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Tag: constructive feedback

6 Ways An IT Intern Can Digitise Your Business

Posted on by spc@outcome.life

6 Ways An IT Intern Can Digitise Your Business

Woman types at her laptop in a business suit.

If you’re an Australian business or startup operating in the 21st century, there is no way you’re operating without using IT services. With the world moving digital and virtual communication becoming a necessity for survival, your business must stay on-the-pulse with technology trends. In fact, forecasts suggest that the IT sector will grow by 104% between 2018 and 2023. 

The pay rate for IT professionals in Australia is steep, which is a huge challenge for new and bootstrapped businesses. Taking on interns is a great way to test the potential of IT services in your business. And interns are a motivated and cost-effective resource you can rely on to help you get there.

Here are six ways an IT intern can digitise your business that you may not have considered.

1. Web Development

Web developers work on your business website to make it user friendly and visually appealing, increase traffic, communicate your offering, and boost your SEO efforts. 

Web development is a big industry now and you can even host interns with a specialisation in frontend, backend, or a particular coding language such as html, Java, Javascript, CSS, and MYSQL.

2. Data Analysis

As the name suggests, data analysts can analyse heaps of data from your past operations to make your business more efficient, fine tune your customer offering, and invest in the right initiatives to scale. Process mapping, market research, data analysis, CRM customisation, and general documentation and planning are just a few of the things that a data analysis intern can do for your business.

3. Cybersecurity

Keeping your online presence safe from hackers and your confidential data secured is your responsibility as a business owner. Especially if you are working with confidential customer data such as payment details, addresses, and PHI (private health information), cybersecurity is vital. A cybersecurity intern can help keep things safe and secure in the background.

4. Help Desk and Support

Move your business from paper to digital! A help desk and support intern can ensure all data entries are updated, accurate, and working smoothly. Help desk positions can also involve troubleshooting and solving issues with various hardware and software, and better supporting your customers to increase engagement, and ultimately, profitability and business reputation.

5. Systems Administrator

Ensure the myriad IT programs your business uses are being monitored for glitches and are powering your business in the right direction. Software is ever-prevalent and ensuring that your technology is always up and running is a must. There’s nothing worse than technology failing at the most inopportune moments and a systems administration intern could end up saving you a lot of hassle.

6. Networking and Telecommunications

Networking and telecommunications interns can help manage the network system of an organization. Their role is to oversee and boost the connectivity and performance of the network, as well as monitor the day-to-day operations of an organisation’s computer network. Interns can specialise in hardware and/or cloud-based platforms.

IT Interns Can Open New Horizons At No Cost

Our IT interns each have a Bachelor Degree or higher and have a great foundation to make improvements to your business. Internships typically last for 12 weeks for at least two days a week. 

If you like the intern, you can hire them. If you’re not interested in hiring, you lose nothing. It’s like when big companies offer a “try before you buy” option. We say, “Sign up. Try it for 12 weeks. Then hire or try again!”

At Outcome.Life, we take pride in not only helping students, but also in supporting Australian SMEs (small to medium enterprises) and startups with interns who can help their business. Just reach out and start talking with our team about IT interns who can help your business.

A group of employees with laptops gather around an office conference table.
Vintii Vasundhara Aggarwal

Vintii Vasundhara Aggarwal is part of the placement team at Outcome.Life in which she talks to new students and host companies every day about the importance of work-integrated learning. Once an international student herself, Vintii is passionate about connecting with international students and sharing with them how she has navigated the same path and kickstarted her career. She is also a visual abstract artist and the winner of three UNSW hackathons.

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

What is Career Catalyst?

Posted on by spc@outcome.life

What is Career Catalyst?

International student working in hospitality.

From Casual Hospitality Work To Your Dream Job

Many international students in Australia work in hospitality to finance their studies. This is  a great start into work life. You get to know people and build your “soft” skills while working in a café or restaurant. You get to speak and improve your English and get used to a different culture. You may not be used to the sarcasm Australians use in their everyday life, so it’s good to learn all the new conventions before entering the job market of your chosen industry.

But realistically: Do you really want to serve and clean up after people all your life? Or would you rather build on the knowledge from your studies, expand your network, and find a job that matches your passions and most likely earns more money, too?

Certainly, some people burn for hospitality. But if you are an international student, you have most likely come to Australia to do more than serve coffee. You can achieve so much more with less effort if you are doing what you really love. So sacrifice some time now and extend your comfort zone to find your dream job. 

