How Anushiya landed a job at MQ

5 April 2022

Hi, my name is Anushiya and I’m currently working as a Web Project Assistant whilst studying full-time at MQ.

Six students in business attire walking down Wally's Walk

When I first started uni I never thought I would gain skills in web content writing and learn about UX design principles, yet alone help build out the new MQ Student Website. Yet here I am, working as a Student Web Project Assistant at Macquarie for over a year!

So how did I get this job?

How I got the job

Before I became a Web Project Assistant, I worked as a Student UX assistant at Macquarie. I found the job posting for this position by searching ‘Macquarie University’ in the search bar on Employability Connect. This job was relatively easy to apply for, all I needed to do was write an expression of interest about why I wanted to help optimise and develop the new MQ Student Website.

In this position I participated in card sorting activities, conducted content analyses of other universities’ student websites and participated in collaborative workshops with fellow UX assistants and UX experts.

Since the Student UX Assistant position was a short-term position, I looked for a longer-term position by searching for another on campus position on Employability Connect. To my luck I found a job posting for the Web Project Assistant position – a position that was related to the work I had done as a Student UX Assistant.

Here’s how the recruitment process went:

  1. I submitted a resume, cover letter and a paraphrasing task where I was given a short paragraph to re-write for a student audience.
  2. After I passed this stage of the recruitment process, I participated in a group interview via Zoom where I participated in a group case study and answered a couple interview questions. I used the STAR method to answer my individual questions, and in particular, I leveraged my experience working as a Student UX Assistant.
  3. After the group interview, I had a one-to-one interview with my manager. This interview was more informal and it involved a discussion about my web writing experience.

A few days later I found out I got the job!

How my colleagues got their jobs

Joseph - Bachelor of Engineering with a major in Telecommunications Engineering (Honours)

There was a post on the Macquarie Uni Careers and Employment Service Facebook page about this job which had a link to the Employability Connect job post. I leveraged my volunteering experience primarily and some web technology skills I learned in one of my units.

Priyanka - Master of Information Technology specialising in Management

I attended the Macquarie Student Employment Service’s workshops to get help with curating my resume and cover letter. After this, I joined their MQSE’s talent pool. I found out about this job from the weekly newsletter MQSE sends to everyone in their talent pool.

Vanessa – Master of Applied Linguistics and TESOL and Master of Translation and Interpreting Studies

Just like Priyanka, I heard about how the MQSE talent pool and how it could help me with my job search process. I attended MQSE workshops on how to best build my CV and how to leverage LinkedIn. Then, after improving my CV based on their advice, I was given the chance to have an interview with the MQSE team and was accepted into the talent pool!

I received an email with information on the website project and I immediately became interested in joining. I was blessed to take part in the selection process and then joined this amazing team.

What I’ve learnt on the job

I have learned so many new skills as a Web Project Assistant. Some of these include:

  • Writing, rewriting, and editing web content for the Students Website according to best practice web writing guidelines
  • Leading and managing the Web Project Assistant team alongside our team leader
  • Conducting content audits and quality assurance checking of content to ensure consistency and accuracy across pages
  • Liaising with Macquarie stakeholders to develop web content and conduct web updates
  • Technical skills such as populating web pages in the web content management system and resizing images

The benefits of finding a job on campus

There are so many benefits to finding a job on campus. Here are just a few:

  • Flexible shifts to accommodate studies and other uni commitments
  • Work is usually done on campus (I was also fortunate enough to continue to work from home during the pandemic)
  • Great pay!
  • Opportunity to develop new and existing skills
  • Meeting and working with people from different degree backgrounds and areas of expertise
  • Working in a team environment

For further information I would highly recommend visiting the looking for a job page and the applying for a job page.

Finding a job can be a stressful experience. It is always important to put your mental wellbeing first. Contact Student Wellbeing if you need support.