Looking for job search help? Career direction? Skill development?

Help is on offer for all of your career and employability questions at AUT Employability and Career Services. You can come and see us in person at the Employability Lab in WA202 on City Campus or get in touch online by signing up to Elab Online and booking an online appointment or workshop. Our staff also visit the South and North Campus regularly.

What we offer

We offer guidance and support for students and graduates in a variety of ways. The team runs practical workshops on campus and online – as well as one-on-one appointments – on everything, including CV writing, job search, networking, interview practice, LinkedIn profiles and career decision making.

Hansani Senadeera found Employability Lab support made all the difference to her confidence when applying for a part-time role as a microbiology lab technician at AsureQuality.
"Attending an Employability Lab interview preparation workshop greatly helped me to secure a part-time job using my food science qualification," says Hansani Senadeera. Read Hansani’s experiences here.

Career direction

Career development involves more than job search and we see many students in one-on-one appointments on campus or online who are looking to unravel dreams and challenges about the career they want to pursue with their tertiary education.

Mallik Gadipudi, an MBA in Human Resources alumni says he found his career path through discussions with the Employability and Careers team.

“They really helped me. I had done an IT degree in India, but it hadn’t inspired me. After discussions with the ELab team, I chose to major in Human Resources for my MBA because I realised that working with people, providing solutions to people and talking to people was what I really enjoyed. I learned through Employability and Careers that it is important to work out what will make you happy as well. I really advise people to be open to this,” says Mallik. Read his story here.

Employer connections  

Bringing employers on campus to talk about their organisations and industry is another significant aspect of our Employability and Careers service. We run regular employer events, from large career fair gatherings that bring dozens of employers in one space to small panels or individual employer presentations. This is where students can hear from the horse’s mouth about a range of industries, employer expectations and graduate programmes and roles.

Fifth-year law and business student Eve McLoughlan who attended the Business and Law Career Expos says it can be hard to get to meet employers, so she found the career expos really helpful.

“It can feel hard to get a foot in the door, but I felt optimistic after talking to businesses at the expos. I had good conversations with people about how they got into their roles and how they were enjoying them and what their background was, and it made me get over my sense of imposter syndrome.”
Read more about career expos here.

Another useful tool for students is NZUnitalent, a job board specifically for employers looking for university graduates to fill graduate programmes, internships and some part-time jobs.

Employability awards

Confidence and good communication skills are essential building blocks for students as they traverse study and look towards employment. Many students utilise the employability awards, AUT Edge Award (undergraduate) and Beyond AUT Award (postgraduate), to develop those skills. The awards require students to undertake volunteering and leadership, while building up their employability skills through workshops.

Rosemary Heather.

While attending employability workshops biomedical science student Rosemary Heather was encouraged to also join the AUT Edge Award and she said the outcome was a real bonus for her. Now working as a food science analyst at AsureQuality, Rosemary encourages students to be open to opportunities like the AUT Edge Award.
“As part of the award, I volunteered as a Blue Coat (on-site ambassador) at Greenlane Hospital. That really helped my communication skills and interpersonal skills. I also participated in fundraising for the Daffodil Day to support the Cancer Society. This pushed me beyond my comfort zone and really helped boost my confidence. Doing the award really made a difference.”
Read Rosemary’s experience here.

Want to get in touch?

Contact the AUT Employability and Career services through Elab Online elab.aut.ac.nz or pop into the Employability Lab home base in WA202 at the City Campus. We’d love to hear from you.