10 Things To Do Before Your Internship Ends

Posted on June 26, 2020April 27, 2021 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.

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 June 26, 2020April 27, 2021 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 June 24, 2020April 27, 2021 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

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!

Have a Virtual Coffee With a Colleague

Posted on March 28, 2020April 27, 2021 by spc@outcome.life

Having a Virtual Coffee With A Colleague

Week 3: Exceed Your Host Company's Expectations

The importance of Coffee Meetings

Going for a coffee or a drink with a colleague is a great way to build your professional network in Australia. Getting to know your teammates on a personal level, outside of the workplace, is how we build strong business relationships.

All relationships, business or otherwise, grow stronger when a personal connection is developed and nurtured. Personal connections at work build trust and enable greater productivity within the organisation.

Another thing to remember is that many people in Australia have been introduced to new clients, suppliers and even offered new jobs over coffee meetings!

A Valuable Learning Experience

Coffee meetings are a great way to start a conversation with your colleague or supervisor about their career, their professional background and how they got to where they are today. You might also learn some of the tips and trick they learned along the way, which might also help you in your own career.

The person you’re having coffee with may also ask you about yourself and your hopes and dreams for your career. Keep your answers work-appropriate and be prepared to ask follow-up questions for advise about the things you can do to get ahead.

Also, don’t be afraid to ask for a referral! By this, we mean asking your supervisor if there is anyone they could introduce you to who might be worth catching up with to explore different aspects of your industry, look to as a mentor or maybe even employment opportunities that someone in their network might have.

Virtual Coffee Meetings

Sometimes, in-person coffee meetings aren’t always possible – especially in the current COVID-19 lockdown situation! Don’t let that deter you. Send one of your colleagues an email or instant message over your workplace Slack to invite them to have coffee with you virtually.

You can both grab a drink and connect via a video conference meeting to have a conversation. Not only will you likely get some great advice, but it breaks up your routine and can give you a nice break if you are interning remotely. It will also make you feel like you are part of the team and help you to not feel lonely!

Remember, you don’t have to drink coffee to ask for or accept a coffee invitation. Your colleague won’t care if you don’t drink coffee (plus, they probably won’t even be able to see what you’re drinking! Coffee meetings are just a great way to get to know more about your host company, your colleagues and your network connections, so don’t be afraid to extend an invitation or two during your internship.

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 directly via the form below!

How to Handle Issues During Your Internship

Posted on March 28, 2020April 2, 2020 by spc@outcome.life

How to Handle Issues During Your Internship

Week 3: Exceed Your Host Company's Expectations

Sometimes, issues occur...

Sometimes issues in the workplace arise and we’re not always sure who to speak to or what to do. This may be an issue with a colleague, your supervisor or maybe even another intern!

Don’t just expect it to resolve by itself or ignore it. This is the worst thing you can do, because communication within the workplace is paramount to developing and keeping lasting professional relationships. Often, when you’re at the beginning of your career, you may not be equipped with the skills needed to handle conflict in a professional manner and that’s okay! It’s all part of the learning experience.

Our number one tip: If anything makes you sad, angry, or uncomfortable, don’t lash out within the workplace and NEVER post about the business or any problems you are having on social media. This will definitely come back to haunt you during your career.

Instead, write down how you’re feeling, what happened to make you feel that way and how you responded to the situation at the time. If you feel comfortable enough, speak to your supervisor about the situation using “I” language (e.g. I felt uncomfortable when this happened…) and make sure you get in contact with us at Outcome.Life immediately.

Reach out to us

It’s completely normal to feel slightly overwhelmed or uncomfortable in the first few weeks of your internship. Our expectation is that your host company is doing everything they can to onboard you as part of their team, but sometimes cultural differences or personal expectations may not match with an intern and their host company. The sooner you communicate your requirements with either your host company or with Outcome.Life, the better!

In any case of discomfort or for any issues throughout your internship, you should reach out to our team at Outcome.Life. We’re here to ensure that you have the most positive experience possible at your internship and, if there is a way we can hekp to communicate any issues or clear up any problems, our experienced team of Placement Consultants will help you reach that positive outcome.

