A new online platform that enables UNSW Business School students to get career advice from alumni across the globe will be launched in Australia for the first time this week.
A new online platform that enables UNSW Business School students to get career advice from alumni across the globe will be launched in Australia for the first time this week.
Career Accelerator will help current students tap into UNSW's outstanding alumni network and connect with recent graduates who work in a related field.
"This is a way of providing career advice – straight from the workplace – on a large scale," said UNSW Business School Associate Dean Digital and Innovation Professor Nick Wailes. "Our alumni will be able to give students practical advice on how to get a job in their field, and insight into employers and industries."
Before rolling the program out to all students and alumni, there will be a trial using 2nd year management accounting students (around 760 students), and alumni working in an accounting-related field.
Using the *Evisors platform, students will be able to data match their own interests to those of alumni advisors, who can help them prepare for interviews, draft a resume and give them key insights into the rapidly changing professional job market. Alumni can sign in via LinkedIn and give feedback using a rating system.
If the trial is a success, Career Accelerator will be extended to all Business School students - a potential network of 14,500 students and more than 75,000 alumni.
Business School Dean Professor Chris Styles said UNSW alumni were eager to "give back" and share their knowledge. "Our alumni are a huge asset to the School. By harnessing the power of technology to tap into the resources of our alumni from organisations across the world, we open up enormous opportunities for students when they graduate. And our alumni benefit by improving their coaching skills and connecting with current students."
"Getting a job after university is a daunting experience," said Professor Wailes. "The job market is very competitive with thousands of students applying for small numbers of graduate entry positions. Our alumni are working in companies such as PwC, Deloitte, EY, KPMG and CBA, to name a few. They can help our students to get a head start."
Career Accelerator can help Australian students find work overseas, and introduce international students to the job market in their home country (via UNSW alumni), before they finish their course. Around 5000 Business School alumni are currently working in Hong Kong, Asia's financial hub.
Media Contact: Janine MacDonald 0478 492 110
*Evisors is an Edtech company founded at Harvard Business School in 2010, to match job seekers to career advisors. The platform has been adapted for UNSW Business School to connect its own alumni and students – providing tailored career advice from, and for, the UNSW Business School community.