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March 11, 2014

Careers Expo puts students in touch with Australian graduate recruiters

Dozens of final year students made the most of a valuable opportunity to meet and greet graduate recruiters at the 2014 Graduate Careers Expo at the URAC Sports Hub on 6 March.

 More than 25 graduate recruiters from large private sector companies such as BHP Billiton, ALDI, Ernst & Young and the Westpac Group attended the expo, one of the first on the national Careers Fairs timetable for 2014. 

Government agencies such as Australian Taxation Office, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and the Department of Finance and Deregulation also attended the event. 

Nuala O’Donnell, Business Development Manager of the recently established Graduate Development and Employability Unit and UOW Careers Central said: “These organisations are recruiting for their very competitive formal graduate programs. 

“We were really pleased with student numbers, there was a good atmosphere and employers were really happy at the quality of the students they met.” 

Representatives from at least two companies – GBSTand China-based IT firm Pactera Technologies – were at the expo and on the lookout for graduates to fill positions at their Illawarra offices. 

“Pactera Technologies recently took up tenancy at UOW’s iCampus and have employed 20 of UOW’s alumni and are still recruiting,” Nuala O’Donnell said. 

“i3Net,a local professional organisation participated in the expo for the first time and were there to talk to students about some of the opportunities in the Illawarra.” 

The number of organisations offering graduate programs has decreased in recent years. 

Nuala O’Donnell, who is also the branch President of the National Association of Careers Advisory Services (NAGCAS) for NSW and the ACT, said the most recent Australian Association of Graduate Employers Employer Survey revealed that graduate vacancies are set to decrease by 18.4 per cent in 2014 compared to 2013. 

As graduate employer programs shrink and application numbers grow, expos that put students in touch with potential employers are an increasingly important part of the career planning process. 

“Students need to avail of every opportunity to get noticed. Meeting some of the decision makers in person is the best opportunity students have to impress potential employers.”  

“All potential employers [at the expo] were impressed with the career service’s model,” Nuala O’Donnell said.