How Career Catalyst Can Help You Achieve Your Goals

Outcome.Life and Study Melbourne have teamed up to create Career Catalyst – an employability hub to connect international students with industry and employers. Career Catalyst is a program to enhance employability and career development for international students. We help you create a professional network relevant to your skill set.

Mixing together entrepreneurship, leadership, and mentoring, Career Catalyst is supporting and empowering students with the right skills to excel in the Australian job market. Students can access a range of workshops, webinars, and online courses to improve their visibility on the hidden job market and, therefore, their chances of finding their dream job.

With Career Catalyst, it’s not just one career coach who has your back –  you have a whole community and network helping you connect with your future employer.

Thanks to the Victorian Government, this program is free for international students living and studying in Victoria.

International student smiling in a business suit.
International student working on his laptop.

What Free Services Does Career Catalyst Include?

LinkedIn Workshops
Learn why LinkedIn and networking are the most important tools on your path to finding a job in the Australian job market, and how to utilise them!

Interview Workshops
How do you excel at your next job interview? What do you need to prepare and what is better not to say? We’ll cover all this and more in our free interview workshops.

Interview Preparation Online Course
You want to learn and prepare more for your next job interview? This online course will help get you ready in no time. Go at your own pace, anytime, from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.

Employability Webinars
Hear from industry specialists who will give you insights into your chosen industry and employability trends in our employability webinars! 

Resume & LinkedIn Coaching
Get personal coaching from our experienced coaches. They will meet with you one-on-one to help you improve your resume and LinkedIn profile, so you can reach more employers and build your personal brand.

Casual Jobs
We can help you find a casual or temporary job in Melbourne with one of our partners, so you can finance your living while you are studying.

Take Your First Step Now!

If you want to make the change to professional employment in your chosen industry, Career Catalyst is here to help! We have your back – no matter what you need help with on your way to finding your dream job. Sign up now!

 

 

 

 

Three international graduates sit at a table in suits, smiling.
Leonie Schaefer

Leonie Schaefer is a Social Media Marketing Intern at Outcome.Life where she helps create content to empower better employability outcomes for international students and provide host companies with diverse and passionate interns. An international student herself, Leonie is a bilingual content creator who also enjoys playing the Australian sport, polocrosse (a mix of polo and lacrosse).

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 A Marketing Intern Can Increase Your Company’s Reach

Posted on by spc@outcome.life

How A Marketing Intern Can Increase Your Company's Reach

Marketing: An Indispensable Activity For Any Business

If you own an Australian business or startup, you’ll know all about the importance of revenue, and by extension, attracting customers. Customers come when they know you exist. When they know you are solving their problems. When they know you are offering something they want or need. But what if you’re doing all those things and you’re still not attracting enough customers? You increase your reach.

How can you increase your reach? With the help of a marketer.

Now, you may be thinking, “That sounds like a lot of money. Money I just don’t have right now.” We understand your problem. When you’re getting a business off the ground, the costs can feel like they’re constantly racking up, and any unnecessary costs are cut.

But what if you could have a marketer and save your business money? It’s all possible with a marketing intern. Don’t sacrifice marketing. It is an absolute essential, and with a creative lot of students opting for careers in the field, we’ve found a way you can have your cake and eat it, too.

Now that sounds like really great news!

Increase Your Reach And Customer Base

In the current noisy digital world, marketing is becoming more and more complex. It requires a constant outpouring of content and communication to make yourself heard. Having a dedicated person doing that for your business can be a complete game changer.

Some of the tasks a marketing intern can help you with include:

  • Creating regular content for your social media channels – specifically where your ideal customer hangs out.
  • Preparing a monthly e-newsletter to make sure you are always top of mind for your loyal customers.
  • Tailoring your message for your niche customer.
  • Helping you stand out from the crowd with visually appealing packaging and brand communication.
  • Improving your SEO (search engine optimisation) so you appear in search results when people google for your product/service.
  • Researching your competitors so you can out-do them.
  • Compiling testimonials from happy customers to help attract new ones.
  • Helping you become a well-known brand in your industry.

Marketing Doesn't Work For My Business – Said No One Ever!

You could offer the greatest product/service but if no one knows about you, you won’t survive for long. 

In order to take off and fly, make some noise and speak to your audience – in a voice they will hear, in a place they hang out. To get marketing interns to support your business, just follow these three simple steps:

  1. Have a clear understanding of what your needs are.
  2. Assign an employee to provide supervision to the marketing intern during their internship.
  3. Reach out to Outcome.Life to sign up and start taking on interns who can boost your popularity, revenue, and confidence!

