She is from China, and graduated from an Australian university in 2016. Lavender now works in a communications role at Brisbane Airport Corporation. We asked her a few questions for you, and sought her opinion about why you should complete the Study NSW employability training course.
What is your name?
Most people know me as Lavender, but my ‘real’ name is Mengya Shu.
Where do you work now?
I work at Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC).
Where did you study and how long ago did you graduate?
I did my bachelor at Griffith University, then Honours & PhD from The University of Queensland. I graduated at the end of 2016.
Where did you work when you first graduated? How did you get that position?
I started interning at Tourism & Events Queensland (TEQ) while doing my PhD and met my current manager who was the manager at TEQ back then.
How important is it to develop job application skills before graduating?
It is very important to start developing these skills and building your networks before graduating, almost all employers are looking for past experiences with any job advertised, and it always helps to get to the know the ‘people’ who you want to work for upon graduation.
Why should international students complete the Study NSW Successful Graduate Course?
Because it teaches a lot of skills that you may not learn from universities, and these skills are highly valued by employers.
Are employability skills only important in Australia?
Definitely not, these employability skills are often called ‘soft’ skills which are transferable across regions and industries.
If you had the chance to prepare your employability skills before graduating, which skills would you have worked on improving or developing?
My top 3 are motivation, adaptability and resilience. We are living in an ever evolving world where things change constantly, it’s crucial to be passionate about what you do and have an open mind so you could be resilient to changes.
What is the one piece of advice you would give international students in Australia about how to start their careers?
Get out of your comfort zone and get to know people.
So there you have it. Remember you can reset your password if you have forgotten it. Log back into the employability training course to improve your job readiness.