There's More To It

As a Careers Advisor I get interesting industry invitations sometimes.  One of these came from Forensic Science SA .  I met Emma who is a young dynamic scientist working there.  I was really suprised to find that Emma hadn’t studied science in her senior high school years.  I’d love to share her story with you…

Emma still gets squeamish occasionally, when she views graphic crime scenes on TV but not, funnily enough, at work.

A Forensic Scientist at Forensic Science SA, Emma is a Toxicologist who analyses samples such as blood, liver and urine for drugs and poisons.  The best part of her work, she says, is being a part of the valuable team that helps answers the critical questions.  Whether working on a criminal matter, or an unexplained death, Emma finds problem solving and working in science very rewarding.

Looking at her year 12 subject choices now, you’d hardly know that Emma was destined for a career life in forensics.  Favouring humanities and creative subjects, she chose Maths, Art, English (received 20), Home Economics and Tech Studies.

Emma didn’t do science subjects for her senior years and didn’t even think of this career pathway until she was doing her gap year, working in hospitality.  In Year 12, she applied to do graphic design in uni but deferred when she realised her heart wasn’t really in it.  She confesses almost apologetically that watching crime shows on TV did have something to do with stirring up her career interest. 

She enrolled at Flinders University and started with her Bachelor of Science aiming to transfer into Bachelor of Technology (Forensic and Analytical Chemistry) after she had completed her entry level subjects: Chemistry, Biology and Physics (which she achieved in one year). For a student who hadn’t done science in her senior years, she did very well getting distinctions and high distinctions along the way. Emma realised that the Forensics industry would favour further study so she embarked on her Honours Degree whilst on placement with Forensic Science SA.

Emma is now in a job that she loves even though her work can be challenging at times.  “Sometimes it can be difficult when confronted with particularly disturbing or sad cases, or with complex cases where results are hard to interpret.” But despite this, she loves the sense of achievement that comes with problem solving.

Emma didn’t know what science careers were out there when she was in high school and felt she should have known more about developing her career interests. 

The best career advice that Emma has for other high school students who are interested in working in a similar role is this:  “If interested in Forensic Science, keep in mind that there are many areas that have forensic applications including Biology, Trace Evidence, Chemistry, Pathology etc..  Find the one that you would enjoy the most rather than the one that you think will give you the best chance of getting a job.”

I think Emma is a great example of high school students who are a bit confused about their career pathway but by taking time out and giving their interests a bit of consideration – end up on the right career track. 

What about you?  Do you have a good idea of where you want to go and what you could be really good at?  If yes, great!  If not, great too!  It will all get clear as you think about it and explore your options.  Try the free Career Quiz on this website to help you understand yourself better…

I work as a Career Counsellor at a high school and have had some last-minute students who are worried about their subject choices for next year.  Some really get confused about what subjects they should choose and sometimes parents put pressure on them too.  I think some students get scared they are going to get locked into subjects that will be too hard, that exams will be too demanding and that their uni entrance score won’t be very good.  Or if they don’t want to go to uni, they’re not sure where they will end up.  It is common for students to feel uncertain about what career they should plan for.  It’s a lot to think about at this age.  Some students stress; others just try not to think about it at all.  Parents stress too!

I want to encourage students to do a couple of things to help them not freak out about this process:

• Spend some time doing career profiles (free one on our site)
• Get an idea of what jobs interest you and start finding out what the study/work pathway is to get to where you want to be
• Don’t worry that you don’t know yourself well enough to be confident about your future… it’s a process and not knowing is normal!
• Ideally, if you have a Career Counsellor at school, talk to them or other teachers at school who know you
• Talk to your parents (sometimes they have good ideas)
• Check VET and Uni course requirements to see what subjects they expect you to do in Year 11 and 12
• Be kind to yourself and get as much helpful information and support that you can
• Ask me a question through the blog if I can help

I had a student who came to me after she had dropped out of Year 11 at her private school.  She was getting straight ‘A’s in her subject but she was burnt out and exhausted.  When she came to me, we started to do some career testing and we came to see that although she had been in the top of her class, she wasn’t following her heart and concentrating on the things she loved.  Instead she was trying to please everyone, studying until 2 in the AM and not enjoying her life.

When she dropped out of school she shocked everyone – because everyone had seen her as ‘Miss Perfect’.  But when her parents saw that she was so unhappy as to become mentally unwell, they understood they couldn’t force her to keep going down that path.