Marketing Can Open New Horizons At No Cost

Our marketing interns each have a Bachelor Degree or higher and have a great foundation to make recommendations and improvements to your business. Internships typically last for 12 weeks for at least two days a week.

If you like the intern, you can hire them. If you’re not interested in hiring, you lose nothing. It’s like when big companies offer a “try before you buy” option. We say, “Sign up. Try it for 12 weeks. Then hire or try again!”

We at Outcome.Life take pride in not only helping students, but also in supporting Australian SMEs (small to medium enterprises) and startups with interns who can help their business.

Just reach out and start talking with our team about marketing interns who can help your business. It’s that simple.

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Vintii Vasundhara Aggarwal

 Vintii Vasundhara Aggarwal is part of the placement team at Outcome.Life in which she talks to new students and host companies every day about the importance of work-integrated learning. Once an international student herself, Vintii is passionate about connecting with international students and sharing with them how she has navigated the same path and kickstarted her career. She is also a visual abstract artist and the winner of three UNSW hackathons.

 

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

Top 3 Tips To Smash Out Your Internship

Posted on by spc@outcome.life

Top 3 Tips To Smash Out Your Internship

An international intern and her manager sit on chairs.

Talk To Senior People In The Business

If you’re in the middle of an internship in Australia, one of the best things you can do is talk to senior people in the business. That might be your supervisor, CEO, or another senior member of your team.

Tom Jamieson, COO of ZayZoon says, “I really encourage interns to try to talk to the senior people in the business they join. I know that can seem hard and intimidating but I’ll tell you – senior leaders really like it.”

If you’re just starting out, going out of your way to seek advice, offer help, or asking senior people to share their experiences with you does a few things:

  1. It shows initiative.
  2. It demonstrates that you are an effective communicator.
  3. It increases your chances of your host company offering you a permanent role or connecting you with other employers.

Make Yourself Invaluable

When you set up a time to meet with one of your company’s founders or senior people, you may feel nervous. That’s totally normal. But we promise it’s way easier than you think, especially when you practice!

At the end of the day, Tom says, “You’ve got to do it. You’ve got to get out there. You know, make sure at work that you make yourself invaluable. This goes for your internships, but this goes for your job, too.”

So, if you really want to be invaluable, you need your company’s leaders to know you. To trust you. To like you. To understand your worth, your ideas, and what you bring to the company that sets you apart from the crowd.

An international student and co-worker catch up for a work meeting over coffee.
International intern wearing glasses working at his Mac laptop.

Work 10% Harder, Earn 40% More

How else can you make yourself invaluable and increase your chances of getting hired? Work 10% more.

There are statistics that suggest if you work 10% longer, you end up earning 40% more. So one way to work harder is to be the first one in the office and the last one out. 

But you can also work smarter. That means learning to prioritise your tasks effectively before each work day, so you’re making the most of the time you have. It means starting with the most important tasks, so you accomplish everything you need to.

Want to learn more about how to smash your internship? Check out our upcoming webinars!

Anja Goedhart profile

Anja Goedhart is the Marketing Manager at Outcome.Life where she creates content to empower better employability outcomes for international students and provide host companies with diverse and passionate interns. A storyteller at heart, Anja is passionate about using words to create connections and communities. When she’s not working, you can find her drinking hot chocolates, reading books, and hanging with cats.

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

LinkedIn Is Your Job Hunting Super-Tool – Here’s Why

Posted on by spc@outcome.life

LinkedIn Is Your Job Hunting Super-Tool – Here's Why

Woman on phone and laptop.

Why Employers and Recruiters love linkedIn

According to LinkedIn Educator, Megan Edwards: “The resume or the CV plays a poor second to platforms like LinkedIn. Firstly, because most of our interactions – social and professional – are online to begin with. And secondly, because anybody who is a potential employer or recruiter is doing their fact-finding online before they have a conversation with you.”

Not only that, but many employers will spend more time looking over your LinkedIn profile than they will looking over your CV.

Think about it: While your CV provides important raw information and data, your LinkedIn profile shows potential employers how you behave online, what your professional interests are, what experience you have, who has recommended you, and why they’ve recommended you.

LinkedIn gives employers a much more holistic picture of who you are and how you can contribute to their business.

LinkedIn As a networking tool

But LinkedIn isn’t just about the words you put on your profile. It’s also about the connections you make. One of the first tasks with your LinkedIn presence (after you’ve successfully set up your LinkedIn profile) is to connect with at least 100 people of significance in the area that you want to be employed. This will show your credibility when you’re looking for a job.

