Cadetship

How to ace your first interview

Getting on the road to employment can be really tough, so we’ve asked the experts what they think makes the big difference. The second part of our series shares some wise words and interview advice from Ernst & Young to help you ace your first interview.

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Interview advice from Ernst & Young

As part of the University Pathways Program we visited Big 4 firm EY (Ernst & Young) with a bunch of Year 10 students who are just sussing out how to navigate the confusing maze of life to get on the road to university and meaningful employment. To kick things in this two part session, we were taken to Level 23 with panoramic views of the city symbolically setting off the scene.

UPP participants at Level 23, EY, Melbourne CBD

The first session was all about interview skills and how to sharpen up your tool kit in preparation for any future interviews, be they for a part time job, a university position or that first grad role on the far horizon.

According to our pals at EY there are two types of interview most commonly used to select awesome new candidates for roles in a company; they are discussion based and behavioural based interviews. We’ll give you a run down of each along with some hot tips on how to ace your first interview.

Discussion based interviews

Discussion based interviews centre around talking about you and include questions around your resume, work experience, goals and motivations. An example question might be something like “so tell me more about your weekend role at Coles?” or “you say you are motivated by personal development opportunities, why is this?”

This means you will have to brush up on your personal story, experience, career goals and be ready to talk about them and answer any interrogative questions about anything you’ve included on your resume.

Some hot tips for acing a discussion based interview are:-

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Know your resume: this one’s pretty simple, but very crucial. Familiarise yourself with what you’ve included, why you’ve included it and be able to talk confidently and competently about it. Remember it’s all about telling your personal story.
Link your skills to the position description: make sure you are the ideal candidate for the role by mirroring language, skills and key words from the position description and talk about these in the interview.
Answer questions completely: make sure your replies are comprehensive and cover all aspects of the question.
Sell yourself: this is your moment to shine and to show off all that is wonderful and amazing about your personal and professional skills in order to persuade the interviewer to hire you. Talk up your experiences and ideas. Be your own cheerleader.
Know what you want: set clear objectives about what you want from the role and why you are applying. You will be asked about this!
Silence is OK! this is self-explanatory but honestly, don’t feel the need to fill every gap with words. A well thought out answer is always better than a hurried one. If you need time to think just say “please could I have a moment to think”.

Group work during UPP session, July 2016

Behavioural based interviews

Behavioural based interviews use past experiences to predict future behaviour. The interviewer will ask you to talk about your experiences, share an anecdote where you have demonstrated certain skills skills or ask how you have reacted to a particular situation. An example question might be something like “can you tell us about a time when you demonstrated great leadership skills?” or “how would you respond to a difficult and uncooperative team member?”

This means you will have to think of some good examples of where, when and how you demonstrated key skills before the interview – these may come from professional situations, school, part time work or volunteering opportunities.

Some hot tips for acing a behavioural based interview:

Find a relevant example of skills used to obtain an outcome: go through your resume and pick out your key skills, then think about some examples or situations you were in where you really demonstrated them to other people.
Use a variety of examples to draw from: be sure to have a range of situations up your sleeve; talking about that one time at your part time job which demonstrated teamwork, negotiating, using initiative and everything else under the sun, will not show the diversity of your experience!
Give detail but keep it concise: there’s a balance between setting the scene and going into painful detail. Practice with someone else in order to get the balance right.
Use STAR technique: this is a great way of getting all the details in. STAR stands for Situation you were in Tasks required Action taken in response to situation Result of the action taken)

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Thanks to Ernst & Young for hosting the interview session for our University Pathways Program.

How to be a personal branding machine

Getting on the road to employment can be really tough, so we’ve asked the experts what they think makes the big difference. The first part of our series is about personal branding.

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What is personal branding?

Does it matter? How do I use it to my advantage? These are all questions that might come up for you. James Freemantle from Red Gum Communications has the answers! He recently shared his ideas, approaches and top tips in an engaging and dynamic workshop at NAB Village with a group of curious Year 10 UPP students.

