By CASEY NEILL
STUDENTS were encouraged to be themselves and to do their own research at a Dandenong employment forum.
South East Local Learning and Employment Network (SELLEN) hosted the event at Chisholm Institute on Tuesday 9 May.
About 130 students in Year 9 and above asked questions of a panel that included representatives from Target, LINK Employment and Training, Bunnings, Woolworths and McDonalds.
SELLEN’s school to industry development officer Jennifer Ebdon said attendees were looking to take their first leap into the workforce.
“They were interested to know about things like getting a first job without any experience,” she said.
“There was a lot of feedback from employers about the value of volunteering, the value of being involved in sports clubs, the value of listing any achievements or awards.”
Ms Ebdon said the students also asked how they should prepare for an interview.
“The main advice was ‘do your homework, research the company’,” she said.
Other tips included going to the workplace to watch how staff interacted with customers and build their knowledge of how the business operated.
Year 10 drama students from St John’s Regional College played eight applicants in a mock group interview.
Bunnings’s Victorian regional learning co-ordinator Darren Moulder led and commentated the interview, pointing out applicants talking over the top of others or taking a back seat.
“He went around and said who he would have hired,” Ms Ebdon said.
“He explained how he identified qualities from the behaviour he saw.”
Students were advised to tailor their resumes to the job advertised rather than sending a generic one with every application and that a call to the company could make them stand out.
SELLEN will hold a Migrant Youth Employment Forum in September.
