AUT Employability and Careers Info and Advice Blog

Wondering how to meet employers? Then make the most of the opportunity to meet a large number of employers on city campus at AUT by attending the upcoming career expos this semester. Are you ready to shine like a peacock at the next career fair? Here are tips on how to put your best foot forward.

“If you find a passion it is a blessing,” declares PhD gastronomy student Prang Ittikul, who discovered a new career focus by combining not one, but two, passions! An inspired combination of food politics and illustration has opened up a new career direction.

Internships and graduate programmes for 2026 are now open. Despite the economy, dozens of employers are coming onto campus over March and April to talk about opportunities with students at career expos and employer presentations. Don’t miss out.

Internships painted a realistic vivid picture of the workplace for Hannah Stowers, helping her to work out where she wanted to work after graduating. “Internships painted a picture of what I could do and wanted to do,” says Hannah.

Where can AUT students go for help to update CVs, get job interview or job search advice? Where do they go if they are struggling to find their career path or are worried, they’ve made the wrong career decision? Find out here.

Have you ever wondered why your AI-generated seemingly ‘perfect’ CV has been rejected? Well, you’re not the only one. If used wrongly when applying for a job, AI tools can do more harm than good. But it can be a great support tool. Here’s how.

The company, the team and the activities you do in your first job are far more important than the job title. By focusing on workplace skills you can gain, rather than the job title, will make you more agile and attractive to employers, especially if you’re curious and keep learning. Don’t be one of those graduates that ignores great entry level roles because you don’t think the job title is quite right.

Volunteering opens up many opportunities. Not only does it provide ways to help others, but it also helps you develop new skills, including communication and networking skills. It’s a win, win. Read about three students who approached volunteering with some trepidation but have ended up huge advocates for it.

We’re nearly at the end of January and if you are looking for work in 2025, then it’s time to get your CV sorted. I’m not going to sprinkle fairy dust on this - the current job market is competitive and all roles are attracting a high volume of candidates. But there are plenty of things you can do to improve your chances of finding work.

Knowing someone who knows someone is often the way people find work so you need to build up a wide network. Sound scary? You may find you’re doing it anyway. It is all about talking to people you know about people they know. Here are 4 tips from our friendly AUT Employability and Careers team on how to start to do this.