Using Skillsroad to explore career options video

Jazmine (host):

Hey, Tammy. Thanks so much for joining us today. We had a student ask a great question a little bit earlier. Basically they just wanted to know where they can go to find different kinds of jobs, so not just trades.

Tammy:

All right. So I may be a little bit biased to suggest this, but if you do go to skillsroad.com.au, under career search we actually have over 300 pages of careers that are broken down into all the information that you need to know. So we have information such as what kind of qualifications you may need, what kind of certificates are necessary for that particular career, what employers are looking for. So everything that you need to get yourself started in a particular field of work.

Jazmine:

That sounds amazing. What are some of the tools that are accessible?

Tammy:

So just to name a few, our most popular and most utilised tool by far is our career quiz. So this is a very short, about a 10 minute quiz that you can take. And it's very handy to do at the very start of your career, because it outlines your skillset, your strengths, your weaknesses. And based on that information it highlights what industries and what particular jobs you are best suited for. So a very good tool to start with. In addition to that we also have a job fit test that assesses how ready and prepared you are to start a career in a particular field of work. So another handy tool to check out.

Tammy:

We also have Virtual Reality 360, which I'll tell you more in a minute as well. We also have free beautiful resume templates. In addition to our digital tools, we have a one-on-one career coaching program. So that's a little bit different to our digital tools. It's a very personalised experience where us career coaches work one-on-one with our users. And lastly, I would also just like to mention that we also have a completely designated section for parents, teachers, and career advisers. So we know that they play a really important role in early careers as well.

Jazmine:

That sounds fascinating. And I understand that you have a psychology background.

Tammy:

That's right.

Jazmine:

So how important do you think it is for students to understand their strengths and weaknesses?

Tammy:

It's very important, and that's why we always emphasize and stress the importance of taking our career quiz that was designed by a fellow psychologist. The reason why we stress this is because we don't want our users to be wasting their time testing and trying careers that are not in line with their strengths, because that's where they're going to have a lot harder time reaping good results and being successful. Instead, we want them to identify that from the start and ensure that they're set up on the right path.

Jazmine:

So what kind of jobs does the Virtual Workplace 360 cover?

Tammy:

So we focus on several industries, mainly that would be healthcare, hospitality, creative industries, construction, and manufacturing. But as we are talking about this, I just want to note that it does cover extensive and different jobs within each of that fields. So for example, if we're talking healthcare, of course it's not just doctors and nurses, it goes way beyond that. So you'll get a chance to see firsthand what does it look like to be working in different roles within that industry.

Jazmine:

And so say you are working outside of the healthcare system, some jobs don't really have a clear pathway for students. What advice would you give to people that are looking to go a little bit in a different direction, that isn't maybe so clear?

Tammy:

Yeah, good question. So my suggestion would be, I would encourage them to be explorers, to go on an exploration journey. Meaning, do their research and find out what would be good alternative pathways that can lead them to that career. A good tip would be to find people and professionals that are already working in that field. They can usually provide us firsthand information and really good insights and tips from their own experiences. And my last takeaway I think would be to work on their attitude. You know we are living in very rapidly changing times. We all have to be agile, and nobody really has a very clear and mapped out journey. And that also applies to that group as well. So they do need to keep a bit of a flexible attitude.

Jazmine:

That great advice. Thanks for joining me, Tammy.

Tammy:

Thank you so much.

End of transcript.