New Year, New Career – How to Improve Your Employability

Whether it’s a position at the shops, on a job site, or in an office complex, competition for employment is fierce right now. With so many applicants and so few openings, employers can cherry-pick the best-of-the-best to fill their vacancies, so it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re competitive.

Improving your employability can go a long way in securing yourself a new position, but it’s not just one thing. Your employability is the combination of your education, previous work experience, skills, and even things like your professionalism, motivation, and communication.

Improving just one of these aspects could make the difference that puts you above the rest. Here are just a few ways you can help yourself to stand out.

Upskill

One of the best ways to improve your employability is to upskill and improve your education. Completing a diploma, certification, or degree shows employers not only that you’re qualified, but also that you’re serious about your career and have the drive to succeed. Upskilling also opens doors to new industries and higher-level positions. For example, upskilling with an SIBT Diploma of Arts could get you into roles in creative industries, NGOs, or media and communications.

Now is the perfect opportunity

With the job market fiercely competitive, now is the time to set yourself up for long-term success. By upskilling and improving your education while employment is hard to come by, you’re putting yourself in the best position for when the economy improves.

This doesn’t mean you have to start an expensive, multi-year Uni journey, though. You can gain the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in tomorrow’s economy in just 8-12 months with SIBT, with no upfront costs thanks to FEE-HELP. This way you can help put yourself ahead of the rest in just a few months. However, if you do decide a Uni degree is the way to go, you have the option of direct entry from SIBT into Western Sydney University, Sydney City Campus, for year 2 of your chosen bachelor’s degree.

Volunteer

Volunteering is a fantastic way to improve your soft skills and gain extra experience, all while furthering a good cause. It also shows potential employers that you’re proactive and eager to contribute; exactly the kind of person they’d be looking to hire.

Volunteering to help raise awareness for a cause is a great way to develop your communication and marketing skills, useful for employment in advertising and PR. Further development of these skills through a Diploma of Media and Communications at SIBT helps demonstrate that you know how to connect with customers and shows companies that you could be a good face for their brand.

 

Improve your soft skills

Soft skills are crucial to success in any arena. Teamwork, communication, and time management are becoming more important than ever, and as such they are receiving more and more emphasis from employers. These can be improved through numerous methods, but practical experience is the best way to develop them, which is why they’re crucial components of all of our courses.

Final Thoughts…

There are plenty of hot-tips and tricks to help boost your chances of landing a job, but you can never go wrong with a bit of self-improvement. Improving soft skills and experience is undoubtedly important, but improving your education is crucial, especially for entry-level positions.

By upskilling and boosting your credentials you’re setting yourself up for long-term prosperity, ultimately making yourself more valuable to future employers and improving your chances of starting your dream career. Graduating with an SIBT Diploma in just 8 to 12 months is the perfect way to get started on the road to success, and with the flexibility to continue on to a full 3-year Uni degree, there’s no reason not to put yourself ahead of the game. Enquire today!

Experience, Experience – Jobs to Further Your Studies and Career

Retail and hospitality jobs can be great, but they’re not exactly your first choice for a long-term career and they’re not going to give you any experience in the field of your degree. If you really want to get ahead of your mates during Uni, finding a job that will give you industry experience and help out with your studies is the perfect way to get started. So, what kind of opportunities are there for you to get hands-on in your area of study?  

Media and Communication 

If you’re more of a creative person, there are plenty of positions available in marketing and content creation. These jobs could have you doing a variety of things, from writing content for ads and media, planning marketing campaigns, helping with product launches, and more. Roles like these all involve substantial communication and collaboration between teams, and can be the perfect opportunity to gain industry experience and apply theories learned in classes at Uni.  

This practical application of theory can help your grades in Uni and give you a head start on your career afterwards. But if you like what you’re doing and want to go ahead with it full time, you can walk away from Uni and chase your dream after just 8 months of studying an SIBT Diploma of Media and Communication, graduating with nationally recognized qualifications to prove you’ve got what it takes. 

Engineering 

For those interested in engineering, there are loads of opportunities to get your hands dirty with some on-site experience. With the critical thinking and communication skills you acquire studying your Diploma of Engineering at SIBT, you can excel as a field service engineer, performing repairs and preventative maintenance on equipment, and gaining first-hand experience with complicated systems. 