Like our CEO Gerard Holland says, “Your CV is a tick-the-box thing. But you should spend your time building out your LinkedIn contacts because you will apply for a job one day, and one of those contacts, or a friend of that contact, will work at that company. Then, bang! You now have a warm application. You have cut through all the noise and all the mess, and you’re accessing the hidden job market.”

Man using LinkedIn on his tablet.
Two students on their laptops in a co-working space.

So Should I Use LinkedIn, A CV, Or Both?

For your best chances of job success, you should have both an up-to-date LinkedIn profile and a carefully curated CV. While more and more employers are moving towards LinkedIn over resumes, some employers still like to view your CV as well, especially during the interview stage.

That being said,  focus most of your time and energy on LinkedIn. You’ll have higher chances of success through LinkedIn and it’s a great platform to apply for jobs and most importantly, connect and network with industry professionals. Some people are even giving potential employers and recruiters a PDF version of their LinkedIn profile instead of a CV.

Bottom line: While CVs are still being used today, they’re on their way out. Online and “living” platforms like LinkedIn are the way of the future. So don’t miss out!

You can access our LinkedIn Workshop for FREE if you register now.

Anja Goedhart profile

Anja Goedhart is the Marketing Manager at Outcome.Life where she creates content to empower better employability outcomes for international students and provide host companies with diverse and passionate interns. A storyteller at heart, Anja is passionate about using words to create connections and communities. When she’s not working, you can find her drinking hot chocolates, reading books, and hanging with cats.

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 Internships Can Give You a Competitive Edge

Posted on by spc@outcome.life

How Internships Can Give You A Competitive Edge

An international student sitting in a park on her laptop.

"Should I do an unpaid internship?"

I get asked this question on a regular basis by students battling with life-changing decisions during, and even after, their university studies. Deciding to do an internship is no small commitment, so allow me to guide you through the advice I have passed on to other students in your position.

In Australia, I can say with certainty that doing an internship is one of the best decisions you can make to kickstart your career. The Australian work climate heavily favours local work experience and leveraging networks to get employment. As an international student, your biggest drawback is the lack of local work experience and access to industry professionals who can help you.

A Fierce competition

Did you know that approximately 85% of the jobs that exist in Australia are never advertised on job boards such as SEEK and Indeed? Instead, they get filled via networks of existing employees and industry professionals. If you approach your job search by applying only for jobs that are listed, you are left fighting for the remaining 15% that are advertised. It’s not surprising why these jobs attract thousands of applicants. With your application filed neatly amongst the thousands, do you think the recruiter or hiring manager will sift through all of them?

No, they won’t. It’s too much work for the employer, so the position will be filled from the first 30 or so applications alone. Or worse, employers won’t even look at resumes, instead using software designed to discount as many applications as possible.

Now you see how low your chances truly are.

Now you see why you keep getting automated rejections such as, “We’re sorry we couldn’t offer you a position.”

Stressed student stares at his laptop in a co-working space.
International student thinking in her apartment.

The problem isn't you. the problem is the approach you're taking.

So, what do you do? You do an internship.

As I’ve mentioned, you need local networks and local work experience to break into the job market in Australia. Internships are a great starting point for students to transition from university to professional life. They help students like you, get local work experience and build networks with industry professionals in Australia, thereby giving you an advantage in the job market.

In my experience, I have noticed that students with a good attitude and a quest to learn, grow, and perform always get hired. So, use your internship as an opportunity to showcase to the company your drive, passion and willingness to learn and deliver solutions. It’s a way to market yourself, make a lasting impression, and create rapport with your company peers. They are the people who will become a part of your local Australian network.

Finding a legal & Compliant internship

Before you race off to accept the first internship offered to you, I want to safeguard you from accepting offers for unpaid internships in Australia. It is illegal for the company, as well as you as a student, to undertake certain unpaid work offers and it could get you deported from the country. Always go through a legally compliant and regulated company like Outcome.Life that truly aims to support international students in Australia like you.

We are the only internship placement provider who insures our students against injury or company lawsuits. We do this because we care. We started this work to support and help international students like you integrate into Australia, and we continue this mission everyday.

To conclude:  Build your networks and gain local work experience by securing an internship to kickstart your career in Australia.

Happy international student at laptop.
Vintii Vasundhara Aggarwal

 Vintii Vasundhara Aggarwal is part of the placement team at Outcome.Life in which she talks to new students and host companies every day about the importance of work-integrated learning. Once an international student herself, Vintii is passionate about connecting with international students and sharing with them how she has navigated the same path and kickstarted her career. She is also a visual abstract artist and the winner of three UNSW hackathons.

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

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

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.

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.