She entered an employment/training program I was running and was ready to spend time discovering herself.  We had a lot of fun looking at options and I could see she was wanted to start new again.  After a while she decided to go on and complete Year 11 and 12 but with new subject choices that were better suited for her.

One tip though – don’t just go for easy subjects.  Try to find a balance between your interests, the subjects you enjoy and yet challenge yourself too.  Don’t abandon Maths, English and Science!  They can open up a world of opportunity. Don’t sell yourself short. 

There are happy endings!

I have done so many resumes for clients, that I’ve lost count. I’m amazed that even marketing managers and professional writers have such big problems with doing good ones for themselves!   And I’ve worked with some very important people and seen some pretty average attempts.  No one wins when their resumes are bad or even average.

Here are my observations about horrible resumes:

• Just plain old black and white
• Nothing special on them
• Boring
• Spelling mistakes
• Old information (SRC rep in 2005)
• Not targeted for the job on offer
• Font is too small
• No referees listed for the interviewer to contact

These are the ones that usually get put in the recyling bin – and no one gets to an interview with them. 

Here is what makes a resume good, – or even GREAT:

• Achievements are listed
• Well formatted and easy to read
• Words and paragraphs used are done so strategically to impress the reader
• The resume is targeted to the specific industry
• Well thought out skills are identified and relate to the work on offer
• No spelling mistakes
• A splash of colour is used to catch the eye
• 2 – 3 referees are listed (other than your mum, girlfriend or boyfriend)

I really am a fan of dynamic resumes that do use some colour to separate them from the other boring resumes that employers have to read.  You shouldn’t go overboard or use cartoons or try to be cute or try to hard. 

Just know that your resume is your marketing brochure, your advertising and promotional ‘spiel’ and as such – you should like the way it looks and reads. 

If there are any subjects you are doing particularly well in, list them with the subject results.  If you have been doing volunteering or work experience put that down.  If you have a written testimonial or work experience assessment that says you have done a good job, copy in a snippet of that and put it at the end of your resume as a nice little conclusion. 

Treat each resume that you create for yourself as worth ten thousand dollars.  Because that is probably what you will earn if you get the job – or even more. 

Have fun with it, do some more research and don’t settle for second best!  Get second and third opinions and never forget:

Your resume is your story and should be adapted as you learn and experience more.

Sometimes you get to do fun things at work.  Today I’ve been communicating with a pretty famous person!  Andy Thomas has been into space several times and we’re not talking about daydreaming at his desk.  He is world famous for being an astronaut from Adelaide.  Check out his video on this website. His biography may be read at the following link:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/thomas-a.html

We will be updating Andy’s top 5 answers on his site shortly but in the meantime, this is what Andy shared with me in regards to what he is doing at the moment:
“I am still a member of the Astronaut Office at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.  I am leading a team of engineers and specialists in developing the space transportation systems and spacecraft that will take humans beyond Earth orbit out into deep space.
You may also be interested to know that my wife is also an astronaut, and is presently flying on board the International Space Station.  She launched in June and will return in December.  Her name is Shannon Walker and you can see her at:”
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition24/index.html
I have checked out Shannon’s blog which you can find at that link.  Great to hear about her adventures in space… while she is actually way out there.

With school holidays right around the corner I know a lot of you will be looking for casual or part time work.  Someone I know just had an interview with a bunch of other students yesterday at a national retail store.  I thought it might be helpful to give you some of my best tips!  Some of these may seem really obvious to you but it doesn’t hurt to go through these again. Starting right from the beginning:

• If you’ve been applying for jobs, when you answer your phone, don’t just say ‘ya’, say ‘hello’ – it could be the manager calling to say they’d like you in for an interview. You have to sound professional!
• Make sure you have a professional answering machine message on your mobile. Something like ” Yeah, you got me. Leave a message” isn’t what employers want to  hear. Make sure you have your name on there.
• Get to the interview on time – whatever it takes.  Being late is a no-no.
• Remember to shake the interviewer’s hand and use their name when you meet them (people like hearing their name said)
• Dress to suit the image of the business you are being interviewed by. No thongs, no ripped jeans, no mini skirts or plunging necklines with cleavage showing. Look professional and you’ll impress.
• Be prepared to answer the following questions:

What do you know about our business?  (Do research beforehand)

What have you done that demonstrates leadership and initiative?