So, let’s think about branding. The definition of a brand is the promise of providing a consistent experience to a consumer. Personal branding isn’t too dissimilar. James explains personal branding as the alignment of the way you present yourself with the way others experience you. There are three ways of communicating: visually, verbally and vocally. All are equally important in terms of defining an interaction, a relationship and in defining individuals. To demonstrate this, the students participated in an activity where they had to deliver a word with an action and correct voice tone in order to deliver the word with impact and sincerity.

James Freemantle, Red Gum Communications presentation; align your visual, vocal and verbal messages.

Does it matter?

In one word: YES! The choices we make with our body, face and voice have a big impact on those around us. How do you cause other people to feel when they meet you? How do they remember you? How can you take control of the impression people have of you? How do you WANT to be experienced?

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How can I use it to my advantage?

When you’re meeting someone for the first time, think about your habits of communication that create an impression of who you are, make someone remember you or to take action as a result of interacting with you. Think about what you can do to make this a better experience. In addition to this, think about your default response to a particular situation. Pretty confronting hey? But really useful in order to hone your personal brand and create a good impression. Other tips that James was keen to highlight to the students for maximum effect were body language, breath and voice as these are all things that influence outcomes.

UPP participants, team leaders and staff at NAB Village with James Freemantle, July 2016

Action & feeling goals

We’re about to get serious and talk about goal setting but this is important. We’re going to think about action goals and feeling goals. So first things first, let’s get things clear: an action goal is something you want to achieve in the short term. A feeling goal is the emotional context of the action goal or how you will feel when your action goal has been reached.

Imagine if you were going for a job interview – your action goal might be to create a positive, memorable impression and your feeling goal would then be feeling connected to the interviewer and having your comments affirmed with body language.

Have a think about how YOU can put all these ideas into practice and refine your own personal branding and use it to achieve greatness and success.

James Freemantle works for Red Gum Communications and is a personal branding expert.

My name is Taylah, and this is my story

When I was asked to write this post, I debated about what I would write for days, I struggled to string together a single sentence without deleting it.

I slowly realised that I am trying to write about myself in a way that would be appropriate and well received but I couldn’t do it, because life isn’t censored. So I decided to just write what I felt.

The theme for this year’s reconciliation week is Our history, Our story, Our future. For those of you who do not know what reconciliation week is, allow me to explain. Reconciliation week is the one week during the entire year that Indigenous Australians are celebrated; it marks the day of the 1967 referendum, Sorry day, and Mabo day.

My name is Taylah Jones and I am a proud Palawa woman, and this is my story. I was born and raised on Yorta Yorta country, and my mob Palawa, is from Tasmania. I am one of three siblings, so no, I don’t have a huge family. I have worked since I was 16, so no, I am not on Centrelink benefits, and neither are any of my family members. Yes, I am attending University, and no, I didn’t get where I am because I can tick a box. Yes, I am pale, and yes, you may think I don’t ‘look it’, and yes, I am sure I am Aboriginal.

For those of you who think these questions are stupid, ignorant, and rude, you would be right. And yes, I do actually get asked these questions, and yes, it does happen on a regular basis. Is it annoying yes, is it degrading yes, is it infuriating, yes.

When I left home to go to university I thought this would be the end of the questions. I was so wrong. Upon arriving at university on my first day, I was introduced as one of the Indigenous students before my name was used.

We are not our stereotypes, no one is. I have always been proud to say that I am Aboriginal, and I have never met someone who is ashamed of being Aboriginal.

We are all connected, not just by family… and not by some tragic event. We are connected through our culture.

As I write this, I am surrounded by some of the most caring and inspirational people I have ever met, and yes they are all Indigenous. Something people always say to me is that they don’t understand how Indigenous people always act like they know each other, when they have never met before.

Well, the answer is simple. We are all connected, not just by family (although many of us are related), and not by some tragic event. We are connected through our culture. There is a reason why the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are the oldest living cultures in the world, it is because we are survivors, and we care about one another in a way that you could never understand until you are a part of such a bond. No matter where you go, and no matter what happens, you will always be surrounded by family.

