13 Things New School Leavers Should Do To Get Ahead

Young adults preparing for their future careers and education opportunities.

2017 is coming to an end for tens of thousands of Australian school leavers.  Many will go to university, many will go to Tafe…

The rest will be competing with YOU to get a job!

13 Things New School Leavers Should Do To Get Ahead

If you want to stay ahead of the rest, here are 13 things you should do to get ahead!

1. Write a Decent Resume

Whether you are going to university and need a part time job, or are going straight into paid work from school, you need a good resume.  Make sure you list your details, and any experience you may have had a part time job.  If you haven’t any former work experience, list any volunteer work or extra-curricular activities that you do. The better the resume, the more memorable it is.  So spend quality time making sure it reflects you, what you want and where you want to go!

Ensure that someone with a good eye checks it for spelling and grammar.

Employer Note:

The amount of resumes I’ve received that have an incorrect phone number is astounding!  We can’t employ you if we can’t contact you. Check, check and check again! Plus always include hobbies, it gives employers a good idea of what you are like as a person!

Young graduate with a resume, preparing for career success after school.

2. Have a Mobile Phone

Yes, that’s right.  You need one.  You probably have one already.  Keep it turned on, keep it charged.  Have a respectable message-bank, especially if you know that potential employers could be calling you! Same goes with your social media. Keep it clean, and if you can’t, keep it locked down – very tightly! Potential bosses WILL Facestalk your profile.

Employer Note:

We know you are young and just want to have fun.  But if you have swearing or inappropriate messages on your phone when we call, or rude an inappropriate pictures on your Facebook, we are likely not going to employ you.

13 Things New School Leavers Should Do To Get Ahead | Stay At Home Mum

3. Get Your Driver’s License

If you want to work, you need to be able to get yourself to and from work.  Plus many entry-level jobs need you to have your license.  So if you have finished Year 12, you should no longer be relying on your parents to get you around.  Book in and get your license as soon as you can!

Employer Note:

Juniors need to do a lot of the running around.  They can’t do that if they don’t have a license, so it is a deal-breaker!

Young woman standing on spiral staircase, symbolising new beginnings and future opportunities.

4. If You Don’t Know Something, Study It

There is nothing worse than asking somebody a question, and they reply with ‘I dunno’.  There really is no excuse for it.  If you don’t know, tell them that, AND that you will find out – and then make sure you follow that up! You will never get in trouble for asking a question!

Employer Note:

Employers don’t expect you to know everything, but we do expect you to find out or ask!

Happy young woman studying at home, preparing for school leaver success.
via linkedin.com

5. No Job is Beneath You

Mopping floors, cleaning up spew, scrub a toilet – when you are a school leaver, there is no job that is beneath you!  Do it with gusto, do it right, and you will soon be on the way up the ladder. Whine and complain, and you’ll be doing that job for a lot longer than you anticipate!

After all, it needs to be done, and you will be the junior!

Employer Note:

Please do it, efficiently, as quickly as you can and with a smile on your face!

Young students collaborating on a project with laptops and tablets in a classroom setting.
via goworkabroad.net

Next Page: More Things New School Leavers Should Do To Get Ahead!

author avatar
Clare Whitfield Chief Editor
Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.


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