According to a study amongst American college students conducted in 2015, more than 85% of students in their first year said that getting a job was one of the key reasons why they decided to go to college (Greeley 2019).
In addition, the internet has been bringing about a serious change in which recruitment takes place over the past two decades. Previously, an organization could essentially select a candidate only from those who applied to a certain role. However now, with online job boards, social media websites and university careers pages, organizations have access to “passive” candidates as well i.e. those that are not looking for jobs actively too. These passive candidates can also be pursued with attractive benefits and packages (Cappelli 2001).
Set against this backdrop, we realize how absolutely critical a good careers page is for any university in terms of student placements and jobs and ultimately, where a university fares in its ranking and also how attractive it is for prospective students. On the flip side, recruiters and HR professionals are also looking at college careers pages more and more when filling roles within the organization. Keeping this in mind, this paper aims to critically analyze the career support page of RMIT University, Australia.
The most significant feature which jumped out was the RMIT Career Hub. This is a platform developed specifically for the university students advertising relevant job opening at all experience levels and even internationally. Therefore, HR professionals can send across corporate openings directly to the university in order to be advertised here or simply share the job listing from LinkedIn or similar platforms in order to maintain standardization.
Another beneficial feature is RMIT skills and job center providing students with the required guidance on preparing job applications, cover letters and resume’s as well as workshops on effective job search etc. The job center also provides guidance on how to give good interviews and all of these resources would further prepare prospective candidates for HR screening and selection processes.
One aspect that could use a significant improvement in the careers website is a clear call to action (Misa 2016). For example, in the “Search for Work” section, there are separate options for internship opportunities, global jobs, part time work and full time work However, and each option recommends that you look for the opportunities at RMIT’s “Career Hub” website. It would probably be less confusing if the search for work section recommended all applicants to register on Career Hub as a first step and then list all kinds of work opportunities there.
Additionally, again with regards to Career Hub, since it deals with such a significant part of the Careers website i.e. job hunting, the page would benefit from a “How to register” video. Research shows that “Including a video on your landing page can boost your conversion rate by up to 80%” (Misa 2016). When students see an easy to follow and quick video on registering and using Career Hub, they will be eager to join it and use it as a primary job search tool which is beneficial for HR professionals as well as the university.
After a thorough review of the website, I identified one resource which is very useful and would definitely make a difference for both students and HR professionals. This is the career advice section. In the student phase, searching for a job or deciding what to do career wise can be quite complicated and stressful. In addition, during this time one tends to focus only on looking for openings and applying to jobs without being too aware of the bigger picture with regards to your personal profile. The career advice section takes care of both these things. Firstly, they have a service known as Job Shop. This service provides you with access to trained professionals who can counsel you with regards to various career options and choices and how you can pursue them. In addition, due to cultural expectations and peer pressure regarding what is considered an “acceptable tradition,” students might feel guilty for wanting to pursue their own interests or passions (Kingston 2017). It is in situations like this where career counseling and the advice of experts is essential.
Secondly, the career advice section speaks about going beyond job applications and resumes. It offers workshops on things like building cultural intelligence, time management and getting ready for your first job. Workshops like these help students develop a personal brand and stand out to recruiters when they are screening employees. As companies become more global and diverse, "Employers want to know that you are qualified for a position, but they also want to see that you will fit in with the company culture. The only way to assess this is to get a sense of your personality" (Peppercorn quoted in Paljug 2020). This is why features like the Job Shop at RMIT University are priceless for graduating students entering the job market as well as HR professionals looking to recruit.
With regards to unhelpful resources, there was no one resource in particular that was entirely not required or not serving a purpose. However, there were some aspects of particular resources that could be executed better. It was observed that there was not a very strong focus on alumni and their experiences. Firstly, there is no mention about alumni networks on the landing page for “Work and Study opportunities.” It takes about 3 clicks from the landing page and significant browsing time to be able to access the section discussing alumni networks and involvement. And even then, there are no details regarding alumni success stories, picture testimonials, quick tips from alumni which are relevant specifically to RMIT students etc. in addition, it would also help to have an alumni directory which mentions their places of employment. This would help current students looking for jobs in particular organizations to reach out to alumni working there for insight and support.
There has been a lot of research regarding the importance of a strong and engaged alumni community for a university. Alumni are the best judge of the strengths of their alma mater’s education and are usually share their experience and skills with current students and also offer to support current students with regards to job placements in their industry. Not only has that, but the best ambassadors’ for a university with regarded to employers as well as prospective students successful alumni (Cannon 2015). As a result, it is critical that the RMIT university Careers website places a higher significance on highlighting their alumni networks and also provide an alumni directory which makes it easy for current students to reach out and connect.
In conclusion, after reviewing the careers pages of the RMIT university website, it can be stated that overall, it is extremely useful, relevant and provides an excellent toolkit for students looking to kick start their careers, alumni looking for networking opportunities, career changes and even prospective students looking for research opportunities and graduate programs.
What stood out about the career services department through this website was the importance given to developing all rounded personalities. The university does not seem to be focusing only on churning out students with extraordinary academic records. It is also highlighting the importance of personality development, cultural education and understanding the latest trends to make you the perfect candidate for a job.
Another feature that deserves appreciation is the multitude of workshops which are being offered by the careers department at the university which are highlighted on the website. There are dozens of opportunities for students to learn how to job search, build resumes and write cover letters, all essentials for kick starting a career. Similarly, there are some very informative articles on interview skills, the importance of networking and building a personal brand for getting noticed. Additionally, as mentioned above, the career advice section with the Job Shop is a tremendous feature particularly because it provides students with experts who will share personalized advice and guidance regarding their career related questions.
There are a couple of down sides to the website with one being the lack of focus on alumni relations and which industries the university alumni are dominant in. Additionally, the website is not very user friendly as you have to spend increased browsing time to find what you need. Additionally, many of the pages have the same workshops and events listed or are being ultimately redirected to Careers Hub therefore the browsing experience can be a bit tedious.
To close, the analysis of this website revealed it to be extremely useful and with lots of resources for students and HR professionals alike. It didn’t leave a lot to be desired and with an improved browsing experience, would gain an almost perfect score.
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