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Author: Aba Chiongson

Expanding Your Professional Network​

Posted on by Aba Chiongson

Expanding your Professional Network

Joshua Tinner, Placement Consultant At Outcome.Life, Discusses The Importance Of 'Who You Know' And How To Grow Your Contacts List

Utilizing your network?
What does this even mean?

People often talk about ‘utilising your networks’, ‘expanding your connections’, and ‘it’s who you know not what you know’, but what does this actually mean? How do you professionally connect with people, and once you’ve done that how does it give you any advantage?

It is often said about Australia that the overwhelming amount of available jobs are never advertised but only passed through word-of-mouth. Australians are well-known for hiring people based upon who the person is behind the skillset, that is to say that your personality matters as much as (if not more than) the skills that you possess. Of course, the best way to show to someone your personality is to talk to them: this is where your network comes into play!

How it works

By having a large and strong network of professionals, you increase your chances of knowing someone (or knowing someone who knows someone else) that is hiring. The advantage this gives you is that you can strike-up a conversation with the hiring person if you already know them, or have your mutual connection introduce you if you do not. This conversation is effectively an informal interview for the position and you may secure the job from this discussion without ever submitting an application.

Here’s an example of how this works.

At an industry networking event, you start a conversation with someone that works in your industry. You get along well and in the conversation you end up mentioning that you’re currently looking for a job. The next day you message this person and thank them for their chat, to which they message you back saying that a business they have worked with before is looking to hire someone with your skill set. This person kindly offers to take you out to coffee with their friend that still works there and violá: you’ve got yourself an informal interview!

You may think this scenario sounds fanciful, so think of it this way: it is not uncommon for advertised jobs to get more than one hundred times as many applications as there are vacancies. If this many people get rejected from application, how does anyone get a job? Once you start talking to people in the industry, you will see just how many ‘applied’ for the roles they currently occupy. So now we know why it’s so important to expand your professional network, of course the next question is how to do it.

How to expand your network:

There are two main ways you can expand your network:

1. Have people you already know make introductions. If you already know some people in your industry, whether you’ve worked with them before or they’re a friend from university, ask them if they would mind introducing you to their colleagues. This is certainly the easiest way to start building network and is a great way of keeping touch with many people.

2. Go to networking events. And again, go to networking events! It is impossible to overstate how important this is for building and maintaining your professional network, to say nothing about the useful information formally discussed during the presentation at the event. People go to these events to build their own networks and employers attend to scout for new hires so you must, make sure you regularly attend such events and that you talk to new people every time.

When it comes to it, building your professional network is no different to making new friends. There are many different tips and tricks, but at the end of the day the most important step to take is the first one: just get out there and start talking to people!

Joshua Tinner is part of the placement team at Outcome.Life in which he talks to new students and host companies every day about the importance of work-integrated learning. With several years’ experience in people-focused industries, Josh is always up for a chat and his booming voice can often be heard echoing down Hardware Lane! Josh is a life-long student of the humanities and envisions a world where there exists a balance between education making us well-rounded members of society whilst practically preparing us for our working lives.

If you have any questions...

The Outcome.Life team are always here to answer any questions or help with any problems you might encounter during your internship.

You can contact us between 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday at:

Phone: 03 8899 7424

Email: hello@outcome.life

10 Ways to Turn Your Internship into a Job

Posted on by Aba Chiongson

10 Ways To Turn Your Internship Into A Job

Find Out The Different Ways That You Can Make An Impact On Your Host Company And Secure A Job At The End Of Your Internship With Outcome.Life Co-Founder, Dom Saporito

It's All About Attitude

Whilst there is never a guarantee that an internship will turn into a job, I can almost predict the interns that will make it happen. Sadly, I can also predict the interns that won’t. How do I know? I can tell by their attitude!

The mindset that interns need to take into an internship is that they get the job the first day they arrive. They then have 12 weeks to lose it.

Turning an internship into a job is all about attitude, not technical skills. Attitude, attitude, attitude.

Do not believe a host company when they say there will be no job at the end of an internship. We are constantly surprised by host companies that have created a new position for an intern because they were just too valuable to let go.

Be Indispensable

If you make yourself indispensable during your internship, by definition, how can any business possibly let you go?