What can you offer our business?

What are your strengths?

What are your weaknesses? (Pick something small to share or you’ll make them nervous)

• Think of things that demonstrate your achievements and share them even if it’s been helping with a fundraiser at school, being Vice Captain of a sports team or babysitting.  Sharing any extra-curricular activities is also good like debating and playing chess because it shows you are well-rounded and motivated.
• Last but not least, think positively about yourself and don’t stress too much if you don’t get the job.  Just polish yourself up again and try again. 
• PS: Its not a bad idea to get honest feedback from the interviewer if you’ve been unsuccessful. 

Good luck – get out there!  Working gives you money, experience, new friends and a whole new world of independence!

Australian Apprenticeships are a great way to combine work with training. You get to learn and get paid at the same time.  This can be a rewarding pathway from school to work or from one career to another.  I met a guy the other day who started with a bricklaying apprenticeship, then changed to a butcher’s apprenticeship and has finally settled on a plumbing apprenticeship!  I know some people might criticize him for changing pathways. Gen Ys are often criticized for not sticking with their jobs and not being committed.  I tend to disagree.  My belief is that they just don’t want to be stuck in a place where they are unhappy and where their talents aren’t being used.

In my experience, I find if you spend proper time in the beginning with Gen Ys, investigating career pathways, setting up work experience, getting students to talk to industry people, they’ll get an idea of the good, the bad and the ugly of the careers they are thinking about.  Then the ability to make wiser more informed career decisions becomes easier.  Information is power.

Australian Apprenticeships have a variety of qualification levels in more than 500 (!) occupations across Australia, in traditional trades, as well as new careers that are emerging.

If you were to do an apprenticeship, which one would you be interested in?

A good website to have a look at is www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au

One thing students should know is that basic literacy and numeracy skills are essential so get help if you are struggling with these subjects at school.  One employer told me that if he gets applications that are poor or if students fail their literacy and numeracy testing, their resumes go in the bin.  For some apprenticeships (ie. electrical), employers require strong math skills ,ideally  Year 11 or 12 level Maths as the minimum. So don’t get caught out by making the wrong subject choices for Year 11.

If you want to apply for an apprenticeship, you can apply on websites, through newspapers or contact employers directly. 

Have any questions?  Ask me!

Here is a list of trades that are in very high demand according to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations:

• Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Avionics & Mechanical)
• Boat Builder and Repairer
• Cabinetmaker
• Electronic Equipment Tradesperson
• Fitter
• Flat Glass Tradesperson
• Floor Finisher
• Furniture Finisher
• General Electrician
• Locksmith
• Metal Fabricator (Boilermaker)
• Metal Machinist (First Class)
• Pressure Welder
• Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Mechanic
• Sheetmetal Worker (First Class)
• Toolmaker
• Welder (First Class)
• Wood Machinist

This website has some very helpful information for anyone considering a job in manufacturing: http://www.makeit.net.au/

I had the wonderful opportunity of visiting Whyalla and Mt Gambier to promote the new website and talk up the great career opportunities in South Australia.  Two career ambassadors came with me as well. We were invited as guest speakers at Samaritan, Stuart and Whyalla High schools.  Our audiences were fun and receptive!  Isaac Weetra and Ly Ing talked about uni and apprenticeship pathways.  Isaac is a Whyalla boy so he was extra popular.  Ly talked about what civil engineers do.  We also had the special treat of touring Whyalla OneSteel.  Weather was shocking when we went to fly home and we were delayed 5 hours.  Being a bit of a nervous flyer, I was glad to finally touch down in Adelaide!!

After Whyalla we flew to Mt Gambier where we spoke to about 220 students at Grant High.  Tim Keen shared about his career pathway – working at Pelican Point Power Station.  There was a lot of interest in one of his toys that he talked about – his motorbike!  Tim said that when you study the right subjects and make good money you can buy fun toys!  The next day we were exhibitors at the Rotary Limestone Coast Expo.  We had a lot of students come by and chat with us.  We had a bunch of freebies to give away including T-shirts and bags, pens and DVDs.  Katie Hulmes, Environmental Superintendant flew in for the day to join Tim Keen.  Both of them gave a short talk in the afternoon.  Katie said that a graduate engineer she knows has just been hired on for $87,000!  How’s that for a starting wage?!!!