Information Technology (IT)
The IT industry has been one of the fastest growing white collar industry for university graduates over the past decade and continues to be. The biggest challenges facing the industry for Australian graduates is the ease with which employers can outsource technical skills overseas. Whilst Australian employers can cheaply outsource technical skills, self disciplined IT professionals with articulate communication skills, proficient teamwork skills, confident decision making skills and creative thinking abilities are much more rare, and therefore valuable.
"Most IT graduates have good maths and problem solving skills. But the more successful ones know how to apply them, communicate well and work as a team. This is what separates the best from the rest.”
Sharon, IT Project Engineer & Top of the Class Sydney Tutor.
Finance
Similar to the IT industry, the finance industry is facing huge shifts in the job market due to increased outsourcing and automation. Finance is not just the mathematical calculation of money, but the ability to understand and interpret human behaviour around use of money. This requires more than just good maths skills. It also requires good people skills.
“The finance industry is extremely competitive these days. You have to not only know your stuff - you have to be resilient, strategic and have good people skills to get ahead.”
Karen, Former Financial Controller & Top of the Class Tutor in Sydney.
Engineering
Whether it be civil, electrical or mechanical - engineering is a booming industry. Engineers educated in Australia however are now competing for jobs among highly educated and skilled immigrants. Having good social awareness and good communication skills has always been a competitive advantage among engineers, who are known for being quantitative thinkers who often lack people skills.
“To be successful in Engineering you need more than just Engineering knowledge. You have to exercise higher order thinking skills, be able to make decisions under pressure and communicate your ideas to others to get the job done.”
Suraj, Civil Engineer & Top of the Class Tutoring Melbourne.
Law
Law is an incredibly competitive industry. Many people who complete a law degree never end up practising law, simply because of how competitive it is. Lawyers need to be incredibly self-diciplined, rational, decisive and intuitive. They need to understand how to explain complex terminology to lay people to gain their trust, whilst finding logical loopholes in their opponents arguments in order to develiver the best outcomes for their employers and clients.
"The legal fraternity can be cutthroat if you lack the self-dicipline and people skills to be successful in it".
Shane, Corporate Lawyer and Top of the Class Tutor Melbourne.
Health And Medicine
A common misconception is that all it takes to work in the medical field is the right qualifications. Many medical graduates end up shifting to another career because they are unable to handle the pressure of their internship and real world practical experience once they leave the university theatre and get out there into hospitals and clinics. Good interpersonal skills such as managing time, balancing priorities and staying motivated and organised under pressure are essential to make it in medicine.
“You have to be able to do more than just memorise information and repeat it in exams. You have to know how be incredibly self disciplined.”
Dr Matthew. Medical Doctor & Top of the Class Tutor Sydney.
Sales & Marketing
Employers who want to hire staff to specialised sales and marketing rarely care about their qualifications. They care about the proven results they can produce. Sales and marketing people need to know how to talk the talk and walk the walk. It’s an area that requires intuitive abilities in psychology, knowing how to be creative and influential under pressure whilst delivering results with limited budgets and limited time frames.
“Marketing is a bit different to most disciplines. It’s a highly competitive area where your ability to not just come up with creative ideas, but execute them in a team under pressure and then articulate them to the right people means everything.”
Katrina, Former Marketing Manager & Top of the Class Melbourne Tutor.
HR & Management
Managers need to not only be highly organised and experts in their field - they need to understand the ins and outs of the psychology of group dynamics. Becoming a manager requires being able to have strong personal boundaries and an ability to identify peoples strengths and weaknesses in a heart beat. You have to see the bigger picture and connect the dots that most people don’t see by constantly thinking outside of yourself and knowing the mental and leadership strategies to get groups of people to work together for a collective goal.
“Being a good manager means understanding people in ways that people don’t even understand themselves.”
Melody Blackburn, HR Manager at Top of the Class Tutoring Sydney.
Research & Academia
A lot of people think that all you need to be an academic is to have good academic skills. Successful research academic however spend a large amount of their time negotiating with stakeholders to secure funding whilst co-ordinating or leading research teams to deliver research in a way that serves the bigger picture goals that stakeholders were working towards.
"Being a research academic requires good people skills, good communication skills and the ability to make decisions under pressure.”
Dr Alex, Research Scientist & Top of the Class Tutor