So what can you do to significantly increase your chances of turning an internship into a job? Here are my top ten tips:

1. Treat your internship like a job, not an internship. This may sound strange, but it should probably be tips number 1, 2 and 3 as everything else flows from this tip. If you treat your internship as an internship, i.e. just a learning experience that will end in 12 weeks, guess what? That is all it will ever be. But if you treat it as a job, where you turn up everyday, on time, ready to do real work, show your initiative, be part of the team and add real real value…that is when the magic happens.

2. Learn company software BEFORE you begin your internship. Nothing impresses a host company more than knowing the software they use in their day-to-day operations. Ask your supervisor in the interview “what software can I learn to add value from day one?” and learn it in the weeks leading up to your internship.

Communication Is The Key!

3. Little things matter. Like turning up on time every day (5-10 minutes prior to start time), saying good morning, smiling, smelling nice, dressing appropriately and bringing your laptop as well as a notebook & pen to show that you are ready to work. Every day is a great day to make a great first impression.

4. Develop a strong relationship with your supervisor. It is your direct supervisor that will most likely make the decision to keep you or let you go at the end of the internship. So get to know them, and them you. Tell them about your journey, your aspirations. Ask questions. Keep them informed of your process. Don’t be afraid to tell them when you don’t understand something. Far better spend time up front to clarify tasks, than having to admit you have wasted time because you misunderstood.

5. Tackle low level admin work with gusto. Ask anyone that has ever worked before, and they will tell you that 80% of most people’s jobs are filled with boring mundane tasks. But these tasks need to be done! Be the person that embraces low level admin work with enthusiasm, as it does not go unnoticed.

Work On It

6. Be part of the team. Workplaces build teams to tackle tasks and problems, not individuals. Be part of the team. Build report. Take on the work that no one else wants to do. By creating capacity for you team members dramatically increases your chance of being retained as without you, they will need to go back to doing your work.

7. Be proactive and read the play. A self starter does not wait for their supervisor to delegate every single little task. Show that you are proactive by suggesting what you can do next to help.  Use your knowledge from your education to identify issues the business may not already be tackling and suggest solutions. Most host companies take on interns because they want a fresh set of eyes to look at their business and provide the latest contemporary thinking.  

8. Make sure everyone at the organisation knows you. Don’t be the best kept secret.  Make sure everyone knows who you are and what you do. Have lunch and/or coffee with someone new every day. Show interest in what they do and connect with them on LinkedIn.  Any one of your work mates could be the person who referees you to a business contact or a friend for your first job.

Don't Forget To Have Fun!

9. Make sure the business knows you would like to work for them. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Once you have some runs on the board and proven yourself to add value to the business, make sure your supervisor knows you would like to work with them after your internship. After all, they have just spent the last 3 months training you.

10. Above all, smile and have fun!. Reality is…people hire people. Not robots with technical skills. For most of us, we spend more time with our workmates than our loved ones. So, is it any wonder then that most employers rate attitude, personality and culture fit much higher than technical skills. Don’t be the person that at the end of your

internship is described as technically proficient but not the right culture fit for the business. Be the person that everyone loves to be around.

Notice something about the tips above. Only one tip is about your technical skills. The other nine tips are about the attitude you bring to a business. Reality is that your internships is more about the people you meet, the networks you create and the attitude you bring than technical skills.

Domenic Saporito is the co-founder of Outcome.Life and GADA technology. Dom has started, run and sold many businesses throughout his career, ranging in industry from property to tech, and even golf! As a business owner, product developer and chartered accountant with 15 years’ experience in the recruitment industry, Dom enjoys sharing his knowledge, insights and advice with international students looking to enter the job market in Australia.

If you have any questions...

The Outcome.Life team are always here to answer any questions or help with any problems you might encounter during your internship.

You can contact us between 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday at:

Phone: 03 8899 7424

Email: hello@outcome.life

Your Last Day Checklist

Posted on by Aba Chiongson

Your Last Day Checklist

Joshua Tinner, Placement Consultant, Highlights The Things You Should Tick Off Before You Finish Your Internship Placement

Congratulations!

You’ve now spent several weeks in an unfamiliar environment where your skills have been tested, your adaptability pushed to its limits, and your work ethic critically examined. You’ve faced the fire of practical experience and you’re ready to take the next steps along your chosen career path, hopefully by starting your first full-time job.

