Preparing for the Gippsland Careers Expo

By attending, you will meet employees from a number of organisations and be able to ask pertinent, probing questions that may help you decide whether or not to apply for particular opportunities and to discover information that might enhance your application(s).

Prepare in advance and do your research! This will demonstrate your enthusiasm for an opportunity and on the day you'll speak with experienced representatives who can easily determine who has and has not prepared.

Some tips that might help you:

• Visit the links to participating organisations to gain insight into the organisation, its activities, news, initiatives, culture and the type of opportunities they might offer.

• Make a note of questions you might ask, aiming to expand on information you already know or have read, and especially to cover areas not addressed in published resources.

• If you feel a little awkward about the idea of approaching employers directly, remember that Careers Expos are relatively informal in that employers are expecting to receive unsolicited approaches from large numbers of inquiring students. It is a good idea though to practise your introduction skills, or rehearse the questions you hope to ask. Students who appear confident, informed and who ask perceptive, relevant questions make the best impression.

• Visit your Employment and Career Development office. We offer interview practice, job seeker seminars, careers consulting and more to help you.

Sample questions you can ask employers

Questions about selection process

• How do you recruit employees?
• What are the most important qualities and skills you look for in candidates?
• What do you look for when you read a resume from an applicant? (Is there a particular type of work or experience I should complete while studying?)
• May I contact you again, should I have further questions?

Questions about the work role

• What are some of the responsibilities, tasks and priorities?
• Can you tell me some of the things I would be doing in a typical week?
• What training is provided?

Questions about career development

• What positions might a student with my major/skills find in your company?
• What sort of jobs do people in this field move on to do?
• What professional associations do people in your company/field join?

Questions about the organisation and its culture

• Is the structure of the organisation changing?
• What is the organisations policy towards further study?
• Could you please tell me something about the growth patterns of the organisation?
• If there is a parent company or subsidiaries, what impact does it have on the role?
• Could you tell me about recent developments, new products and projects, new markets for the organisation's services/products?

Contact us:

Tel: +61 3 9905 4170
Email: info@careers.monash.edu.au