Our team will contact you on a minimum of three occasions throughout your internship. You’ll receive a call from our team in your first week, around the halfway point and in the final week. We ask you to be as honest as possible during these calls because, if you are having any issues, we can work with you and your host company to fix them.

The sooner, the better!

Please do not wait until your final week to tell us about problems as we may not be able to solve it at that point and we want you to have the best experience you can! Remember, you won’t get in trouble for telling us about anything you think is not quite right or unpleasant during your internship. Our team are very experienced in dealing with uncomfortable situations and we always look to put our student’s interests first when we are assessing the situation.

Lastly, please make sure you save the Outcome.Life contact details, and the details of your assigned Placement Coordinator somewhere you will be able to easily access them during your internship. This might be in your phone, your diary or on your computer. That way, if you do need to talk to us, you have the information available straight away.

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!

Updating Your LinkedIn

Posted on March 28, 2020April 2, 2020 by spc@outcome.life

Updating Your LinkedIn

Week 3: Exceeding Your Host Company's Expectations

The First Thing You Should Do

Remember, everything you do in your internship should be documented in your resume and, more importantly, your LinkedIn.

There are over 9 million* professionals in Australia utilising the networking capabilities of LinkedIn. It is the number one trusted source for employment referrals, validation of the work you have done and the network you’ve cultivated.

Anyone can update their resume with the fabricated content, but it’s very hard to lie on LinkedIn. This is why it has become such a trusted source, so make sure you’re using LinkedIn like a pro!

Use LinkedIn Like A Pro!

Make your profile stand out: Set a professional profile picture. This is a strong deciding factor as to whether recruiters and potential employers stay and look at your profile or leave immediately (or even whether they visit it at all). Ensure that your picture is of your head and shoulders, dress professionally, do your hair and makeup if you wear any and smile. The picture should be clear and on a professional background that is not distracting. Leave party photos or full-body shots for Facebook or Tinder!

Connect and interact with people: Now is an appropriate time to request connections with some of your team and workmates. Make sure you have had a conversation with them while at your internship before you send them a connection request. You should also write a quick note to remind them who you are and politely requesting to connect with them.

Include your internship experience: You should absolutely add your internship as part of your professional experience, however you should not describe it as an internship, or yourself as an intern. If you are doing an IT internship in front-end development, your experience should read: “Front-end developer at Company Name”.

Post engaging content: The more active you are on LinkedIn, the more people will see and interact with your posts and notice your profile. You should be re-posting or creating your own content based around your career interests and learning. If your content is engaging, you’re more likely to gain interest from industry professionals and increase your own influence within the industry.

Follow influential accounts: If there are companies you’re striving to work for, or thought leaders in your industry that you respect, follow them! Interact with them by liking and commenting on their posts. This will encourage like-minded people to interact with you and help you build a network.

By using these tips and tricks, your LinkedIn will begin to gain interest from all sorts of people… and you might even attract a job offer!

*Source: Osman M, 2020. Mind-Blowing LinkedIn Statistics and Facts, Kinsta, https://kinsta.com/blog/linkedin-statistics/.

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 use the form below to send us a message!

Making Your Impact as an Intern

Posted on March 28, 2020April 2, 2020 by spc@outcome.life

Making Your Impact

Week 3: Exceed Your Host Company's Expectations

Be memorable, be remarkable

Being a memorable and remarkable intern requires some work on your part. People who are serious about their careers go above and beyond when it comes to showing their worth in the workplace.

Some simple ways that you can be memorable and remarkable during your internship include:

Always be ready to start your day at your allocated start time (e.g. if you start at 9am, arrive at 8.50am and get prepared for the day)
Staying 5-10 mintues later than you “have to” shows dedication
Getting through your tasks without delay and requesting additional work shows engagement and enthusiasm
Offering to help a fellow teammate on their project or tasks
Requesting feedback from your supervisor

These tasks might seem easy, but they do make a big difference to your supervisor’s opinion of your performance.

You might still be thinking, “Okay, but what does going above and beyond really mean?”

It’s ultimately about doing things that may not be asked of your, but that you can see as a problem to be solved or a task to be completed.

"Be memorable, be remarkable."

Domenic Saporito

Co-Founder, Outcome.Life

A perfect example...