But before you celebrate completing your internship you need to make sure that you’ve finished it properly. It would be a waste of all your hard work if you walked out of the office on your final day and weren’t fully prepared for your next steps. With this in mind, here are ten crucial items that should be on your last day checklist:

1. Update your resume. It’s prudent to always have an up-to-date resume as you never know when you’ll quickly need it. Make sure you write a brief summary of the company as well as what you did there.

2. Update your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is the best place to collate all your experiences and is essentially your digital resume. Making sure your profile is always updated is also a great way of finding new connections!

3. Individually thank your colleagues. It goes without saying that you ought to thank every person with whom you’ve worked for their time and patience throughout your internship, but a personalised thank you will make you stand out in their memory.

4. Ask about employment opportunities. These conversations should have been sprinkled throughout your internship but of course your final day is the last chance you have to confirm if there is a future for you at the company. If not, make sure your supervisor puts you in touch with other businesses that may want to hire you: start using your newfound network!

5. Connect with your colleagues on LinkedIn. You should have already done this but it’s a good idea to double-check on your final day. These contacts are going to be your strongest for some time yet, so make sure you’ve got access to them!

6. Get feedback from your supervisor. You must make sure that you set aside time for a final debrief with your supervisor for your own personal and professional development. Make sure to mention what worked and what didn’t and take detailed notes from your supervisor’s comments.

7. Ask for a reference. A reference goes a long way towards landing you a job and showing other people that you can backup what you

say. These days a reference on LinkedIn is best but a short letter (on a company letterhead!) is also nice to have.

8. Return company property. Make sure that everything the company lent you is returned in the same condition you received it.

9. Tidy your workspace. When everyone else goes back to work the day after you leave, you don’t want your final impression to be a messy workstation.

10. Register for a networking event. Just because you’ve finished your internship doesn’t mean you’re all done! Keep the momentum going and ensure you’re already looking forward. Bonus points for getting your supervisor to go with you and introduce you to their connections that you have yet to meet (and give a good reference on your behalf!).

Now you’ve checked that everything has been finished properly, you’re ready to move onto your next opportunity. Say thank you to everyone, update your profile, and use your newfound abilities to keep striding towards your goals.

Joshua Tinner is part of the placement team at Outcome.Life in which he talks to new students and host companies every day about the importance of work-integrated learning. With several years’ experience in people-focused industries, Josh is always up for a chat and his booming voice can often be heard echoing down Hardware Lane! Josh is a life-long student of the humanities and envisions a world where there exists a balance between education making us well-rounded members of society whilst practically preparing us for our working lives.

If you have any questions...

The Outcome.Life team are always here to answer any questions or help with any problems you might encounter during your internship.

You can contact us between 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday at:

Phone: 03 8899 7424

Email: hello@outcome.life

Looking beyond an Internship

Posted on by Aba Chiongson

Looking Beyond An Internship

Joshua Tinner, Placement Consultant At Outcome.Life, Discusses Long-Term Planning And How To Prepare For Your Post-Internship Career

What's next?

So you’re approaching the end of your studies and, having realized that you need to ‘boost’ your resume with some practical workplace experience, you have lined-up an internship to round-out your education. Fantastic! But have you thought about what will happen when the internship is finished?

Many soon-to-be graduates forget the importance of practical experience in kick-starting their career but simply completing an internship isn’t the solution to inexperience. As with all things in life, planning several steps ahead is key to unlocking the potential of your studies and starting your career on the best footing possible.

Fail To Plan, Plan To Fail

The first step in your planning is to remember the purpose of doing an internship: an internship is a means to an end, and that end is your first career-relevant full-time job. Keeping your eyes on the prize will focus your thinking and help your thinking and help you maximize the opportunities that an internship will present, making sure that everything is geared towards moving into employment.

Now that your vision is firmly locked on target, here are some ways to squeeze your internship for every drop of advantage:

1. Up-skill into career-relevant skills. Every industry has a universal set of skills that you need, whether it be the ability to use specific software or understanding how to navigate a particular bureaucratic process. Demonstrating this knowledge is a critical way to get an advantage over people without practical experience. Once you’ve found these skills, your internship is the best time to practice them!

2. Learn your market. Find out who the trendsetters are, which companies specialize in what areas, in which fields there are (and are not) strong innovators, and other localized industry information. This kind of knowledge is something you will only pick-up by involving yourself with your host company and it will give you a fundamental  understanding of how your industry operated over the long term.

