For part of my uni degree I have been recently required to find a job to work for the next semester of my course. During this process I have learnt quite a few things that if I had known before would have made getting a job much easier.
The first thing I found was that one of the biggest influences as to who was offered positions often did not come down to academic achievement but to practical experience. There were a few occasions where I was applying for the same job as other students in my year, and even though I was beating them academically they were offered jobs because they had down practical things like rebuilding car engines and servicing motorbikes. With this in mind I believe one of the easiest was to improve your chances at being employed is to have some practical experience behind you, and if you don't get some. this can be as simple as buying an old car and doing it up and take photos of what you have done to your interview, this is the sort of thing at employers love. Another idea is to try and get a summer job as a trades assistant (TA). there a two benefits, they pay ridiculous amounts of money, in Gladstone they often make a 6 figure salary. The second benefit is that you can milk the experiences and knowledge you learnt in an interview.
The main message is if you are applying for a position with purely academic experiences behind you you will be at a disadvantage to those with a more practical background.
Another hint I can give is to try and meet as many people in the industry as you can. Knowing the right people is one of the most useful things you can ever do to try and get employed. Employers might not often say it but it often comes down to who you know not what you know. If you don't already have any family or friends in the industry you can also try to visit industry events and meet up with people there. The more people you know the better your chances will be.
hopefully these hints can make finding a vocation placement a little easier, I know now that if I had listened to those pieces of advice when I had heard them that I would have saved myself a few very stress full weeks.
