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Completing your course of education, at whatever level, is a big milestone and should be an exciting time for you! However once the thrill has worn off, you can then be left with the daunting realisation that it’s time to get serious about finding your first job…

Before jumping straight in, make sure you find the career path that’s right for you. Think about what you’re good at, but also consider what you enjoy. If you’re still not sure what direction to take, visit our career advice section for some help and inspiration.

It’s then time to start the job search. At Open Colleges, we know that looking for a job can be an intimidating and sometimes frustrating experience, but it can be especially scary if it’s your first job. Not only does it feel like a big transformation from education to workplace, but there’s a lot to understand and do in order to make sure your search becomes a success. When applying for a job, you must consider how you tailor your application to ensure you stand out from the crowd (for the right reasons). You must decide how to present yourself well in interviews, in the way you dress and talk, as well as your body language, to help leave a positive lasting impression long after the interview is over. You also need to make sure you have the right skills and attitude for the particular job you’ve applied for, as well as much more!

However, we don’t think finding a job needs to be a stressful experience. Although competition for entry-level jobs in Australia can be strong, there are many different ways that you can help improve your chances of getting your dream job.

To help you throughout the whole process, we’ve selected 7 key tips that we’d recommend following. We’ve summarised these in our useful infographic. We will also be bringing you a series of 7 blog posts over the next few weeks, where we will be delving a little deeper into each of these tips, to help you take a step closer to getting your first job:

1. Attitude to work – Are you a motivated and enthusiastic individual? Discover how you can enhance your chances of employment by improving your mindset and attitude towards work.

2. Work experience – Have you found a work experience opportunity or have you volunteered your time to a good cause? Find out how work experience or volunteer work could set you apart from other entrants.

3. Responsibility and reliability – Can you be punctual and get on well with other people? See how you can show that you can be a responsible and reliable member of an employer’s team.

4. Presentation – Do you take care of your appearance, from dressing appropriately to making sure you keep your hair clean and tidy? Discover how to present yourself well in interviews to help you make a positive and memorable impression.

5. Further education and training – Would you be interested in taking part in further education before your job search? Learn how further education and training could help improve your employment prospects.

6. Job search and application skills – Have you tailored your application to the specific role you’re applying for? And do you pay strict attention to detail? Get advice on how to improve the quality of your job application, résumé and interview skills.

7. Realistic work expectations – Do you have an accurate vision of what to expect in a work environment? Understand the workplace better to make sure you don’t have unrealistic expectations from the start.

Take a look at these 7 tips to land your first job and put them into practice straight away, to help make sure your job search is a success.