3. Find out where your industry is going. Obviously, if you’re looking to your future career then you need to know what the future will look like! Understanding what’s changing and what might be around the corner will give you an advantage in your learning, guiding you to what skills to pick-up to be ready for ‘tomorrow’ and showing employers that you have a forward-thinking market. 

 

How to expand your network:

4. Form strong professional relationships with your workmates. The people you intern with will be the ones to start your network, so make sure those relationships are strong! The ability to get along with people is particular important in Australia where we value affability over skills. if you struggle with this skill, don’t worry: ask your supervisor for help and they’ll give you some specific tips as to how to get in your colleague’s good books.

5. Get to know other people in the industry. This is how you ensure your long-term success in your career. Jobs, advice, healthy debate, upcoming changes: all these and more are fed through people’s networks and it is critical that you get yourself out there and meet as many as new people as you can. (This point is so important that we have devoted an entire blog article to this alone, so go read that!)

If you follow-through on each of these five points, you will finish your internship with an ‘unteachable’ advantage over graduates without practical experience. Now it’s time to put your plan into action and start building your career.

Joshua Tinner is part of the placement team at Outcome.Life. As part of this team, Joshua talks to new students and host companies every day about the importance of work-integrated learning. With several years’ experience in people-focussed industries, Josh is always up for a chat and his booming voice can often be heard echoing down Hardware Lane! Josh is a life-long student of the humanities and envisions a world where a balance exists between education making us well-rounded members of society whilst also practically preparing us for our working lives.

If you have any questions...

The Outcome.Life team are always here to answer any questions or help with any problems you might encounter during your internship.

You can contact us between 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday at:

Phone: 03 8899 7424

Email: hello@outcome.life

Or fill in the form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Having lunch with your Supervisor

Posted on by Aba Chiongson

Having lunch with your supervisor

Stephenie Pulis, COO At Outcome.Life, Discusses How To Leave A Lasting Impression On Your Supervisor

It's all about the team culture

A huge component of any Australian workplace is the building of a great team culture. This workplace culture is built by all staff, including interns.

Many businesses run team building events on a weekly or monthly basis in order to build their culture. These events can include dinners, lunches, or time away from the business that involves some sort of socializing. If this happens during your internship, you need to make sure you are engaged in these activities as much as possible.

The reason businesses focus on culture-building activities is because teams operate better when people work cohesively. Often it’s the personal aspects of each teammate’s lives that allow for bonding on  a personal level, in turn engaging the team in more productive work, better developed team ethics, and a better understanding of each team members’ motives and behavioral quirks that make us who we are.  

As an intern, you can use this to your advantage. Embedding yourself as an integral component of the workplace family will help you to build your professional network and, of course, stand out as  a perfect candidate for future positions within the organization.

Now that we can see how team culture is created, we have to think of the right way to go about embedding yourself in team culture. A great way is to ask your supervisor to go to lunch with you. 

At what point in your internship you should ask? 

This depends on the relationship you have already developed with your supervisor, however a suggested time in your internship might be towards the  halfway point. If you’ve been there a few weeks and you’re starting to understand a little more about the business and how your supervisor works, you should have a great starting point for conversation during the lunch.

How to request the lunch date? 

Asking your supervisor to go to lunch can be daunting but it doesn’t need to be. Given that most Australians are fairly laid back, a supervisor is often happy to have a casual lunch to get to know the people working around them.

When asking your supervisor to lunch you should do so in a way that is comfortable for you. Something simple such as “Hi I would like to take you for lunch one day this week  if you have some spare time?”

This allows them to have a choice yet sets a timeframe in which you would like to do it. 

Preparing yourself for lunch

The first thing you should do is prepare a few questions that will help you better get to know your supervisor. There is nothing worse than going to lunch with someone who sits there silently. Your questions should allow you to learn a little more about your supervisor as a person, both in and out of the workplace, whilst staying in line with your interests. This is so you can continue the conversation and add in a bit about your life (don’t forget that your supervisor also wants to get to know you!).

Some examples of good questions to ask are listed below. Asking them about what sports or sporting teams they go for is always a great conversation starter, especially if you also enjoy sport. Australians tend to love sport and this will potentially allow you to both share about something you’re passionate about.

You might have seen a really funny movie on the weekend, so asking if they have seen it and making a recommendation is another way you can get to learn more about their likes and dislikes on a personal level.

