12: Preparing for Employment

Introduction

Many students enter college with a clear professional goal in mind, while others simply hope to open the door to better job opportunities and working conditions. No matter what brought you here, one thing is certain: the steps you take now, during your time as a student, can significantly boost your employability once you graduate.

This chapter introduces practical strategies you can begin using immediately—most of which are not time-consuming and will directly support your learning in your chosen field. Throughout this chapter, you’ll see the term discipline area, which refers to your major or primary field of study, such as education, nursing, business, engineering, or the creative arts.

It is never too early to start thinking about life after university. Whether you’re in your first semester or approaching graduation, the activities outlined here can help you build confidence, sharpen your professional identity, and enhance the skills employers look for.

We begin by exploring why having a general career plan matters—even if your path is still taking shape. From there, the chapter walks you through practical ways to develop career readiness, strengthen your profile, and position yourself as a strong candidate for future employers.

What are your plans?

Part of increasing your employability is understanding the profession or career you are planning to enter. You have chosen a program of study, but what types of jobs do you plan to have when you graduate? Some students will have a very clear picture of what their future work will be. For other students, the pathway to a career is not as straightforward. If you are in the latter category, then we recommend that you have a chat to a Career Counsellor. Most colleges will provide free access to expert careers advice. This doesn’t mean you are locking yourself into only one career path. However, having a clear picture of your future profession will make it easier to work on the skills that your future employers will be seeking.

Professional in training

It can help to think of yourself as a professional in training, rather than as a student. This happens from the moment you start your university experience and provides you with opportunities to develop your professional identity, ready for your first new role after graduation. You demonstrate your professionalism (or lack of) in your interactions within your subjects, with fellow students, university staff and others. This includes how you interact with others in forum posts, in lectures and tutorials, and in the assessment work that you submit. This doesn’t mean that studying cannot be fun. It’s more about ensuring that you are not acting inappropriately or creating a negative impression.

Developing a positive professional relationship with your lecturers can have many benefits. Your lecturers will often have connections with employers in your discipline and they are usually happy to share their knowledge of employment practices and opportunities with students. Many graduate employment programs require applicants to submit academic references and your lecturers need to know who you are before they can be your referee. You can connect with university staff and demonstrate your career readiness in a number of ways. This can involve being an active participant in your classes, including discussing the subject content in classes and tutorials, engaging in the forums for your subjects and joining discipline clubs (e.g., Engineering Club). Not all of these options will be possible for all students. If you are studying online, you may need to consider different approaches compared to a student studying on campus. For example, students attending live online lectures can use a webcam to show their presence, be dressed appropriately, ask questions during the session and consider their video background view (Quick tip: Use a virtual background image if your actual background isn’t ideal).

Professional image

Your professional image plays a meaningful role in how employers perceive you—often before you ever meet them. Many employers review applicants’ social media profiles as part of the hiring process, so it’s important to consider whether your public online presence reflects the image you want potential employers to see. Remember, as an employee, your behavior and reputation can influence how your employer is viewed, which is why organizations look for candidates whose online image aligns with their values and brand.

It’s also essential to keep in mind that anything posted online—photos, comments, videos, or shared content—may remain accessible long after you delete it. Once something is uploaded, you may lose control over how it is saved, shared, or redistributed by others.

This does not mean you shouldn’t express your personality, share your interests, or stay connected with friends and family. Instead, consider creating a clear boundary between your personal and professional online identities. Many students choose to keep a private personal profile while maintaining a polished, public professional profile on platforms such as LinkedIn or other career-focused sites. This approach allows you to be authentically yourself while still presenting a professional image to future employers.

Prepare your Resume or Professional Portfolio

We recommend that you prepare your resume or CV (Curriculum Vitae) now, at least in draft form, so when positions are advertised you are ready to apply. Graduate employment programs are often advertised six months (or more) before the program is due to commence and may only be open for submission for a short period of time. There are a lot of resume preparation resources available online and your university is likely to provide support in developing your resume. Your resume is an opportunity to highlight your skills, experience, and abilities and why you are a desirable candidate. It is important that you spend some time preparing a professional resume. A poorly prepared resume may lead employers to believe that you are a poorly prepared professional.

In many disciplines, students are required to build a professional portfolio as part of their studies. This portfolio serves as a curated collection of your best work and a tangible record of your developing skills. For example, a creative arts student might assemble a digital gallery of paintings, a film and television student may produce a showreel, an education student might create a portfolio of lesson plans and teaching resources, and an engineering student may document projects, designs, or technical competencies in a skills development portfolio.

Creating a portfolio is an excellent opportunity to gradually gather evidence of your abilities, achievements, and professional growth. Instead of trying to assemble everything at the last minute, you can build your portfolio piece by piece as you progress through your degree.

Be sure to pay close attention to any feedback you receive on your portfolio. Your lecturers and industry mentors have insight into what employers in your discipline are looking for, and their guidance can help you refine your work to present the strongest possible version of your professional identity.

You will often have to submit a number of other documents with your application, which may include a cover letter, statement of claim, selection criteria statement, university transcripts, referee reports, or samples of work. Your university careers and employability team will have resources and support to assist you in preparing a comprehensive application.

Industry events on campus

Your potential employers may attend events at your university, either on campus or virtually. Your university may host careers fairs and other opportunities to connect with potential employers. A careers fair is an event where employers from a wide range of professions will attend to discuss their recruitment processes and provide information about their organizations. Other employers may offer information sessions at key recruitment times, for example your local state education system may offer recruitment information sessions for students about to graduate with teaching degrees. These are all great opportunities to connect with your potential future employers. Consider these events as a mini job interview and aim to make a positive impression when you attend. You never know; the people you meet may be the ones who interview you formally for a job in the future.

Other skills required in your profession

As mentioned in earlier sections of this chapter, not only are employers interested in your technical or discipline skills, they are also looking for candidates with other skills. These may include the ability to communicate clearly, work with others, problem solve, manage their time, show initiative and adaptability, and demonstrate leadership. It is important that you consider how you will demonstrate these skills.

Develop a Checklist of skills and experience

When you know what potential employers might be looking for you can develop a plan for acquiring any skills that you don’t already have. Job vacancies, your university careers and employability team, professional bodies and accreditation or registration bodies are all possible sources of information. For example, you can review the skills, training and experience applicants are asked to demonstrate in relevant job vacancies.

University Careers and Employability support

Most universities will have a careers and employability team that will offer a range of services, including promoting job vacancies, resume and application writing support, and careers advice. They may also offer internships, mentoring, and other programs designed to assist you. The careers and employability team are also a great resource if you aren’t sure about what activities might be helpful, who your professional Organizations might be, or what job opportunities might be available. They are experts in the field of employment, career development, and employability and their services are usually free to university students, so make the most of this great resource.

Conclusion

Starting your career preparation while you are still a student at university can help you to build a comprehensive portfolio demonstrating your readiness and suitability to enter your profession. Universities usually offer a number of opportunities for students to develop employability skills so take advantage of them. Other activities such as joining a professional Organization, connecting with your lecturers and joining university clubs will provide you with opportunities to develop skills and widen your professional network. By developing these skills and gaining experience you will improve your readiness to enter your profession and the transition from student to professional will be easier.