Griffith graduate and current Master of Commerce (Professional Accounting) student Matthew Shannon is about to embark on one of the most exciting professional opportunities of his life interning at the 2015 Australian Open starting today. Winning the CPA Australia competition to experience an elite five day experience at the Australian Open, Matthew stood out above 2,500 applications from around Australia and New Zealand by developing a stand out LinkedIn profile and his performance at his panel interview. By attending a Griffith University industry event, Matthew connected with Jacqui Owen, Relationship Manager – Education, CPA Australia to get tips to develop his LinkedIn profile. Watch Matthew’s journey over the next week as he experiences the opportunity of a lifetime.
Category: Your Stories
Five simple ways to boost your career these holidays
By Sophie Wood
I just finished up my third year of a marketing and journalism degree, which means only one more left! So unfortunately my summer is a little less about the beach and a little more about internships and work experience. Not every one of you is going to graduate in a year but every one of you is going to graduate eventually. So here are some simple, ‘no fuss’ actions you can take these holidays to help further your career prospective.
- Socialise at events – Let’s be honest and admit that there is very little that you feel like doing during your holidays that isn’t sitting in front of the television and watching Ellen. Am I right? But sometimes you’ve just got to get yourself out of the house and start socialising! Events are the perfect environment to do this as well as a valuable opportunity to follow your passions and meet likeminded people. It could be as simple as going to a networking event held by the university or as involved as attending a conference. Either way, make the most out of the event and build your networks. You never know what will follow.
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Summing up the end of my degree in 10 quotes
By Elise Stephenson
This article was originally published by Griffith University graduate Bachelor of Asian Studies and Bachelor of Communications double degree Elise Stephenson on November 7 2014 at http://elisestephenson.com/. The article was republished with her permission.
Today I reached the last day of my Bachelor of Asian Studies and Bachelor of Communications double degree. Here’s what I think of the whole experience through the words of some of my favourite authors:
“No doubt another may also think for me; but it is not therefore desirable that (s)he should do so to the exclusion of my thinking for myself.” Henry David Thoreau
I learned incredibly valuable things at university and in my wider life while I was studying. And while I think it is important to value what other people think about in relation to your life, ultimately, it’s all about being reflective enough to think for yourself, and let others think for themselves too.
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There’s more to uni than just academic – LiTES are leading the way
When Chelsea Bentley started her Bachelor of Science degree in mid-July 2012, she went searching to see what Griffith student clubs were on offer to join. Along the way, she discovered the Ladies in Technology, Engineering and Science, commonly known as LiTES within the Griffith student community.
Founded in 2011 by Environmental Engineering graduate and now Senior Learning Assistance Officer with the GUMURRI Student Support Unit Jennifer-Leigh Campbell, LiTES was created to provide female students with access to support, networking opportunities and career advice in fields that are typically male dominated.
At its core, LiTES focus is “to support women in these marginalised fields, to allow them to network and create relationships with other girls in these degrees. It also provides them with the ability to connect with previous graduates in the industry”, Chelsea explains.
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Four unique tips for staying sane during study period
By Sophie Wood
I’m currently finishing up my fourth year of university so I consider myself a little bit of an expert in surviving the dreaded exam period. Four years of university means I have completed a lot of exams! Some were good, some were bad but all of them were a learning experience.
However I don’t think that exams are the biggest worry. The biggest worry is the study period beforehand and trying to stay sane when memorising notes, lecture slides and large chunks of academic text. In four years, I have tried all the tricks in the book and here is the best advice I can give to you all.
Use post-it notes – Planning is a vital aspect to a successful study period. There is nothing productive about going into study block without a good game plan. So this is where post-it notes can come in handy! Instead of using a diary, write your game plan on post-it notes! This allows you to colour code important action points and prioritise tasks e.g. pink post-its for important and blue post-its for less important tasks. Post-it notes can be stuck in your diary, on your wall or even your bathroom mirror to make planning a little bit more fun!
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20 years of student mentoring honoured
Gold Coast financial adviser Frank Byrne has been recognised for 20 years’ mentoring of Griffith Business School students as part of the Griffith Industry Mentoring Program.
Frank, who is now 73 years old, was one of the first mentors to join the program when it began in 1994. That was just four years after he graduated from the Griffith Business School himself.
“I just wanted to give back to Griffith in return for all the opportunities I have been given as a result of my studies there,” Frank said.
Frank graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 1990 when he was 50. He completed his studies part-time while working at the Department of Primary Industries, where he had been employed as an administration officer for 37 years.
Develop your own future on campus
One of the perks of this job is continually talking with inspiring students and staff. The wonderful work happening across all of our campuses never ceases to amaze me. . I get asked a lot how to get involved with on-campus activities which also has the side benefit of being paid work. It’s impossible to know every single activity that’s happening on campus but as you dig deeper the diverse opportunities for students keep unveiling themselves. The Career Leaders Program is one of these gems which students should be embracing with open arms: you actually get paid to develop your own Career.
Due to the nature of its funding by the Federal Government through the Higher Education Participation Program (HEPP), the Career Leaders Program is only open to domestic students from equity backgrounds, who statistically are at a strong disadvantage regarding successful participation in, and graduation from, higher education.
How to find the perfect internship
By Sophie Wood
It is the one piece of advice that was regularly spelt out to me by all my lecturers in every single class – “Before you graduate you need to have experience”. In some degrees, work experience is a necessary component and in other degrees, it is all on your own accord. The earlier you can get some experience, the better!
I was a late bloomer and halfway through my degree before I realised that I needed to gain some valuable experience. I trawled through dozens of employment websites, spoke to everyone I knew and even emailed organisations that I really loved to see if they had anything to offer. Finding the perfect internship was a six-month journey with highs and lows. I feel like I learnt a lot during this time, so let me share some tips with you!
Introducing our new student blogger – Sophie Wood
Here at the Griffith Careers team we are very excited to introduce our new student blogger Sophie Wood to the team.
As a Gold Coast student studying Marketing and Journalism, Sophie will be making regular contributions to our blog about her own experiences as a Griffith University student. Currently interning as the Social Media and Content Creator at Milaana, a social enterprise start-up that connects students and job seekers with the projects of community organisations we are looking forward to the insightful perspectives Sophie will contribute.
Using her own experience and passion as a blogger, reader and writer, Sophie will be debuting her first blog entry on Monday. Stay tuned ….
Taking it to the next level – Interchange Consultancy
You may not know their faces but most Griffith students will be familiar with their events when deciding their future career path. Most of us have attended the Tertiary Studies Expo (TSXPO) which is Australia’s largest careers expo offering study options from over 250 representatives. Interchange Consultancy is the brainchild of couple Shane Lynch and Hedy van Hofwegen which started in 1997 with their first careers expo for the Gold Coast region. An interesting correlation to this story is that Shane and Hedy are Griffith graduates who studied Business and Science respectively.
Shane’s previous experience in HR, training colleges and attending hundreds of expos as an exhibitor gave him the inside edge into educational expos. “I got the feel of what it was like on the other side of the booth. I used to make a few little notes about what was good about it and what I didn’t like about it,” he explains. From there, it ignited a business idea which is gaining momentum every year and now covers six major careers expos.
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Griffith University Careers and Employment Service 