Graduate Profile - Archaeology (Honours)

 
Name: Deborah Arthur
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Archaeology (Honours), Bachelor of Arts
Position Gained: Heritage Officer
Organisation: NSW Heritage Office
Commencement Date: 10 th January 2005

Could you give us a description of what your position involves?

The NSW Heritage Office provides specialist advice on heritage sites and issues, maintains the NSW Heritage Database and State Heritage Register, and supports community heritage conservation projects. My position involves a specific project that involves the revitalisation of Parramatta Road. My work includes undertaking research, preparing reports, attending meetings and liaising with various State and Local Government representatives, property owners and contractors

With your experiences in securing employment what advice would you give to students who are in their first, second, and final year of study?

I believe employers are looking for an employee that has gone beyond what the basic university requirements are. This includes work experience in relevant fields, having a broad knowledge base (therefore undertaking a variety of university subjects), having certain valuable skills (e.g. computer, surveying), and presenting yourself in a professional manner.

How did you go about finding graduate employment?

I used the Careers and Employer Liaison Centre website at Flinders University (www.flinders.edu.au/careers/student), and joined a mailing list to get recent job updates relevant to my field of study. I also registered with government employment websites (i.e. http://jobs.nsw.gov.au/Start.asp ), and received regular emails on various jobs. Every state has a government website on jobs, and you can search potential jobs using keywords. It was via these methods that I was awarded my current job, however my next step would have been to prepare a curriculum vitae for targeted employers.

Can you briefly describe the application process relevant to your position?

What interview questions were you asked?

As my position is with a NSW government agency, there were certain requirements in their application process that are relevant to all government jobs in NSW (i.e. equal opportunity employment, ethical practice, ethnic affairs priority statement, and occupational heath and safety). These can be explored through a link in the above mentioned government website.

Following my acceptance to interview process, I had a telephone interview setup due to my interstate location. I was faxed 5 interview questions 5 minutes prior to my interview:

1. What do you think that you can bring to the position? What do you expect from the position?
2. What do you think is the most important, or an important, issue facing heritage in Australia or NSW today?
3. What piece of work have you done that has demonstrated your written and analytical skills? Tell us about how you think that work demonstrates your qualities?
4. Is there anything else you would like to ask about the job?
5. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself relevant to the position?

In your opinion, what factors enabled you to be successful in obtaining employment?

• Relevant study undertaken, including Honours;
• Simply laid out resume, cover letter and job criteria;
• Knowledge about general issues in relation to heritage in Australia, not only South Australia;
• My determination to look for jobs anywhere, and accept that moving interstate was highly probable;
• Searching the web for different career websites, government and non-government;
• Researching the yellow pages for companies I would like to work for, and looking up specific details about them on their websites;
• Asking for advice on my resume from the Careers and Employer Liaison Centre and tailoring this to specific jobs I applied for; and
• Following up my applications to potential employers with letters, phone calls, emails or all three!

Do you have any further helpful hints for graduates?

Don't give up if you get some knock backs. Apply for jobs you want to do, and don't be put off if you can't do every criteria, as you may be able to get training in that area. If applying for jobs interstate, consider finances, such as relocation costs and new living arrangements, and the affect that moving away from family and friends may have on you. If you have any contacts within your industry, use them, as it is often who you know where jobs can be cemented.