This is our history, told through our stories, and we have a long future ahead of us.

NYW 2016: Shelley Fenech’s advice for juggling university life

Advice and guidance for juggling university life from Shelley Fenech

The third in our National Youth Week 2016 blog series, where young people in our programs provide an insight into some of their amazing experiences.

Before you decide whether to read on – I must tell you that what I am about to say may save your sanity.

University can be as busy or laidback as you want. But for when times get tough there’s some things you can do to help reduce your stress levels.

About Me

My name is Shelley Fenech, and I’m a third year university student. If you’re about to start university, or even if you already have, then the mistakes I have made along my academic journey will not be in vain because I can briefly share with you my story.

I have always liked being a busy person. However in 2015, for my second year of university, life became beyond hectic. To make things simple, here’s a list of what I was doing:

Full time university
Volunteering at the SES (where I took on an admin role as well as being an ordinary member)
8 weeks of work experience ay my sponsor company through my cadetship with Doxa
Working at my casual job

I even successfully applied for an internship which meant on my mid-year holiday I was working 7 days a week. Madness! I had no time for myself, and this eventually led me into a dark period of depression. I no longer enjoyed the things I used to, and hardly cared about anything I did anymore.

Becoming too busy can be detrimental to your health.

It was a really tough time for me, and it’s taken a lot of work to get me back to where I am now. That’s enough sadness for one piece! So, to ensure that you don’t endure what I did I’ve created a guide to keep your life well-balanced and happy. If you adopt even one or two things into your weekly rhythm it will do wonders.

Listen to the Home Slow Podcast

Brooke McAlary created and hosts the show, which is an amazing listen. She teaches you how to declutter and slow down your life. Listening to these episodes gave me the strength to take leave from my SES unit while I’m at uni.

Practice Mindfulness and/or Meditation

I cannot stress how important this is. Being self-aware is incredibly beneficial to your health, both mentally AND physically! Practicing mindfulness actually physically reshapes your brain for the better. There are loads of other benefits that I can’t fit here, so check out headspace.com/science. There are many apps that you can find to practice mindfulness, but I use the Smiling Mind.

Take up a hobby!

This could be anything like the trendy new adult colouring in books, or something as simple as knitting. Find something that you can do that takes your mind off your worries. The great thing about a lot of hobbies is you can do it while watching lectures! I like to take photos of sunsets and edit them – which led me to accidentally capture this awesome lightening photo!

Captured in my town whilst on a jog

Read ‘How To Stay Sane’ by Philippa Perry

She’s an amazing psychoanalyst who has taught me to question my motives. Am I doing something to impress others or because it makes me happy? An amazing read that’s pretty short.

Go on a holiday!

I don’t think there’ll be many complaints here! Holidays are a great way to reboot.

Become physically healthy

Look, I know, exercise. It’s not for everyone. I have purposely not titled this recommendation as ‘Exercise’ because you don’t have to break a huge sweat to help your body feel better. Try yoga, or going for walks with friends or family. Foam rolling is also an amazing way to increase your flexibility and recover from exercise. And if you do it for long enough it feels like a great massage! You can pick up a foam roller for a cheap price at stores like Kmart or Big W.

Don’t cut off from family & friends

I don’t mean to say that you’ll cut off the people you love on purpose. It’s just something that can happen when you’re busy. Make sure to schedule in some time for the people who care about you. Phone call, quick coffee or skype call – whatever you can manage!

Keep track

You can do this through a diary or some kind of time management app. However, rather than just scheduling in work, assignments and other mundane things here’s a couple of things to also keep track of. To decrease negative self talk, write a positive thing about yourself for every negative thought you have. At the end of some days, write down something that happened that day. It can be interesting and fun to look back at the small things you forgot happened.
Those are just some of the things that can help you to maintain a lifestyle that isn’t detrimental to your health. I wish you the best of luck in everything that you do, and hope that you will undertake some of the recommendations that have helped me!

Go forth and be happy,
Shelley.

