Career Consultation Guide
A career consultation is a one-to-one discussion with the Careers Advisor. Appointments are for a short period of time; 10 - 15 minutes only. It is important that you prepare for the consultation so that you receive the best possible assistance possible during the meeting.
Career consultations are held to assist students who have questions or need further advice or guidance about career and related issues, and have been unable to find what they need on this website or elsewhere.
Career consultations are conducted at the Learning Connection office on your campus. You will need to make an appointment to see a Careers Advisor. Do this by contacting the Administration Officer in Learning Connection.
Consultation times vary on each campus, go to this link for details:
http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/careers/Careerconsultations/cnsultationappointments.asp
How can a Careers Advisor assist you?
Common topics that arise for discussion during a career consultation session include:
- Possible career paths related to a program of study
- Information about what a student can do while still studying at UniSA to improve their chances of finding graduate employment
- Guidance about how to make decisions regarding career/employment direction, or changing programs of study
- Guidance on where to look for work experience, vacation positions and full time employment as a graduate
- Feedback or advice about writing a resume or job application, or how to prepare for an interview
It is often the case that the information or advice the student needs is already exists on the website. It is therefore recommended that you search for the information you need on this website before you set up an appointment for a careers consultation. If you can't find the answers you need, or you still have unanswered questions then by all means ask for an appointment.
What should I do to prepare for my consultation?
As you might expect the consultation will usually begin with the Careers Advisor asking how they can assist you. This is an invitation for you to state your problem or describe the issue you would like to discuss. The Careers Advisor may then ask you what you would like to achieve as a result of the meeting, so try to be clear in your own mind about what you want the meeting to achieve.
Unsure about what outcome you are seeking? Try asking this question - "What would I like to know or be able to do following this meeting with the Careers Advisor?"
What can the Careers Advisor do to help me?
Please understand that it is not the Careers Advisor's role to give you specific advice. Ultimately the responsibility for decision making and taking appropriate action will be up to you.
What the Careers Advisor will do is to have a discussion with you about your issues in as much detail as possible. The purpose of the discussion is to enable them identify and then direct you to resources or sources of information that will assist your decision making.
What help can I get with my resume?
Your Careers Advisor will be pleased to give you some basic feedback about your resume and other job application documentation. Please print copies of your documentation prior to your consultation and bring it with you to the meeting. It is not possible to give you any other assistance with preparing such documentation e.g. helping you to write your resume or job application letter during the consultation.
Information and links to sources of information about how to prepare a resume and other job application is included elsewhere on this website. You'll also find by doing an internet search that there is extensive free information available that will give you ideas and helpful tips on how to prepare these documents in a professional manner.
Career Services also regularly conducts workshops and seminars on campus that are designed to coach students in how to prepare these documents. Go to the MyCareerPlan section of this website and regularly check the Events section for details of these activities.