Advice on Getting Job Interviews as a Fresh Graduate

Lmelissamelxx on 24/10/2015 - 21:35
Last edited 28/10/2015 - 19:40 by 1 other user

Hi everyone,

I am a recent commerce graduate from the University of Melbourne. My main concern is that I couldn't get any job interview after I submitted my resumes on Seek and LinkedIn websites. I truly believe that my resume is not well tailored to score any job interviews. I know that it is very competitive to find an accounting role in Melbourne and I would like to stand out among other applicants. Here, I attach the links to access my cover letter and resume. I am an international student and I am holding temporary graduate visa that allows me to work full time in Australia. I know that it is better to put accomplishments on my resume but I did not achieve any accomplishments in my previous roles as I was just an intern. It is relatively easy to find jobs in Malaysia and I don't know how job applications work in Melbourne. I greatly appreciate any advise and tips regarding my issue. Thank you so much!

Links:
- Resume (CHECK FOR THE LATEST VERSION THAT I UPLOADED)

Addition (UPDATE on 26th OCT):
Thank you for all of the inputs and I have learnt about the weaknesses found in my resume and cover letter. I am editing the documents now and I will update the new versions later for feedback. However, some mentioned that I have failed to tailor my cover letter for specific firms. I want to clarify that I only post my general cover letter at here and I always tailor it before submitting it to firms. Sometimes, recruitment companies are those who post job openings on SEEK ad LinkedIn without mentioning the background of the firms. In this circumstance, there is nothing much I can do to conduct researches on the firms. Thank you once again. I am delighted to view many useful comments.

Latest version of resume after reading most of the comments:
- https://www.dropbox.com/s/le0bisufvl1w3rl/resume.pdf?dl=0

Thank you for the feedback! :)

Education & Work

Comments

- - Viderzo on 27/10/2015 - 08:29
    
    +1
    
    You can never be too rich to be cheap my friend :)
    Also for the first 23 years of my life I am basically well not really poor but not rich either
  - Viderzo on 27/10/2015 - 08:44
    
    +1
    
    haha I meant 6 figures, typing on your iPhone is hard!!! lucky I didn't typed 8
ednamekin on 26/10/2015 - 18:41

+1

Hi melissamelxx,

One of the best pieces of advice I received when I started job-searching was "people are lazy, make it easy for them to hire you". I looked at your cover letter and CV, and must admit it was tough to go through. Recruiting agencies in particular are known to skim CVs and cover letters; if one tried to skim through either of your documents they probably would not gather much.

For your cover letter, make it a person-friendly, simple and short letter. It's a common graduate thing to use long words like "utilise" instead of use to sound more qualified; don't fall into that trap. Keep it simple. You may want to start with a bullet pointed list first, then build from there.

Same goes for your resume - simplify the language. I'm youngish myself at 5 years out of uni, but my resume's only 1 page long.

Your summary is good, although it suffers from a couple of cliches (team player, committed individual), and 6 months of accounting experience while good is certainly not extensive. Skills-wise if you have Mac OS, Apple IOS listed I imagine you're able to code on them? Otherwise it's a pretentious way of saying you own a Mac. Congrats on being a MARA scholar… but what is that?

Finally, re-organise your Employment History. Though it is common to do historical, you may be better served starting with your accounting experience, then adding the retail/hospitality work as extras.
- melissamelxx on 26/10/2015 - 19:29
  
  I believe that you clicked into my old link. I have uploaded the latest version of my resume and you can ignore my old link for resume. Please give advice if you are free! Thank you. :)
  
  As I have mentioned above, I know that I tend to put everything on my resume and cover letter because of the keywords. Some firms use a type of system for recruitment process. If the documents do not have sufficient keywords, the applicant will be eliminated to proceed to the next stage.
  
