Frequently Asked Questions

   I don’t know what I want to do?

Don’t despair – the UNE Career Coaches can assist you with your choices. Whether you are in first year or about to graduate, we are happy to discuss your options.

Reasons you may wish to talk to us:

  • You are lost with your studies and cannot see a purpose
  • You have no idea of what careers/jobs are available for you
  • You know what you want, but you just don’t know how to get there
  • You just don’t know where to start

There are also a lot of great resources in the UNE Career Toolkit and you have access to this free resource 24/7 as a UNE student.

If you want to talk to a Career Coach, please contact us via careers@une.edu.au to schedule an appointment

   My studies aren’t what I thought they would be. I don’t know what to do

This is a question that many students have. First of all you need to think about why you choose your study program? What was the original idea? You then need to look at why you are not enjoying the subject area and out this down in writing – like a list of pros and cons. This will help you with your decisions.

Many graduate opportunities are open to all graduates – no matter what you have studied. What does this mean? Well, if you have studied an education based degree and you do not wish to become a teacher, it means you can apply for many employment opportunities – for example, the NSW Government Public Service Commission or maybe the ANZ bank

If you would like to discuss your thoughts, email the UNE Career Coaches at careers@une.edu.au to schedule an appointment

   I want to leave – I really don’t like the course

Firstly, have you spoken to your lecturers? If you are struggling with the content, they maybe able to assist. Sometimes you just need a little extra tutoring about the theory and content of the subject and that can kick start your study success. You can also find assistance through the Academic Skills Office and Studiosity – the link to this is in every Moodle unit.

You can certain take a break. Better to take some time off than to withdraw and then realise that you have made a mistake! You can apply for a Leave of Absence and take a trimester or up to 2 years off, while you work out what you wish to do.

Our Wellness Centre has a number of staff that can assist you as well – you may just need to talk to someone about the stress of it all. These staff are ideal and it is all confidential.

The UNE Career Coaches can also assist you in your decision. We can work with you on other study options and also what may be a suitable career path to consider. Email the UNE Career Coaches at careers@une.edu.au to schedule an appointment.

   How do I know what I can do once I finish studying?

UNE Employability & Careers update our webpages with graduate stories, as do the UNE Schools. You can also find fantastic stories within the UNE Careers Toolkit

   How do I know if I am employable? 

A great place to start is with the Quick Employability Test. These few questions will assist in giving you a report on what skills you have and how you can increase them.

   How can I find a job?

The first step will be for you to develop a comprehensive resume. This is your ultimate marketing tool and employers will expect you to have a professional document. We have developed a guide that can be found here. Once you have drafted your document, send it to careers@une.edu.au for assistance.

Now that you have a resume, you need to start researching employers that you are interested in. Think about ‘who’ you would like to work for. ‘where’ you would like to work, and finally what sort of ‘things’ you would like to do in your workday. It is always best to start from an employer and work back to you, rather than look at job titles. There is a comprehensive job listing available and UNE Employability & Careers use Facebook and Instagram to list Employment Opportunities.

   How can I find out about employers?

UNE Employability & Careers often have employer sessions and these will be advertised across all UNE Social Media platforms and also through the weekly Newsletter

But, if you want to find out more about employers by doing some research, we have a comprehensive list of Employer Profiles. You can sign up to follow them too.

   I would like to do work experience, but don’t know where to start?

UNE has a number of ways to gain professional experience. At a tertiary level, this is called Work Placement or Work Integrated Learning. To see if your course has embedded, that is mandatory, placement, you need to look at your course study program and read the units and notes. Some courses, such as Education/Teaching will have practicum units, other courses will have a mandatory number of weeks that you need to complete in addition to your units and this will be listed on your Study Program.

UNE Employability & Careers has a a number of units that offer work placement, so if you course does not have mandatory practicum, you can look at the units WORK100, WORK300 and WORK500 as options.