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Graduate jobs and how to plot the best course

SEEK content team – updated on 18 July, 2019

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According to Google Trends, the amount of searches for Graduate Jobs has increased by 13% in the last 12 months between January 2012 and January 2013.

And fortunately for you, if you are about to graduate and enter the workforce, there are currently plenty of options and opportunities for graduate careers.

Not surprisingly, as populations would indicate, the states with the highest amounts of graduate positions available are New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.

But interestingly, the states with the highest percentages of growth in graduate jobs available in the last 12 months are:

Tasmania (growth of 33%)
ACT (23%)
WA and Victoria (7%)

So if you have just graduated, there is a wealth of opportunities (either in total graduate jobs available or growth of graduate positions) in most parts of Australia.

It's important to know which industries are experiencing growth in terms of offering graduate places and it's equally significant to understand which industries are experiencing a decline in those same types of jobs.

This information is helpful not just for those of you who have just graduated or are currently studying, but for those who are considering their course and study options. It can help you plan the optimum career direction.

If you have already completed a particular course in a certain field, then you need to know what your prospects are like. And if you are in the "working out what to do next in my life" fold, the following statistics might be very compelling indeed.

The Top 5 industries looking for people to fill graduate jobs are:

Education & Training (up 65% between January 2012 and January 2013)
Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics (up 38%)
Healthcare & Medical (up 26%)
Trades & Services (up 11%)
Hospitality & Tourism (up 2%)

If you have just graduated from, or are undertaking a course in any of these industries, then your timing is impeccable. You have done the right study, for the right industry at the right time.

Similarly, if you are considering which type of course to do for which industry sector, you should consider one which will stand you in good stead for any of those listed above.

As surely as some things go up, others must come down. The same can be said for those industries whose job ads for graduates have declined.

The Top 3 (or Bottom 3, depending on how you look at it) industries seeing a decline in graduate job ads are:

Marketing & Communications (down 30% between January 2012 and January 2013
Information & Communication Technology (down 28%)
Administration & Office Support (down 11%)

So if you are looking for a change of career, and a course to help you make that change, it's fair to say that right now, those three industries are probably not your best bets.

But if you have just graduated from a course in one of these sectors, don't lose heart. Your study will not have been in vain.

For one thing, when it comes to competing against others for a particular job, most employers will opt for the candidate with a qualification over one without, regardless of whether that qualification is necessary for that job.

Also, the fact that you have successfully completed the course indicates a certain level of commitment and drive - a quality that most employers admire.

Regardless of your current education scenario, or the prospects for graduate positions in your career of choice, the very best way for you to stand out from all the other graduates is to simply keep on presenting yourself.

Be persistent and enthusiastic and if you haven't done so already, update your CV and write a compelling covering letter to give yourself the best possible chance.

Be persistent and enthusiastic and if you haven't done so already, update your CV and write a compelling covering letter to give yourself the best possible chance.

In no time at all you will graduate to the career you deserve.