You may also like to learn more about the career of your supervisor, so asking “how did you get to your current position” will open up a conversation about their career path and will often lead you down an interesting road.

Of course you could always have some open questions in which you ask them for suggestions about what you could be doing right now to propel your career. 

One word answers

It is likely your supervisor is going to ask you questions in return (this is part of your goal!). When answering these questions, try not to answer with one-word answers as this tends to halt a conversation very quickly.

For example, if your supervisor asks you if you have an AFL team and you know nothing about it, you can respond by saying “I actually don’t know much about AFL but it is on my bucket list to go to a game during the next season. Is there a team I should be barracking for?”

Or you could say “I’m not the biggest fan of AFL. I grew up watching soccer and cricket and I am an avid supporter of the Liverpool Fotball Club. Do you watch any soccer?”

It really doesn’t matter what your answer is as long as it’s not ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ without any explanation!

Try not to pig out!
This goes without saying: don’t pig out or order super messy food! The same goes for the opposite: don’t ask someone to have lunch with you and just order one spring roll. It can be awkward for your lunch companion as well, so just make sure you behave the same way you might if you were having an important lunch with the Queen!

Express your gratitude

A personal lunch is a great time to thank your supervisor for the experience they have provided to you. Showing appreciation for not only the opportunity of the internship but the time they’re taking to spend with you during that lunch will always be well received. You never know: your supervisor might share some appreciation for you as an intern and the work you have done at the company. This is a great step towards employment!

The most important thing to remember when having lunch with your supervisor is to be yourself! Just like you want to get to know them, your supervisor wants to know the real you. If a supervisor feels they understand and trust a member of their team it helps to break down walls and delivers a much more authentic experience. Never forget that people do business with people and showing true colors helps to build trust and authenticity.

If you have any questions...

The Outcome.Life team are always here to answer any questions or help with any problems you might encounter during your internship.

You can contact us between 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday at:

Phone: 03 8899 7424

Email: hello@outcome.life

Or fill in the form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

10 Things To Do Before Your Internship Ends

Posted on by Aba Chiongson

10 Things To Do Before Your Internship Ends

Domenic Saporito, co-founder of Outcome.Life, discusses the top things that you should do before finishing your internship to maximise your employability

Congratulations - you're halfway!

So it’s week 6 of your internship. Things have been going great. You have learnt lots and met heaps of new people. So what now?

Well, unless you were thinking of going on to more study, this is the best time to start taking steps to secure a job. After all, the whole purpose of an internship is to give you the local relevant experience that employees are after. 

Work On it

Here are 10 tips that can make getting a job at the end of your internship happen:

1. Check-in with your Host Company if there is a role for you.
Let’s face it, your Host Company will spend 10-12 weeks training you in your role. You have made yourself indispensable by doing great work, turning up on time, being a great person to be around, and adding value to the business. If this is the case, why wouldn’t your Host Company want to keep you? If they let you go, they will only have to train someone else. So you are actually doing them a favour!

2. Start applying for similar roles with other companies.
The best time to get a job is when you already have one. I am sure there is a ton of psychology that can explain this, but all I know is that businesses do not like to wear a learning curve of a new graduate. They love the idea that someone else, a competitor, has trained you up for a role with them previously.

3. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date.
In Australia, your LinkedIn profile is as important as your resume. Make sure your profile is up to date with the new skills that you have learnt. Make sure you have a recent photo… of your head only, and you are smiling! LinkedIn is about careers, not education.

LinkedIn small logo

Be the best version of yourself

4. Make sure every person at your Host Company knows who you are and what you do.
Aussies love to refer to good people to their friends and acquaintances. If your Host Company can’t employ you, someone at the Host Company knows someone who can employ you if you’re a good person that does good work. Don’t be the best kept secret at your Host Company and make sure you are connected on LinkedIn.

5. Having lunch with someone every day.
Every day is an opportunity to have lunch with someone that may be your future employer, or will refer you to your future employer. If you are an International Student, you have probably just spent around $100,000 on an education. This is not the time to save a few hundred dollars by bringing your lunch to an internship. Sharing a meal or a coffee with someone every day during your internship expands your professional network. Don’t compromise building your network to save a few dollars.

6. Let recruiters know you are skilled up and ready to go.
You are no longer a graduate with no local or relevant experience. You now have skills employers want, meaning you are much easier to place for recruiters. Let them know about your found skills and that you are looking for a role. 