After joining the internship program with Outcome.Life, Argho was placed with a FinTech company that have designed a payroll service add-on for businesses that allow employees to access their earned wages before payday when they need. The product helps to provide staff with access to a financial wellness platform that improves employee well-being, reduces workplace stress and increases productivity.

As an intern, Argho was offered an internship in line with his studies in IT with a primary focus on Data Analysis. He received a Training Plan prior to starting his internship which included tasks, responsibilities and learning outcomes only related to data analytics.

In the second week of his internship, Argho overheard two of the company directors discussing a financial component called “Fringe Benefits Tax”. Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) is paid by an employer on certain benefits they provide to their employees, employee’s families or other associates. FBT applies even if the benefit is provided by a third party under an arrangement with the employer. Needless to say, this is something accountants usually deal with… and has nothing to do with IT or data analytics!

Argho made a very clear decision to go home and research this topic. He then proceeded to write a report on the impacts of FBT within the business and what options may be available for this particular FinTech business.

So what happened?

The next day, Argho sent an email with the report to his supervising director, explaining his research. Needless to say, the director was incredibly pleased.

From the director’s point of view, this intern, who had only been at the company for two weeks, was showing initiative a clear understanding of the business and a willingness to go above and beyond and even into a sector separate from his IT knowledge.

As you can imagine, this was very impressive and, by the third week of his internship, Argho had secured himself a full-time position with the company

Not every internship will allow you the chance to make a bold gesture like Argho but, in every workplace, you will find someone who is under-resourced or who may need a little extra support and would appreciate your help.

So give your internship the care and attention that it deserves and try to find ways that you can go the extra mile to show your supervisor and colleagues everything you can do!

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

Working From Home: Best Practice Guide

Posted on March 27, 2020June 28, 2021 by spc@outcome.life

Remote Internships: Best Practice Guide

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

How students can become more employable after COVID-19

Posted on March 25, 2020March 26, 2020 by spc@outcome.life

How students can become more employable after COVID-19

Our Co-Founder, Domenic Saporito, explains the lockdown silver lining for international students

Coronavirus lockdown sucks... We get it!

But, at this time, it is necessary as it could literally save your life.

For international students in Australia, getting a job in your field of study was difficult before the crisis. Imagine how tough it will be after. There is no doubt that there will be an increased number of skilled and experienced applicants for every job after the layoffs that business owners have unfortunately had to make to keep their businesses going during this time.

So what can international students do during this enforced lockdown to make themselves more employable when Australia emerges from this crisis?

The answer… Self-learning!

The current lockdown is the perfect time to immerse yourself in the latest and greatest software tools in your industry. Graduate roles are all about running software, so knowing about (and being able to use!) the most contemporary software tools in your industry is a great way to differentiate yourself and make yourself more employable.

Self-learning: how do You do it?

As ridiculous as it sounds, it is not the responsibility of your university or education provider to teach you the latest and greatest software tools in your industry. University curriculum changes every 5 years or so, but new software comes out nearly every day! It’s up to you, as an future industry professional, to keep up with the latest trends and technology. In doing so, you make yourself more employable than your peers whom rely solely on their course or professors.

Yes, your degree looks great on your resume. The reality is that no one gets a job with just their resume anymore. The resume is there to get you an interview and it’s your performance at the interview that will get you the job.

So if you are the applicant that can demonstrate knowledge of and skills in the most up-to-date technology that gets the job done better, cheaper or faster, and the other applicants can only show what they did in their university project, who do you think is likely to get the job? (Hint: it’s YOU!)

Let’s look at a great example of a profession with constantly changing technology: Front-end development.

For a front-end developer, finding new tools, languages and frameworks can be as simple as googling “latest front-end development tools”. This Google search will reveal a whole list of new, cutting-edge web tools that you have probably never heard of, but are being used by the most innovative and tech-forward developers in your industry all around the world.

For developers, Vue.js, Chrome Development Tools, Google Flutter, Node, Meteor and React (not React Native – it’s no good! But that’s just my opinion) are just some of the latest tools that are fast-replacing old-world languages such as PHP, .NET, Ruby, C, C++, Perl or even Python. Knowing that these new tools exist is great. Knowing how to use them is EVEN BETTER.