Firms around Sydney are also hiring university students as manufacturing assistants and interns, allowing you to learn more about the production processes that go in to making the goods you enjoy and helping to boost your understanding of engineering design.  

Business Administration 

If you’re really keen on starting that corporate career you’ve been working towards, then starting off as an administration assistant could be the opportunity you’re looking for. This is a role that will put the collaboration, marketing, and management skills you learn in your Diploma of Business Admin study to the test. An opportunity like this can get you prepared for further adventures into office life and teach you all the ins and outs of corporate operations. 

Final thoughts… 

While these are just a handful of opportunities available to you while studying, the possibilities are endless once you’ve graduated. The skills you develop while studying will help you to excel in these positions, while the practical application of what you’re learning in the real-world can boost your understanding of it and push you even further ahead in both your studies and future career.  

If you’re lucky enough to find a job you really enjoy, then graduating in just 8 to 12 months with an SIBT Diploma is the perfect way to show your qualified for it and to continue working your way up in your new career! But if you’d rather keep going for the full degree, no worries! You can join the other 20,000+ SIBT alumni who have progressed with a guaranteed pathway into university.  

Dealing with the Chaos of the ATAR Release

The big day is almost here! With ATARs releasing across the country this week, you might be a bit nervous about the chaos of what comes next. After all, this number will determine where you might study, whether you’ll get into the course you want, or your future career.

But don’t panic!

Even if you don’t get the score you need for your dream degree, that doesn’t mean you can’t get there, and it certainly doesn’t determine your future success! So, what are you supposed to do if your ATAR isn’t enough?

What to do if your ATAR is too low

Diploma and Pathway Courses

One of the best ways to ensure you get into the degree you want and still attend the Uni you originally wanted is to see if there is a pathway program offered.

Pathway programs are generally offered on the Uni campus like the main programs, and they don’t add any extra time to your degree; so if you’re looking at a 3 year degree, you’ll still finish in 3 years! For instance, the Diploma of Business Admin at SIBT is a pathway program straight into the second year of the Bachelor of Business undergraduate degree at Western Sydney University, Sydney City Campus. So no lost time and you’re on campus with your mates from day one.

Better yet, these programs usually provide extensive student support, which will help prepare you for future success at university. Instead of throwing yourself into enormous classes with hundreds of people, you can get a more personal learning experience with smaller class sizes and support from teachers and staff. This will help you learn skills like assignment preparation, time management, and more.

Better yet, diploma programs like these can not only ensure entry to university, but if you decide that university isn’t for you, you can leave with a Higher Education Diploma after a year and get a head start on your career.

Check for Alternative Courses

If you can’t get into the exact program you want, you should check whether that course is available at a different university. Universities have differing entry requirements (often for the same course), so make sure to do a bit of research on the course you’re interested in. If you can find a course with lower requirements at a different university, make sure to go to UAC, or whichever admissions centre(s) you applied to, and change your application preferences.

Alternative Programs

Not all universities have these pathway courses, so another way to get into the course you want is to apply for a different course in a similar area. By studying a different program with lower entry requirements, you can demonstrate your success in a university environment and use your grades from that program to transition into the one you really want. However, this will set you back time-wise because you will probably have to start from year 1 of the new program.

Educational Access Schemes

If you’re eligible for them, Educational Access Schemes (EAS) can give you a hand by adding extra points to your ATAR which could get you to the rank you need for the course you want.

These are available to students who have been affected by circumstances outside their control, such as financial hardship, personal illness/disability, severe family disruptions, and others.

However, it is vital to note that not every university recognizes EAS in the same way, so make sure you check how the university you’re interested in handles them.

Final thoughts…

No matter what, make sure to stay calm and take a deep breath! Your ATAR doesn’t define you, and if it isn’t quite enough to get you into the course you wanted, it doesn’t mean you can’t succeed in future studies. In our over 20 years of experience in education, we have had over 25,000 alumni graduate SIBT, with 90% choosing to continue to successful university careers. So if you do decide to go for a diploma, or want a pathway to Western Sydney University, Sydney City Campus, make sure to join us here at SIBT!