NYW 2016: Olivia Walker’s Top 10 Tips For Exchange

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Olivia Walker gives her top tips for an overseas exchange

The second in our National Youth Week 2016 blog series, where young people in our programs provide an insight into some of their amazing experiences.

The prospect of heading to a foreign country to undertake university studies is pretty daunting. Although the term visa may have you shying away from the idea, heading overseas on exchange is both a great way to build up your interpersonal skills and allow you to experience culture thus making you a more-well rounded person. Think exchange is something you might be interested in? Here are my top 10 tips to consider:

1. Destination

The biggest and most challenging thing people have trouble with is deciding where they want to go. Therefore, my number one tip is to thoroughly research the places you would like to travel to. In light of recent events, some areas are deemed unsafe to travel and having an understanding of these places is crucial. Also, think about what degree you are studying and what you plan on doing in the future. There may be certain destinations that seem on par with the future you. However, I always recommend choosing destinations that appeal to you as well as your career. Then hop on the Google machine and explore, if you can picture yourself there, then that’s the go.

2. Cultural Awareness

I cannot stress enough the importance of knowing before going! Firstly, it is super important to check if there are any vaccinations that are required entering that country. This brings me to my next point, ensure you have a good understanding of the medical system and health insurance policy as well as knowing the emergency contact number for your host country. Dialing 000 will do you no good in Costa Rica. Secondly, brush up on basic laws so that you don’t go around committing offences because, lets face it, being fined for chewing gum in Singapore is probably not the best way to start off a trip. In terms of cultural norms, doing your research and perhaps investing in a Lonely Planet travel guide for your host country will be the best way to go about. It is also important to consider behavior when overseas as certain hand gestures may be misinterpreted and could be offensive. Weather is another factor to consider. Down under we can get a variety do seasons in one day, but this tends to be a Melbourne special and therefore you should be thoroughly aware of what season you will be entering into and pack accordingly. If you are heading during winter it may be necessary for you to purchase snow boots, thermal gear, gloves, scarves and feather down goods to keep you warm. In warmer weather, comfortable clothing and plenty of sunscreen take precedent.

3. Language

Some people think that not speaking the language of the country you are entering is the be all and the end all. Wrong! Reading this blog means you are already gifted with the English language and pretty much anywhere in the world you will find the locals will have an English counter part. English is the worlds most spoken language and so getting around won’t be a big issue because after all. However, it may be handy to take up a language class before you jet set, that way you will feel more comfortable communicating and you will be able to add the talent of speaking another language, even if very minimal, onto the resume. Added bonus! For those of you who can only speak the native mother tongue there are many international universities that offer English courses. You will have the benefit of submerging yourself into another culture, without the struggles of leaning how to read, write and speak in another language. Sometimes your host university will have a language course you can take during o-week so that you understand the basics. For those that can speak another language why not boost your skills further and test your abilities by taking up a semester in that country. You will become even more fluent and more culturally diverse.

4. Safety

It may seem a bit controversial but when a lovely old lady at an international airport asks you to carry her bags think twice. When travelling anywhere it doesn’t harm to take extra precautions. Little things like where to hide money and securing a passport are just small considerations that can eliminate fraud and spending unnecessary money. Investing in things like Pacsafe gear with RFID technology that protects your cards and passports will set your mind at ease. There are also secure sock pouches where money can be stashed on your person to prevent theft. Also, taking out proper insurance for the duration or your stay is important. Make sure you take a thorough look at the policy and ask questions when you meet your flight agent. Lost luggage is very common so ensuing you are covered in an event where your luggage is lost is crucial. Another optional addition, just to be extra safe, is to carry an emergency contact card around with. This will be super important if injury was to occur to you. It is also important to keep a copy of the contact number and address of the closest embassy, this way if you encounter any problems along the way you can ring them immediately. This will be both comforting and super useful in times of need.