If I were a front-end developer, I would make sure I knew what tools were trending, why they were gaining traction and, better still, have a working example of what can be achieved with these new tools available at all times. In a world where 85% of jobs are found through your professional network, you never know just who you may meet post-COVID19 as Australia gets back to business.

It's not just for Technical Skills... Soft & Critical Skills matter too!

Ask any employer and they will say “Technical skills are easy to teach, it’s soft skills we are looking for”.

Soft skills are the greatest contributor to cultural fit. For example, how you integrate with the company’s values and mission statement, other staff members and, most importantly, their customers and clients.

The same goes for critical skills like time management, initiative, communication and teamwork with your colleagues and stakeholders, and generally “being a good person”.

Most companies know that they will need to teach you their processes, procedures and, as a graduate with less real-world experience, how to actually do your job and what it involves day-to-day. These kinds of things are really easy to teach. Cultural fit isn’t.

Luckily, soft and critical skills are also something that you can teach yourself or work on during lockdown. Really poor at managing your own time? Brush up on your time management skills by learning tips, tricks and strategies used by some of the most organised and successful people in the world and find what works for you, then put it into practice by planning your days out.

Likewise, almost all jobs these days require some level of customer support or service and, without training, many employees may not meet the level of customer service that their employers expect. Make yourself stand out by doing some customer service training by yourself to impress your next potential employer.

Where can you self-learn?

The good news is that there are plenty of free resources available for many different professions to learn the technical and soft skills they need. We’ve done the hard work for you and listed some of these fantastic resources below. Happy lockdown learning!

EdX
This website offers thousands of online courses, from computer science and engineering to art and history. Many of their courses are free to join (though you have to pay for certification).

LinkedIn Learning
While LinkedIn Learning is not strictly free, you can often get a subscription through your university or Alumni organisation, or take advantage of the free month trial while in lockdown! Their courses cover everything from graphic design, to customer service, to time management skills.

FutureLearn
Similar to EdX, FutureLearn provides heaps of short-course content for free from leading providers across the globe.

YouTube
While YouTube is great for entertainment, it’s actually also a great platform to access free learning content from all sorts of people all over the world.

Mobile Apps
There are many free and cheap apps available to learn things like coding languages and actual languages! All you need to do is search in your phone’s app store.

If you have any questions...

The Outcome.Life team are always here to answer any questions about internships, employability or being an international in Australia!

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

Phone: 03 8899 7424

Email: hello@outcome.life

Software Testing Intern to Full-Time Employee

Posted on March 16, 2020March 18, 2020 by spc@outcome.life

By Domenic Saporito

Are you one of many international students struggling to get a job in your field of study here in Australia?

Well, instead of sending out 100’s of applications to ads on job boards for no reply, perhaps it is time to try something a little different. Let me explain…

Sid & Bindu were two Computer Science students in their final semester at Deakin University. Knowing that completing a degree is only a small part of building a successful career, come enrolment time, they chose to do a work placement as an elective.

Sid & Bindu joined a software development company as testers. But not just ordinary testers… Automated software testers!

Sid & Bindu implemented the company’s very first ‘automated software testing framework’ and, in the process, made themselves valuable, sought-after graduates.

Their first responsibility was to research and recommend the latest and greatest in automated testing frameworks. They looked for frameworks that suited the software applications being built. For this, they chose Puppeteer. Not just because the applications were being built in JavaScript, but because of a unique feature that allows multiple User Sessions to be tested at once – something not many other frameworks can do.

Throughout their 12-week internship, Sid & Bindu successfully built and implemented a comprehensive library of tests that they then integrated into the company’s automated build process called Jenkins.

Sounds amazing? It was! But not as hard as it sounds.

Both Sid & Bindu now have full-time jobs as Automated Software Testers in separate companies, applying the skills they acquired during their internship.

The stark reality is that in a competitive graduate market, today’s employers want more than just a qualification. They want graduates with real-world experience! Whilst a university can provide a degree, an internship will get you a job.

So, if you are here over summer and think that an internship may make you more employable after graduation, give us a call. It may be the catalyst that kick starts your career.

Internships are available in a wide variety of disciplines including Engineering, IT, Accounting, Marketing & Social Media.