Network and Demonstrate your Skills

7. Tap into your personal and professional networks.
Hopefully, you have been attending meetups and networking events relevant to your industry and discipline. If not, why not? What are you waiting for? Approximately, 85% of all jobs in Australia are filled through your network and are not advertised online. Meetups are a great way to build the exact network that can deliver you a job. Remember, no employer wants to pay a recruiter $5,000 to $10,000 for a graduate with relevant experience. Meet your future employer at a meetup and let them know you are available.

8. Get permission to show examples of your work.
A picture tells a thousand words, so the best way to demonstrate your technical ability to a future employer is to showcase your work. This includes work that you have completed during your internship. However, you must respect your Host Company’s confidentiality and intellectual property. Ask your supervisor what you can and can’t show to a prospective employer. They may allow you to simply remove the sensitive parts of the project and show the rest in a portfolio.

Expect the unexpected

9. Have your “elevator pitch” ready. Everyone you meet from now on is a prospective employer, or a referrer to a prospective employer. When you meet someone you have less than one minute to let them know why they should hire you. Don’t be the best kept secret! A well-rehearsed elevator pitch that articulates exactly who you are and what you do is how you get an interview.

10. Get feedback on your performance. No one is perfect! So, it is important to constantly ask for feedback on what you can do to get better. Show your willingness to learn from your experiences by showing that you are up for constructive feedback. Take the feedback on board and do something with it. Fill in the gaps by upgrading your understanding with self-learning if you lack technical skills. Just because you have graduated, doesn’t mean you stop learning. Life learning has been more in demand from employers of choice.

Did we miss any? We’re sure there are at least a dozen more things you can do towards the end of your internship to get that job. If you have any suggestions, please let us know. One thing is for sure though, jobs don’t come to you, you need to make it happen. Hopefully, the tips above can help.

Domenic Saporito is the co-founder of Outcome.Life and GADA Technology. Dom has started, run and sold many businesses throughout his career, ranging in industry from property to tech, and even golf! As a business owner, product developer and chartered accountant with 15 years’ experience in the recruitment industry, Dom enjoys sharing his knowledge, insights and advice with international students looking to enter the job market in Australia.

If you have any questions...

The Outcome.Life team are always here to answer any questions or help with any problems you might encounter during your internship.

You can contact us between 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday at:

Phone: 03 8899 7424

Email: hello@outcome.life

Or fill in the form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Requesting A Feedback Session With Your Mentor​

Posted on by Aba Chiongson

Requesting A Feedback Session With Your Mentor

Joshua Tinner, Placement Consultant at Outcome.Life, discusses how to approach your internship supervisor to request valuable feedback on your performance

Asking Does No Harm

We all know that feedback from others is important. When other people see what we don’t, it helps us fix issues we weren’t aware of. It can also offer guidance on our path to self-improvement. Nowhere is this more true than in an internship, given that one of the reasons for being an intern is to get feedback from seasoned professionals.

Despite this, or because of it, feedback can be scary. Asking for feedback can feel like asking someone to tell you everything you’re doing wrong and pick up on all the mistakes that you make. This belief misses the fundamental truth of mentor-intern relations: mentors want to see you succeed!

Be Open To Feedback!

Feedback sessions are not about bringing you down but about giving you tools to succeed. You may feel like you’re doing too much administration and not enough fulfilling work. Maybe you feel like you haven’t received enough guidance on structuring your workday and a productive workload. Formal conversations can be useful in this. You can discuss what you have done, how well you’ve done it, and what you want to be doing. Feedback sessions are perfect opportunities to air any concerns you have about your role in a safe environment.

Also, let’s not forget that feedback sessions are also about positive feedback! These sessions are great platform to talk about your long-term goals. Ask your mentor for extra responsibilities in the areas you find most fulfilling. You never know what you could be doing unless you ask and there is no better time than during these meetings.

Work On It

We all know that feedback from others is important. Now that we’ve gone over why feedback sessions are important, here are some tips on how to approach asking for one:

1. Think about what you want to discuss. Don’t ask only “for a feedback session”, but be specific with some of the items you would like to discuss. This gives you a framework to structure the meeting and provides your mentor some time to pull together targeted feedback.