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5. Budget

Ok so we understand that heading to Milan on exchange is a bit of a fairy tail unless we have some support. Financial support that is! If you are anything like me having one scoop of gelati whilst in the middle of Rome isn’t quite going to cut it and so budgeting is very important. Depending on whether you undertake the exchange program through your university or not, the university may allocate certain amount of funds to go towards your trip. Where this isn’t the case and for extras like accommodation and basic living it’s important to start saving immediately. No one can be exactly certain on how much you would need but generally speaking allow up to 200 AUD a week. So for a basic semester exchange that works out to be at least $2,400. But don’t stress, by putting away $150 a week for 6 months you will be able to save over $3,500. Not bad after all!

6. Destination

Now, to live on the more lavish side of things always be on the look out for scholarships! Most university’s will have scholarships specifically for exchange but also look into any other scholarships that may apply. Broaden the network a bit and have a look at the local government and commonwealth government websites too. As Australia is very multicultural and like to promote international affairs, you may be able to receive special funding for your destination. The world is your oyster and with a scholarship under your belt, all the oysters will be yours.

7. Paperwork

Heading on exchange is very exciting and will provide you with the ultimate trip of a lifetime but this all comes with lots and lots of preparation. Most exchanges are semester durations and depending on which country you end up in this can be as long as 6 months. This means you will need to apply for a visa in order to stay over there. Visa applications can be made via the consulate or embassy of that country. Alternatively, you can head online to the country’s government website and lodge the application online with all the required documents and then send it straight to the countries representatives in Australia. Visas can be a little costly and take a fair bit of work so make sure to get started on this early. Passport applications can also take a few months and it is important to consider this when applying. There are also applications that will need to be made to the host university which will take time. Always start as soon as you possibly can to minimise the risk of planning a trip without having the physical passport.

8. Technicalities

It goes without saying that exchange will be a little slice of heaven and during your time away you will need to establish a home away from home. This includes pretty much everything you use in Australia being reformed in your new home country. Things including phone plans, bank accounts, internet and housing all need to be arranged. Most phone carriers here will charge large fees for roaming whilst overseas and thus it is must more cost effective to open up a new plan with an overseas supplier. We are all going to need some dollar whilst overseas and taking into consideration the exchange rate and withdrawal fees it might be worthwhile looking at opening up a bank account with a bank in your host country. Generally you will be able to find a branch in Melbourne where you discuss opening up an account prior to leaving. Accommodation can sometimes be arranged by the host university however in instances where it is not, look at university dormitories and student villages near by. Locking in a spot is a lot of back and forth communication and starting on this early is paramount.

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9. Seeing the world

While it may seem like you are living the high life whilst overseas in the back of your mind you have to remind yourselves that this is still a semester at university. That means there are still lectures, tutorials, assignments and exams to be completed. So while it would seem ideal to travel every movement you are on exchange practically speaking this may not always work. I would consider planning a trip before (or after) your semester begins. This will allow you to have the best fun away, gain a bit of cultural insight and grasp an idea as to what it is like living in your host country. Plan some time to get to known the area you will be living in and the university too. Once you have had your culture injection you will then be able to start uni all refreshed and ready to go. Bear in mind that there are semester breaks and long weekends so when you are ahead with your homework (or lets face it, just up to date) that you can jump on a bus and become a tourist!

10. Life on your own

This both the exciting part and the nerve racking part. Planning exchange is an independent task and rarely people head on exchange with their friends. But this doesn’t particularity mean you will be sitting alone in your dormitory on Saturday nights, in fact it probably means the opposite! There are great clubs and international communities to get involved in. You will meet so many new people and chances are, there will be others in the exact same situation as you. If you travel before hand you may even make friends that you can meet with during your time overseas. Not to mention with Facebook and Skye you will be able to stay connected to everyone who remains down under. You can make new friends and still keep in touch with your old friends, so its really a win win situation.

Deutsche Bank Internship

Hi I’m Ewe-Jin Tan. I’m a 3rd year Doxa Cadet. I’m studying at the University of Melbourne and my work placement is at JB Were. My long-term goal is to utilize my studies in Commerce and passion in finance in the asset management industry, investing in ideas and disruptors that bring revolutionary changes to their respective fields. I believe we all have a personal responsibility to use our skill set and education to benefit local communities and societies globally.