  I thought it is necessary to organise employment history from recent to previous roles?
  - ednamekin on 26/10/2015 - 19:46
    
    CV ini lebih bagus, but it still has 2 pages, and you removed MARA! Nothing wrong with putting it there, but spell it out (e.g. given to 100 students globally out of 50,000?). And maybe split your work experience into two bits: Professional experience with your accounting and Singapore gig, and an "Other" experience with your retail jobs.
umoddbro on 26/10/2015 - 19:20

+1

Your resume is too wordy.. the average time a recruiter will look at your resume before deciding to pass or dump it is 6 seconds. Also you list a lot of skills but you haven't shown where you've used it or how it has helped. For example Problem solving and analytical skills in what setting did you utilize these skills?
- melissamelxx on 26/10/2015 - 19:24
  
  I believe that you clicked into my old link. I have uploaded the latest version of my resume and you can ignore my old link for resume. Please give advice if you are free! Thank you. :)
  
  As I have mentioned above, I know that I tend to put everything on my resume and cover letter because of the keywords. Some firms use a type of system for recruitment process. If the documents do not have sufficient keywords, the applicant will be eliminated to proceed to the next stage.
hahaboy on 26/10/2015 - 20:18

call the jobs a few days after applying.
harkoliar on 26/10/2015 - 20:54

Most people gave good points so I won't add my 2c on it.

One advise I can give you is the persistence in applying. I sent over 100 job application and I got only 5 interviews. Granted a good resume and cover letter helps but don't keep changing because you keep getting rejected have faith in your work as well.
dachewy on 26/10/2015 - 21:59

+3

Hi melissamelxx,

Just had a quick glance at the revised resume you uploaded, and I think it is still a bit wordy and tough to read (as per @mtran0708 and @ednamekin comments)

One thing I may add to all the good comments here is that I think a resume not only needs to be easy to read, but also be aesthetically pleasing

I was bored and decided to revamp your resume

Open to edit it further if anyone else has any feedback (the resume style is what i think is nice, but each to their own)
- melissamelxx on 26/10/2015 - 22:13
  
  +1
  
  Wow! The template looks clean! Thank you so much! Btw, may I know which font are you using?
  - dachewy on 26/10/2015 - 22:26
    
    +1
    
    Century Gothic - I find it looks cleaner than the old Times New Roman
    Other fonts which are ok are Helvetica, Calibri, Verdana or Tahoma (although i still think Century Gothic looks the cleanest :D )
    - NimitzHarrington on 27/10/2015 - 00:39
      
      As per dachewy, best to use a pleasant font. Calibri is the norm, though Arial is fine as well.
  - dachewy on 26/10/2015 - 22:35
    
    Here is an editable copy
- serpserpserp on 28/10/2015 - 19:41
  
  Wow this layout is almost exactly the same as the one I used last decade. Nice to see this is the norm now!
hepc on 26/10/2015 - 23:37

Hey there. I'm just about to graduate from Melb Uni Commerce and got offers for a few graduate roles. Make your cover letter/CV easy for them to read in 20 seconds and make the main points stand out. Remember this is about what value you can add to the company for the next few years, not just what you can offer right now (which is basically nothing). Companies (especially large ones) sink a lot of money into training and development so they want someone who is going to add other value not just computing power. Consider what sets you apart from others - for example, I'm not a top student quantitatively but I pitched myself as an excellent team leader (and gave concrete examples of how I helped resolve conflicts and move teams forward) and expressed my interest in being in a client-facing role down the track. With a million other students with good grades, you have to stand out or you're just another unimelb graduate in the pile. Also try not to use examples from group assignments at uni…that's really not showing how you survive in the real world
NimitzHarrington on 27/10/2015 - 01:19

Hi,

It's a bit late so I'll just drop a few pointers on your resume.

1) Remove your address. Unless it's relevant to the job application e.g. must live within x distance, then it's not relevant and may go against you if you need to travel far.

2) Use the CAR (Context, Achievement, Results) for each achievement under your previous roles.

3) Use action words in your achievements/responsibilities. E.g.
From: Working in a team of 5 people and being recognised for the ability to quickly establish rapport with customers.
To: Established rapport with customers quickly (anything else you can add?)

