Uni graduates say career development top priority in first job

Thousands of uni students will be looking to enter the labour market once their exams finish at the end of November, but salary won’t be their top priority when choosing a job.

Career development opportunities, work/life balance and job security are the top three things graduate workers look for in their first job, with salary not rating a mention in contrast to other worker demographics.

SEEK Laws of Attraction research finds among entry-level and graduate jobseekers, most (14.3 per cent) cite career development opportunities as their biggest priority.

On-the-job skills coaching and development are most highly regarded, followed by in-house training.

MORE NEWS

Time to stop thinking uni is for everyone

ATAR ‘dead within a decade’

Thousands of university students will be looking to enter the labour market once their exams have finished at the end of November.

Among them will be John Huang, 22, who was this year’s Australian CEO for One Month at The Adecco Group and is looking to develop his sales experience.

He was one of more than 5500 applicants for the undergraduate development program, designed to give young people hands-on, paid work experience and real-world training that cannot be gained in class.

John Huang got the chance to swim with sharks as part of his prize to work with execs at The Adecco Group, including chief executive Rafael Moyano, left. Picture: Supplied

The winner shadows The Adecco Group’s Australian chief executive Rafael Moyano and other executive team members for a month and gains an inside look at the multinational company’s operations.

Huang, who is studying a Bachelor of Business (Marketing and Management) at the University of Technology Sydney, says he always looks for a challenge and opportunities to develop.

“I’m in my final year and want to get the most out of university,” he says. “I’ve participated in other competitions and I liked the aspect of it being a competition.

“I wanted to see how I matched up with the other applicants.”

During his month he observed how different departments and leaders manage and complete their tasks, experienced the life of a high-flying chief executive by catching seven flights across the country in five days, and sat in on client meetings.

“It’s opened my eyes,” he says.

“(Adecco) wasn’t on my priority list (for a placement), for me recruitment and HR was never something that I could see myself in, but to have the opportunity to work with Rafael and his colleagues, I could see myself working in that industry, particularly in sales.”

Huang also had time for fun during his placement. After stating in his application that an aquarium would make a great workplace, he was given the chance to swim with sharks at Sealife Melbourne.

“It was an amazing opportunity, it shows The Adecco Group pays attention to the smaller details, I didn’t expect that at all,” he says.

His long-term goal is to create his own successful start-up company.

“I want to have some sales experience,” he says. “A lot of students jump into creating a start-up and they don’t have an idea or much experience. Hopefully, I’ll be able to set myself up so I’m ready to take the leap, when I have that winning idea.”

Originally published as Uni graduates say career development top priority in first job