Part 3: What’s next?

WHAT’S NEXT?

How do I decide where I want to work?

A COLD AND HARD DOSE OF REALITY

As you embark on your job search, you will likely have to face the reality that getting a job, especially in a top tier company, is going to be difficult. Why? Mostly because of the several thousands of other motivated, bright young graduates like yourself vying for limited roles. Yes, the tech job market is growing, but employers are picky when they hire new talent. The chances of breezing into your dream role right away are pretty slim. That’s not to say it won’t happen, but that it will take some serious thought, research and preparation before it does. There is also a strong possibility that your first role won’t tick all your dream-job boxes.

It’s a good first step to think through what you want from your graduate job and prioritise those qualities, so you know which of those boxes you could handle being unticked and which you couldn’t.

WHAT KIND OF WORK DO YOU WANT TO DO?

First things first: with several in the tech sector, it’s important to find a career that matches your passion, talents and short- and long-term goals. You can start by considering the type of daily work that you want for your job. Do you love coding or are you longing for the days when you have nothing to do with it? Would you prefer to be business focused? Do you enjoy solving technical problems? Do you want to be dealing with a new challenge every day? Would you prefer to work on long-term projects?

If you have clear answers to the above mentioned questions, they will help you to specify your graduate career options and ensure that you actually enjoy the role you get hired into. If you’re still unsure of the area you’d like to focus on, you could consider employers who have graduate programs that will allow you to experiment with different roles and responsibilities.

TYPES OF COMPANIES OFFERING IT GRADUATE SCHEMES

If you’re trying to find the best fit for you as a graduate, the first step is knowing what your options are.

The main employers of tech graduates include:

■ technology solutions providers (eg

Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM) ■ IT services organisations (eg CGI,

Fujitsu, Infosys) ■ telecommunications companies (eg

Telstra, Optus, Samsung) ■ technology consultancies (eg

Accenture); and ■ multinational IT companies (eg Google,

Microsoft, Apple)

Other significant tech recruiters in the graduate market include finance and professional services firms, including: ■ investment banks (eg Macquarie Group,

Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley) ■ retail banks (eg Commonwealth Bank,

Westpac Group, ANZ) ■ investment management firms (eg

Baillie Gifford & Co) ■ insurers (eg AIG, AAMI); and ■ accountancies (eg EY, Deloitte, PwC,

KPMG)

Also, there are many other organisations that advertise specific roles within their IT departments.

Retail, media, games development and public services organisations are also major players in the technology employment landscape. There are also much smaller employers, such as specialist software organisations and boutique consultancies. Here lies the good news: you could potentially start your IT career in any type of business.

IS THERE A PARTICULAR INDUSTRY THAT APPEALS TO YOU?

As we’ve mentioned many times before, tech spans almost all industries. Every company requires some sort of technical expertise. Decide where you want to pursue a career for a targeted job search. It could be that you’re passionate about healthcare, education or even the not-forprofit sector. Whichever your choice, your technical skills will definitely be in-demand.

CULTURE COUNTS

There’s a reason why, in GradAustralia’s annual surveys, Google, Microsoft, IBM and Atlassian consistently rank among the most desirable tech companies for new graduates. The reason why is not only because they’re prestigious and offer amazing opportunities for career advancement. They also have unique cultures that attract graduates from far and wide, making them want to stay.

If you’re trying to figure out the best fit for you, it’s a good idea to think about the type of workplace culture that might help you flourish. Are you attracted to dynamic startups that emphasise social opportunities and on-the-job fun? Would you prefer to work for a business that prioritises community engagement? Or are you an ambitious graduate who wants the challenge of pursuing success in a more traditional organisation?

ARE FLEXIBLE WORK ARRANGEMENTS A PLUS FOR YOU?

According to a 2015 Kelly report on worklife balance, more than 60 per cent of ‘Millennial’ employees said they highly valued flexible work arrangements. In fact, 28 per cent said they would even consider sacrificing higher pay in return for opportunities to work remotely. An increasing number of companies are trying to meet this desire for increased mobility, but it’s worth bearing in mind that your opportunities (or obligations) to work remotely will be determined largely by your position.

For example, if you become an IT consultant, you can expect to work wherever your current client is based, even if this means catching a plane home for the weekend. IT services companies may also frequently require graduate employees to visit clients.

By contrast, if you choose a very technical role such as a developer or software tester, you’re likely to spend most of your time in the same office.

Business and management-focused roles (eg, project management) tend to fall somewhere in between the two. They often require a degree of travel and may even offer the option of working from home to some extent, but this can vary depending upon the precise role and which company you work for.

KNOW WHAT THE EMPLOYER WANTS FROM YOU (AND VICE VERSA)

Once you’ve narrowed your options, it’s important to think about the academic, technical and soft skills required for your ideal roles. This will help you to assess whether you really are a good match for the job and your chosen employer. It will also help you identify any extra skills and attributes that you’ll need to bring to the table. After all, it’s often not enough to have studied computer science. You’ll have to go several steps further to get the job of your dreams.

A word of advice here: don’t ignore the previously mentioned factors that focus on your own preferences, even if it’s important to know the job requirements and your potential employer’s expectations. Remember this when you are drafting your CV and prepping for your interviews. It is true that when you are just starting your career, it’s harder to be picky about your job. Sometimes you just have to get your foot in the door and aim for that dream job further down the line. However, it is helpful to know what you want from an ideal job right from the start, as it will shape your job search and hopefully affect the end result as well.