2. Be polite but confident. Being polite should go without saying (be polite to everyone!) but stress can make us all forget ourselves. Being confident when approaching your mentor shows that you are a professional. This will also set the tone for the meeting to focus on your professional development.

Preparation is a must

3. Allow time to prepare.
Even if you already know exactly what you want to bring up, you still need to give your mentor some time to prepare. They also need to gather their thoughts so that you can get the most beneficial feedback. Bonus points if you can get access to your mentor’s calendar. Approach them with the times they will be available!

4. Write down what you want to say.
Everything could be a clear in your head as you walk into the meeting but you never know what you might forget. Be organised!

5. Take notes.
The whole point of this session is to talk about you and your place in the business. If you’re not writing it down, you might forget some of what you discuss. It can also show your mentor that you aren’t invested in your self-improvement or aren’t paying attention.

There we go! You can now successfully combat your fears about receiving feedback. Book a time in advance with your mentor and write down all the thoughts you’ve got. Now you’re ready to be a professional and start taking long strides along your chosen path.

Joshua Tinner is part of the placement team at Outcome.Life. As part of this team, Joshua talks to new students and host companies every day about the importance of work-integrated learning. With several years’ experience in people-focussed industries, Josh is always up for a chat and his booming voice can often be heard echoing down Hardware Lane! Josh is a life-long student of the humanities and envisions a world where a balance exists between education making us well-rounded members of society whilst also practically preparing us for our working lives.

If you have any questions...

The Outcome.Life team are always here to answer any questions or help with any problems you might encounter during your internship.

You can contact us between 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday at:

Phone: 03 8899 7424

Email: hello@outcome.life

Or fill in the form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Effective Workplace Communications

Posted on by Aba Chiongson

Communicating Effectively in the Workplace

Outcome.Life Placement Coordinator, Jack Clayfield, highlights the importance of effective communication practices with your supervisor, colleagues and clients

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It’s hard to find the right job...

It’s hard to find a job, especially when you are still a student or a recent graduate. You might have sent out more than 50+ applications for jobs and received no answer. It can be so frustrating to continue your job search with little to no positive response.

Don’t lose hope! There exists a master skill that has appeared on job applications since job applications have existed. This skill, if mastered, will single-handedly set you apart from your competition. Any guesses. 

One word – COMMUNICATION.

Communication Strategies

Communication is the process of conveying messages. It could be verbal, non-verbal, written and visual and, it aims for an effective outcome. This is an important management component in any organization.

Due to failed communication, many relationships are gone. But there are various tips and strategies we can do to have effective communication.

Here are some effective communication strategies and tips you should bear in mind:

Our number one tip: Be visible. It’s a major factor in how your employer feels about your performance. Be presentable enough and always be active in the team. 

Our number two tip: Presentations and Reports. It will develop an essential workplace skill. Prepare presentations ahead of time and send reports at the end of each week even if you aren’t asked to. Use visual templates – make them memorable and be proactive – don’t wait for your supervisor, just keep going.

Our number three tip: Spelling and Grammar. Make sure to use correct  spelling and grammar. You can also ask anyone you trust to check your work.

Work on it

4. Communicate the way that your supervisor communicates.
Strong communication with your supervisor is critical to your success in your internship. Finding out how your supervisor prefers to communicate is something that you should do on your first day.

Even if your supervisor doesn’t use the phone, we recommend that you get very comfortable making phone calls. This is an extremely important skill that you should develop.

Our tips:

  • Practice using the phone as much as possible
  • Set a professional voicemail and check it!
  • Always ask someone if they are available to speak when you call them
  • Find out the business’ internal communication software (e.g. Microsoft Teams, Slack, Monday) and learn about it before your first day
  • Have an important reason for communicating and try to address a number of questions in one call

5. Use Your Calendar! This will make you on track. Always relevant subject line so they understand the agenda. Include agenda items in the calendar body and always be on time or early if you set the meeting. 

Whether you are just starting your employment search, internship process or are starting a new job, we hope the above tips and information will support you in establishing your dream career.

Good workplace communication will always be an in demand skill for employers. Have you got a great story about how effective communication strategies helped you into employment in Australia? We’d love to hear about it!

If you have any questions...

The Outcome.Life team are always here to answer any questions or help with any problems you might encounter during your internship.

You can contact us between 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday at:

Phone: 03 8899 7424

Email: hello@outcome.life

Or get in touch with us via the form below!