your job search.

The assumption from a prospective employer is that everything about your search, from your resume to your shoes, is a reflection of your best efforts. If any element of your presentation, behavior, or performance falls short of their expectations, their consideration of you as a viable candidate is compromised. This can be avoided by proper planning.

A large percentage of jobseekers find their best jobs through proactive networking. Learn to do it well, and you will open many doors for your future professional life. 
 

Identifying & Developing Contacts

Professional networking is about developing contacts and exchanging information with other people for expanding one's business and career opportunities. Networking is about tapping into your connections for helpful information or advice. If done successfully, networking can be the most effective career exploration and job search tool.

Possible networking contacts:

• Former co-workers
• Parent's friends
• University staff
• Parents
• JCU alumni
• Neighbors
• Friends & their families
• Relatives
• Faculty and classmates
• Career counselors
• Coaches
• Former employers

Identify what you are looking for

Be specific about the particular position or field of interest that you are looking for & source out the peoplewho can help you:

• Relatives, friends or neighbors who work in the field or could refer you to someone who could help you?
• Professors, past employers, university administrators & careers services office.
• People associated with activities where your targeted network prospects frequent eg MGC Alumni Network Event

What Type of Questions to Ask

Now that you have identified the reasons why you are seeking information and who to contact, it's a good idea to formulate questions. Don't be afraid to talk to people about your interests, even people you meet for the first time at a social gathering or maybe on a plane/train. You never know what a chance meeting can bring.

It's okay to ask questions such as "What do you do for a living?" or "What line of work are you involved in?"
 

 Below are some suggested questions:

• What is your educational and professional background?
• What do you like/dislike about your job and why?
• What types of companies/organizations might employ someone to do this type of work?
• How did you decide to get into the field and what steps did you take to enter the field?
• What should I do to best prepare myself for a job in this field?
• What suggestions do you have for someone wishing to enter this field?
• What skills and background are needed to get into this field?
• What is the salary range for a person in this field?
• What personal qualities do you feel are most important in your work and why?
• What are the tasks you do in a typical workday and could you describe them?
• What types of difficult issues/stress do you experience on the job?
• What are the most significant changes facing your field/organization?
• What are the trends/issues to be aware of in the field?
• What is the job outlook in this field?
• What related occupations might I investigate?
• Is advanced education beneficial in this field?
• Are there professional publications or organizations that I should be familiar?
• Can you recommend additional people for me to talk to?

Always be sure to ask if the person can recommend additional people for you to talk to! This is one of the most important questions and the one that will provide you with further contacts.
 

Creating Conversations

As opposed to asking question after question, treat the networking process more like a conversation, it will help to make the experience more relaxing. Take opportunity to share with the person about yourself - interests, goals, where you're from, etc.

If, while asking the person a question, they mention something of interest to you or say something that you have in common, feel free to comment about it or inquire further. For example, if the person comments that their work varies from one day to the next, you could say, "I'm glad to hear that there is a lot of variety in your work. I like having different tasks to work on each day."

Post Networking Follow Up

After a networking session, it is a good practise to follow up with an email within 3 working days. Please state where you have known the person, re-introduce yourself and tell the person how much you have enjoyed your conversation with him / her.

Explain how your personality & work values are aligned with the organization that he / she is currently in and be specific about the position that you are interested in. 

Attach your resume and state your contact information before signing off.   

Look out for our next Networking Event 

JCU Singapore Careers Services is active in organising networking sessions with reputable corporate or public organizations.

Follow us on JCU Singapore Fan Page & Twitter to obtain real time updates on upcoming events.    

When accepting internship opportunities, it is important that you obey these simple guidelines:

Honesty and Integrity

Employers take a dim view of applicants that over-promise and do not deliver. More importantly, any attempt at dishonesty will reflect badly on the entire JCU student population, the JCU brand, and the entire JCU alumni. Ultimately, any impact on the overall brand will also affect you in the long run.

Ability to commit

You should apply to positions (internship/projects) posted by Career Services only when you can fulfill the requirements of the posting. E.g. you should not apply for a full-length summer internship when you have already made travel plans for a few weeks and cannot serve the entire internship period.

Accuracy and authenticity

Career Services does not verify nor authenticate all information stated on your resumes. It is your responsibility to provide the correct information and update any changes promptly.

Acceptance of Offer

It is common to receive a second or even third offer (perm/internship/projects) after you have accepted an earlier offer. It is also possible that you receive additional offers after you have started employment. In such cases, you must weigh the negative impact of your actions on your original employer and the JCU brand versus any personal benefits you may derive in the short term. It is a small world, and you may be blacklisted by the hiring community.

Prepare for Interviews

When liaising with company recruiters on interview arrangements, communicate professionally, dress appropriately and keep to the scheduled appointments. Always ensure that you have the recruiter's name and contact information when attending interviews.

If you are unable to attend an interview due to medical or family emergencies, do inform the company recruiters before the interview. You can request for a change in interview timing, but it will be the company recruiter's prerogative to grant a postponement.

Attendance

Kindly turn up for the Career Services events that you register for. Punctuality is a trait that all recruiters look for and we would request you to be on time for all events. This includes activities such as job interviews, internship, training workshops, conferences, mock interviews, alumni gatherings, recruitment and industry talks, career coaching or consultation, etc.

For full details of this internship & its FAQ, please click here

Graduating students are strongly encouraged to contact Career Services Office to arrange for an individual career counselling session with our Careers Counsellors.

Career counselling session is an impartial and confidential session aimed at helping students plan their career path after graduation.

Feel free to drop into the Careers Service at Room B01-01 to check out resources on the following topics:

- CVs, cover letters, job hunting and interview skills

- Employer and industry information

- Job profiles including options with your degree subject

- Local labour market data

Careers Services Office conducts regular informative employability workshops to assist students in gaining essential job search skills.

The topics available are:

CVs and cover letters

Learn how to construct a successful CV and accompanying introduction letter.

Effective job hunting

Explore different methods of job search and how to use them with confidence.

Interview skills

Gain valuable information about different interview situations and develop positive interview technique.

Careers Services Office hold regular Careers Fairs on campus where students get to network with representatives from diverse industry sectors and learn about their businesses and potential careers in Asia.

The most recent Campus Career Fair was held on 29 April 2011. To view photos from the event click here.

However, the university does not offer job placement. All graduates undergo their own job search. At the end of the day, it is their confidence, personality and presentation that secure the job during the interview.