From: Handling cash and EFTPOS transactions with care.
To: Handled payments with care

4) Add whitespace to your resume. Feels cluttered.

5) Remove the coloured background headings and just use bold font (colour if you prefer) and a full width underline as a section separator.

6) Ensure your resume is fully visible when printed. Does it still look the same in B&W?

7) Change the bullet point symbol to a standard round or square. Reduces its impact on the eyes compared to the current arrows.

8) Order your employment history in the order most relevant to the position you're applying for, even if the top one is not your current position.

9) Do you have a LinkedIn account, considering you list "social media platforms" as a proficiency? If so, include a link. Ensure your LinkedIn profile matches your resume's contents.

10) For further down the track, ensure your referees can back up what you've stated in your resume by providing them with a copy of the PD/JD and your resume. Do please ensure you've asked their permission before putting them forward as a referee!

11) Not sure if it's relevant for a grad role but call up the recruiter and get a copy of the PD/JD. Sometimes it differs to what has been advertised and you also get a chance to talk to someone.
keishton on 27/10/2015 - 09:56

A friend of mine sent his resume to hays and they're now giving him a billion interviews.

Could be a good idea to get a recruiter to baby sit you
- StarkIndustries on 27/10/2015 - 17:10
  
  +1
  
  From my experience, Hays are pretty awful at follow ups.
carpecrash on 27/10/2015 - 16:05

-1

Fresh corpse
ykwon10 on 27/10/2015 - 16:34

Hi Mel,

I am not going to repeat what others have suggested. Another good piece of advice for you is to polish your English language. Maybe attend some English tuition classes? A few grammatical errors were found in your resume and your comments in this thread. You mentioned earlier that English is not your first language but you are looking for a job in Australia not Malaysia! I had a Malaysian flat mate (during my uni years) whose first language is Chinese too and he struggled to get a job because of his poor English command. In fact, he was told straight off by the interviewer. He was an exemplary student, achieved great grades with Golden Key award, etc.. At the end, he resorted to going back to Malaysia. As sad as it may sound, this is a fact!

Assumingly you were called up for an interview, you will be required to speak fluently to instill confidence! Would you hire someone that you can't comprehend? Or someone that can't speak confidently and risk losing a customer because your employee can't convey messages across?

Please consider my suggestion above.
PoorStudent on 27/10/2015 - 16:53

-1

Just a heads up; your full name is on your revised resume.

Also, if you have a LinkedIn, you should be making the most out of it. 25 connections on LinkedIn shows you have not built any relationships with colleagues.
- serpserpserp on 28/10/2015 - 19:38
  
  Don't neg this people. Recruiters do look at LinkedIn profiles. Either don't have a profile or put a LOT of work into your profile. Just having a profile and adding a couple of your friends is a real negative and shows you aren't taking your job search seriously.
sellingoutsoon on 27/10/2015 - 17:59

@melissamelxx — Two of your first three sentences are not in proper English. A common problem, but one which might be a problem worth resolving. Maybe get an Arts student friend to proofread it?
mattoid532 on 27/10/2015 - 19:06

Would strongly recommend getting advice from professionals, recent grads for UoM can still use this service: http://careers.unimelb.edu.au/student/come_and_see_us
donkeydoc on 28/10/2015 - 10:19

Connections help too, accounting is quite competitive so it will be hard without an average above 75 to get into the major firms. Just continually apply, and send your resume for reviews several times over. It's taken me 2 years to find a paid position as a usyd engineering graduate which invoked 1.5 years of work experience and I've applied to over 100 eligible positions. In the end my connections got me a position lol
Lancerx on 28/10/2015 - 14:01

Seriously OP why would you put your personal info on public forum like this …
- KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 28/10/2015 - 19:32
  
  if you bothered to look, theres not enough personal info for people to associate to her
[Deactivated] on 28/10/2015 - 15:17

+1

work for 7/11, I heard they don't care what visa you are on lol
- DeafMutePretender on 28/10/2015 - 23:29
  
  They also don't care about paying you minimum wage, but you can't have everything lol!
Supa Hot Fire on 28/10/2015 - 16:04

From my knowledge, I think HR's spend like 20 seconds per resume so have about 2-3 dot points under each sub-section and include key words that stand out like enforce, examined, resolved, implemented etc.

