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Careers..

Roger Bartley of the VUW Careers Advisory Service provides background on the Milk round' and other facilities provided by the Service.

What is 'the Milkround'?

It is an annual programme of visits by employers to our campus, and others, to hold informal interviews with students about jobs and careers. (The name is just a label for this process, used in the UK. It seems to have stuck. Perhaps it doesn't mean much in the NZ context but it's rich in potential puns and is a lot easier to say than 'annual programme of.......etc')

What's the object of the exercise?

There are a variety of reasons for holding such interviews. Not least is the sheer demand for them - over 750 interviews were held last year. I like to see them in the broad context of bringing the University and the employing community closer together. For the individual student, there is a real opportunity to meet a wide range of possible future employers. It is difficult to make decisions of any kind unless you are familiar with the nature of the choices you face. These interviews provide the chance for students to become more familiar with the various fields of graduate employment in an informal, convenient and unthreatening situation.

How are the employers chosen?

Partly on the basis of past experience - propensity to recruit reasonable numbers of graduates - and partly on the basis of trying to attract new employers into the fold. Quite a few employers simply invite themselves - though of course we have the right to refuse a particular employer access to the programme. If, for instance it becomes out of balance with an excess of less 'popular' entries, we will (and do) ask one or two to remain off the programme.

How does this year look, compared to earlier years?

Numerically, we are just about up to last year's figure; a few employers have dropped out, while other new ones have joined the list.

It's a little early to say what this means in terms of availability of work for late '79 early '80, but my feeling is that 'graduate employment prospects' remain remarkably buoyant at a time when general employment prospects are gloomy. However it will certainly pay arts and science graduates, in particular, to take advantage of the Milk-round to provide themselves with preliminary contacts with employers. All other disciplines are of course welcome too. (We are keen to see more BUAD students using the Service.)

Is the Milk round only for final-stage students?

No. However we do give priority in bookings to finalists and postgraduates. If a student from any year of study misses out on an interview with an employer because of heavy bookings, we provide names and phone-numbers so that a private arrangement can be made. This is not so easy in the case of the Auckland-based employers, for which early bookings are recommended.

How do you get to see the employers?

First things first. There's not much point in just booking appointments to see the employers that sound attractive in some way, without first looking into what they offer. Programmes will be issued week by week giving details of employers and their requirements. They will be available at the Library exit, on notice boards, in the Union office, and the Careers office - look out for them. The programmes will also appear week by week in Salient. Programmes 1 (for Accountancy students) is out now, and will appear in the next Salient.

More detailed information is available in the Careers Library at 6 Kelburn Parade, and it is obviously useful to have read this before interviews. If you are undecided about the range-of employers you wish to see, or simply wonder whether or not the Milkround might be of some value to you - have an ititial chat with the Careers Adviser.

Booking appointments: having decided which employers you wish to meet, see Barbara Burgess (or one of the other girls) in the general office at 6 Kelburn Parade, You will be issued with a one-page personal data form for each employer you wish to meet, plus a reference copy for the careers office. When you have chosen times for the half-hour interviews, they are 'pencilled-in', and you are given a note of them. The appointments are confirmed only when the completed personal data forms are returned to the careers office. (There is a sheet of notes available on the whole process, in the Careers office.)

Is there a restriction on numbers you may see?

Nominally we restrict students to four interviews plus two on reserve - though with the exception of Week 1 (which will be heavily booked) it should be possible for students to see just about as many as they want. And to reiterate the point made previously, we can help students to get in contact with employers if for some reason they miss out on the Milkround.

Any other points on the Milkround?

Apart from being reasonably prepared in terms of information (and perhaps appearance? - no one expects suits or twin-set-and-pearls, but there are limits!) the main point is to Turn Up - On Time for appointments booked. The record last year was generally excellent, though there were a few students who created difficulties by turning up late or simply not showing at all.

What happens afterwards?

This depends very much on the employer and on the 'success' of the interview. Although these are not formal recruiting interviews, in some cases - and perhaps this would be more true of the Auckland employers - the employer will definitely have an eye to filling vacancies later in the year.

In other Cases an offer of a second, formal interview is made on the spot. Probably in the majority of cases it is left open-ended: "contact us again in October". Don't hesitate to ask the employer what happens next.

Finally, what are the other facilities of the Careers Advisory Service?