Kickstart 2010 Transition to Further Study

Three Keys Careers advisors are now focusing upon eight keys to employability; Initiative and enterprise, Learning, Self-management, Communication, Teamwork, Problem-solving, Planning and organisation, and Technology. I like to keep things relatively simple, so I will bring this down to three. Focusing upon; Attitudes Abilities Skills.

Strengths and weaknesses Just as each person is different, they will have different attitudes, abilities and skills. It is important to know what yours are and where your strengths and weaknesses lye. Just as you should rely upon your strengths, you should compensate for your weaknesses.

Resume and Interview Whether in your Resume or in a job interview, you should seek to reveal good attitudes, abilities and skills, which will show the employer that you are worth hiring.

Three examples We will focus upon three examples: Attitude – Confidence. Ability – Communication. Skill – Information Technology.

Attitude An attitude is the way one presents oneself to others or the way one approaches a task. Attitudes can be momentary or define a person’s whole life. Attitudes are a complex of emotions and moods, behaviours and beliefs.

Confidence Show that you are comfortable with who you are, what you want and how you handle yourself. An employer will appreciate someone who is able to take responsibility and get things done.

Demonstrate Confidence You can develop the attitude of confidence by taking on challenges. Involve yourself in social and \ or political groups and clubs. Take the opportunity to speak publicly – the more times you do it the more comfortable you become. At University, classroom presentations can be used to improve and demonstrate this positive attitude. In the job interview you can demonstrate confidence by asking questions – interview the interviewers about what the job involves.

Ability An ability is something you are able to do. We all have numerous abilities and some we are good at and some we are not so good at or cannot do at all. Abilities can be improved or compensated for.

Communication Show that you can listen and respond thoughtfully and speak and write with clarity. Your resume should highlight the latter (written communication) and the interview is an opportunity to display the former (spoken communication).

Demonstrate Communication University and TAFE studies provide the perfect opportunity to improve your communication. Reading and writing and asking questions all lead to the betterment of your ability to communicate. Your education results are a clear indication of your ability to communicate.

Skill A skill, like an ability is something we are able to do. The difference between a skill and an ability is that with skills we have actually received training to be able to do them. A skill requires knowledge and practice.

Information Technology Highlight that you can use technology and software programs effectively. The vast majority of work in the modern world involves the use of computers.

Demonstrate IT Knowledge Studying with a vision impairment often means that you have learnt to use Computers and specialist software packages efficiently. Make sure to include this in your Resume and you can even offer to demonstrate your computer skills in the interview.

Disability and employment People with disability now represent a significant minority of both the Australian population and work force. Yet studies have shown graduates with disability experience a greater level of unemployment than those without. In addition they are more likely to be under-employed or in an area outside their desired career, be working part-time or self employed.

Positives The good news is evidence suggests that once in employment, they are equally if not more productive, take fewer sick days and remain in the job longer than their able-bodied colleagues. This contradicts many negative stereotypes about disability in employment and shows there is a strong business case for employing graduates with disability.

Qualifications and employability All the evidence shows that those with qualifications will have more employment opportunities and higher salaries than those without.

Vision impairment Of those people with a disability in tertiary study, the data shows that students who are blind or have low vision do much better. This may sound surprising as most educators believe that study is fundamentally visual. The truth is that study is fundamentally about rationality and the use of language. I believe that Braille in particular greatly enhances one’s concentration and care with language.

Contacts Campuses have Careers Advisors. You should not wait till the end of your course to contact them, they can help you think ahead and choose appropriate subjects. The websites; have lots of information (accessibility is questionable). The Melbourne Career Information Centre provides free careers advice. Phone: And Vision Australia also supplies an Employment service

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