In my personal preference, I would go Education -> Employment -> Extracurricular (Volunteer and Clubs). At this point, you should be able to fit those 3 important sections on one page.

Second page can be Key Skills and Comp -> Interests -> References. This is just extra info that employers might not even bother to look at.

I know successful people who have 1 page resumes as Education -> Employment -> Extracurricular and simply put References as "provide upon request".

Another thing I do is that I link my LinkedIn with all my phone number/address. In my opinion this allows employers to actually see what you look like. Looks do matter ofc!

I'm also in your same position, except I'm a domestic student with no vacation work and a relatively low WAM :( I've had a few interviews and right now I'm waiting to hear back for a grad position offer so keep your head up and just keep applying! It can be pretty demoralising sometimes having put so much effort into your CV/Letter only to be rejected. Its all about getting your foot into that door but with the current job market, its going to be a challenge.

If you still can, I would highly recommend attending networking events too. I've been to a few and have had people slip my name in for future applications though I had wished I had done this earlier during the year! Just make sure you've done extensive research on the firm as well as the specific service lines that interest you rather then brown nosing them.
KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 28/10/2015 - 19:31

Here are options that you might want to consider:
Work for a small but promising accounting firm. The CEO for Alibaba recommended that in the small companies with good bosses, you learn the vision and the dreams.

Alternatively you should be applying for graduate programs for the big 4 accounting firms, or at one of the banks.

If you are unsuccessful and have to move back, try to get into one of the big 4 in malaysia, and eventually you may have the opportunity to do an internal transfer into Melbourne (if you like it there).

Jobs in accounting are few and far between, and unless you are a high achiever, you wont be spoiled for choice.

AFAIK i know KPMG has a graduate program that starts in january. Also consider finding work in Perth, there is much less competition here
- serpserpserp on 28/10/2015 - 19:35
  
  Given the state of the resume posted at the moment, I would recommend not applying for graduate programs (at banks anyway) unless you got minimum Distinction averages at Melbourne Uni.
serpserpserp on 28/10/2015 - 19:33

TL:DR the other responses, but have you given examples of jobs you are going for?

Also the keyword search you are referring to is used more likely in I.T jobs for high end companies like Google etc. Jobs you are not qualified for. Not accounting jobs which is what I assume you are going for.

Your resume from taking a read tells me you have participated in doing things which is borderline unimportant unless you are specifically going for a job that absolutely requires MYOB or the like. I know you said you didn't achieve anything because you were an intern, but what was the achievement of the thing you were working on? You need to say I contributed to THIS X thing that achieved Y outcome. Bosses are interested in outcomes/achievements they can ask you how you got to that achievement in the interview, but they need to see something or why hire you over all those other people that just put the same "I used this program and did this admin thing" in their resume too.

Also have you considered doing another internship somewhere and really working hard to secure a role?
[Deactivated] on 28/10/2015 - 19:53

Maybe you can consider doing the professional year program. Plenty of advantages, inexpensive (programs from some institutes cost around $4-6k) and it helps in your 189 PR application with 5 extra migration points.

FY: I am an accounting graduate from Melbourne University as well, and I gradated last year. Took me awhile to find a job, so, I could totally understand how you feel.
thierry on 28/10/2015 - 22:41

Network network network
Some good feedback here. Might be easier to go to Malaysia then return via transfer..
IBG on 02/11/2015 - 14:52

Maybe outside of your country can have lots of jobs via internet ,can think about take as part time job
dezzy on 05/11/2015 - 22:43

Don't lie, be yourself, and keep on improving your communication skills (verbal and body languages).

Advice on Getting Job Interviews as a Fresh Graduate

Comments

New Forum Topics