“My career journey into the workplace was kickstarted by a CV workshop,” declares junior systems engineer Ghazi Suliyanto.

“The CV workshop was really valuable. I couldn’t believe I could get such good professional advice for free. It made such a difference. 

I had no idea what was wrong with my CV before that; things like it being too long and with the wrong information and formatting.”

Ghazi stumbled across the workshop when looking for an internship. With his updated CV and cover letter, he landed a full time four-month internship as a network and IT systems administrator at Kitchen Cabinets & Stones. He was delighted when it turned into a regular part time job while he completed his degree.

“They offered me a full time job but I was still doing my degree so I did part time around my study instead,” he explains.

In the role he was doing IT and network troubleshooting for 86 staff at two different sites, looking at end user problems ranging from printers not working to diagnosing mission critical situations.

“I enjoyed the sense of satisfaction of meeting client needs. I also enjoy continually learning something new, such as  looking for different ways to approach a problem that is also the most efficient.”

Further employability help

Buoyed by his success with getting an internship, Ghazi continued to attend other workshops to build on his confidence in job search and networking techniques.

“I really think Elab is a service that can be overlooked by students. The detailed, high-quality feedback provided really transformed my CV. You receive lots and lots of tips and I think you’d be pushed to find another tertiary service that would be that helpful - and be free as well.”

Other learning

Ghazi’s attitude to learning shines through in many ways. While doing his IT Service Science major Ghazi decided he needed to build up further knowledge and experience and also studied for CCNA and Comptia+ certifications.

“I wanted to become stand out as a very desirable candidate to an employer by learning extra technologies in my spare time.”

He set up HomeLab on his LinkedIn profile - ghazisite.com - where he documented his new learnings of other technologies.

“I documented what I learned, the processes I followed and what I found hard and easy. I felt it was a way to show recruiters that I do indeed learn new things independently and create support documents for future reference. It also gave me something to talk about in interviews.”

Great outcome

He got a job at Vemo IT Solutions within a month of graduation and believes his CV, cover letter and HomeLab site were the tools that helped him to score graduate role interviews quickly.

“I would not have gotten a job as easily if I had not used the employability services at AUT. It really made a difference for me.”

His job as junior systems engineer at Vemo IT Solutions is a more complex full time role analysing and identifying risks and issues and developing proposals/solutions that create value.

“It is busy and challenging with a lot going on, and I am loving it.”

Tips

• Make the most of the free services at Employability Lab and Elab Online
• Be curious outside of university and be eager to learn technologies outside of what you are studying.
• Connect with likeminded individuals, AUT hosts a range of career fairs which students can benefit from.

Want help with your career decisions or employability skills?

For help or information on how to write CVs, cover letters etc please sign up for an Employability and Careers workshop through Elabonline. You can also sign up for a one-on-one appointment with a career counsellor to discuss your career options.

Alternatively, read blogs on CVs, including Seven tips for a great CV and Employer Tips on CVs, Interviews etc or Why bother with LinkedIn? Or find out more about identifying your transferable skills and how to manage psychometric assessments.

You can also find CV and cover letter resources and interview practice options at Elabonline.