Ewe-Jin2 Doxa Cadet Ewe Jin Tan

My internship

At the end of my penultimate year, I interned with Deutsche Bank in Hong Kong and Singapore. The internship was incredibly unique and eye-opening as it provided me with practical experience in a global investment bank in the context of the Asia Pacific region.

The atmosphere on the Global Markets trading floor was highly driven and motivating. The work culture was lively, collaborative and intellectually challenging. This resulted in open conversations and discussions where stimulating ideas were bounced around on a daily basis.

My role

I was assigned to the Equity Sales desk in Hong Kong and the Credit Sales desk in Singapore. In both rotations, I saw first-hand the importance of China in the global economy. In my role, I was regularly exposed to diverse equity and credit markets in the Asian region, including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and India.

This photo of Kowloon Harbour was taken in the Deutsche Bank offices in Hong Kong, which happens to be in the tallest building in HK!

No two days were the same. In both my rotations, I was given responsibilities from day one through assigned projects. I wrote several investment pieces on China’s outbound winter tourism, the trading discount of Chinese banks due to its hazy corporate governance, fundamentally undervalued stocks on pricing metrics, asset valuation discrepancies of Chinese property developers and relative value trading opportunities involving the diverging spreads of similar-rated sovereign and corporate bonds.
I also had the opportunity to present mock client stock pitches to my colleagues, imitating an integral role of my desk on a daily basis. The stocks I presented were broad in geographic markets and operating sectors.

The internship also involved formal presentations. These presentations were a component of the overall internship evaluation. The presentation topics were open-ended, covering the challenges and opportunities facing clients, Deutsche

Bank and the overall financial services industry. These presentations provided me with opportunities to connect with fellow colleagues and build my knowledge of other desks around the trading floor.

Life in the Asia-Pacific

Living in Hong Kong and Singapore over two months was exciting, eye-opening, challenging and culturally fulfilling. There were many contrasting aspects of Hong Kong and Singapore compared to Australia. Key highlights were the friendliness and openness of people, the delicious local cuisine, endless after-work and weekend activities and the bustling night-life. The geographic proximity also meant I was able to sneak in a weekend trip to Macau and Malaysia!

Investing In Future Talent

Doxa Alumni Preethi Jeeva

Imagine if you were the first one in your family to go to uni, had no exposure to the corporate world, and no access to professional networks. Getting to where you are now would be hard – right?

Each year we meet many talented young people through our Cadetship program who have the grades to get into university but may not have the financial support, positive role models or life opportunities to make that happen on their own.

That’s why we need you.

Do you work at an organisation that:

[gdl_icon type=”icon-asterisk” color=”#0048BB” size=”10px”] invests in its future talent

[gdl_icon type=”icon-asterisk” color=”#0048BB” size=”10px”] is committed to providing high-quality skilled volunteering opportunities to its workforce

[gdl_icon type=”icon-asterisk” color=”#0048BB” size=”10px”] cares about its corporate social reputation

Yes? Then let’s have a conversation.

We need sponsors for our Cadetship program for 2016-17. Sponsor companies provide a young person with the opportunity to put their life challenges behind them and accompany them on a journey to complete university and gain the skills for an employable future.

To give you a brief overview of what’s involved; every young person on our Cadetship program receives financial support, an annual work placement and a professional development program.

Our sponsor companies (that’s you… we hope) provide up to eight weeks professional experience each year of the Cadetship. After getting involved in projects and generally being superstars around the office, some Cadets go on to secure graduate roles within their work placement organisations.

What’s more, the Cadetship program provides a fantastic skilled volunteering opportunity for your existing workforce, as in-house mentors play a large part in the Cadet’s development journey.

As a corporate sponsor you will play a vital role in a young person’s personal and professional development. That’s an awesome thing to be a part of. What do you think? Keen for your company to get involved? Drop us a line.

T: 03 9328 8100 E: info@doxa.org.au for more info or to book in a meeting with one of our Cadetship team to discuss the opportunity to become a sponsor company.