Melbourne university graduates battle to secure jobs

ELLEN Vale is relieved to have found a graduate job after a stressful and highly competitive job seeking process.

Deakin University marketing graduate Ellen Vale made use of the job seeking resources on campus. Picture: Stuart Milligan

ARE there too many ­university graduates for the number of jobs available in Melbourne?

According to Graduate Careers Australia’s 2015 Australian Graduate Survey, almost 69 per cent of graduates found fulltime work within four months of completing their degrees, but not necessarily in the industry they studied for.

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Graduate Careers data shows more than 95 per cent of Australian bachelor ­graduates in nursing, ­medicine, pharmacy and dentistry gained fulltime work in their chosen field.

But the rate was much lower in fields such as visual arts, agriculture and psychology.

About 39 per cent of psychology students gained fulltime employment in ­social, welfare and community roles, while 27 per cent found “various professional” work and 24 per cent were employed in clerical, sales and ­service roles.

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Deakin University has overhauled its entire career service and appointed its first pro-vice chancellor for graduate employment, ­Professor Dineli Mather, who aims to get students preparing for the jobseeking process as early as their first year of study.

Prof Mather said graduate employment had ­declined over the past five years but more people than ever were studying bachelor degrees.

Global economic pressures, Melbourne’s population growth and the city’s popularity among international students added to the competition for jobs, Prof Mather said.

She said students needed to broaden their approach to job seeking and take early steps to expand their skill set.

Getting industry experience while studying, ­making connections with employers and selecting a broad range of elective ­subjects are ways to take a proactive approach to employment, Prof Mather said.

“Students are changing the way they think about ­careers,” she said.

“There is a lot of focus on transferable skills — things like working with people, thinking critically and communication.

“Your degree doesn’t define or limit your career.”

Despite the tight jobs market, Prof Mather said the increasing number of graduates provides an educated workforce and gives employers and jobseekers more flexibility.

Deakin University marketing student Ellen Vale.

ONE graduate job is enough to start a feeding frenzy among university students eager to work in the field they’ve devoted years of study to.

Deakin University marketing student Ellen Vale, 23, has secured a fulltime graduate position for next year but only after months of intense job seeking.

“It’s so competitive. There’s such a high volume of applicants and so many stages in the process,” the Hawthorn woman said.

“There’s a written application, online testing, aptitude testing, phone interview, group interview and then a final interview.

“I really had to prepare mentally for that.”

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Ms Vale said she was up against about 20 applicants in group interviews, in which students battled to stand out from the rest.

Ms Vale, who began an internship in her third year of study, said managing that along with part-time work and university was challenging but the norm because employers expected a solid history of work experience.

“Everyone I know has done multiple internships but even applying for (internships) can be hard because a lot of applicants are experienced,” she said.

She advised other students to take advantage of every employment resource at university.

“I really did use all the resources offered. I went to all the events — networking and reaching out to current graduates.

“I got people to check over my resume and advise me on interviews.

“Sometimes it seems like you’re on your own but there are some really great tools and people that can help you stand out.”

Originally published as Melbourne university graduates battle to secure jobs