How Timely Opportunities Helped Chinese International Student Adam Land His Full-time Job
Meet Adam Xie, Marketing Executive at Reed Exhibitions. He is championing all things in Energy and Waste exhibitions and working closely with different teams to proactively suggest, create, monitor, deliver and improve content for RX customers through various platforms. While he successfully landed a full-time job in Australia, it is important to note that it wasn't an easy journey. As a speaker for our event ‘Strategies To Break into Aussie Job Market’, he shared his humble beginnings as an international student from China where he was unsure about his career direction and lacked relevant experience.
As an international student, you may have faced similar challenges like Adam. But this is just the tip of the iceberg for international students. Getting a marketing job in Australia requires not only a clear career direction but also practical marketing and interview skills. This makes it difficult for these students especially since most of them are still unsure of their career direction. They are also new to speaking English and are unfamiliar with the demands of Australian employers. Without guidance, these students struggle to gain the relevant practical skills to land a job after graduation which makes it difficult for them to enter the job market.
Adam’s example shows otherwise. It is possible for international students to get a full-time job if they do the right thing - strategically build their skills along the way before graduation.
Learn how this former Domino’s delivery driver successfully entered the Aussie job market and landed his current Marketing Executive role.
Strategy 1: Relevant Skills and Experience
"I noticed that I needed some work experience to stand out in the job market. I worked as a Domino's delivery driver to gain experience and earn some income. But I realised it's still not enough because I can’t find my passion and the future career I want to engage."
While work experience is needed, it is actually RELEVANT work experience that helps international students like you and Adam stand out in the job market. So, what is considered relevant work experience?
For the marketing industry, relevant work experience refers to both soft skills and hard skills. Soft skills involve abilities like teamwork management while hard skills involve digital marketing skills. But employers are now prioritising candidates with hard skills. They are looking for job-ready candidates who can hit the ground running. Many interview questions they ask now require candidates with positive marketing campaign experience and to write sample content (like social media posts or newsletters) based on the hiring company.
This can make breaking into the marketing industry difficult for international students who aspire to be marketers. Like Adam, you may have rushed into a hospitality job for experience and income but this does not necessarily give you the core skills to break into the industry. This is because they are two different industries. To truly gain insight into whether the industry is for you, you need to take on opportunities where you’ll get hands-on training in marketing skills. This exposure will help you realise whether this industry is your passion. It’s never too late, Adam was just like you and overcame.
Adam’s success starts with one question: What is your long-term goal in Australia? This question drove Adam to leave Domino’s job as he realised he was nowhere close to finding the career he was passionate about. He knew his interest was in social media marketing but wasn’t sure whether it was his passion. He was introduced to a work opportunity with MARKCubator. As a marketing agency, that was the platform for Adam to pursue his interest and develop the necessary skills. By taking ownership of social media content and events planning, he realised it truly is his passion and now has the relevant experience to break into the industry.
“At MARKCubator, I got a chance to take ownership of real hands-on marketing projects such as planning social media campaigns and face-to-face events.”
“The outcome of working at MARKCubator exceeded my expectations. I have gained both theoretical knowledge and plenty of practical marketing skills that I could not gain from university.”
Strategy 2: Fluent English is Key to Working in Australia
“As my first language is not English, I believe one of the biggest challenges for me is the language barrier. You have lots of great ideas in your mind but you can’t express them in words. Eventually, I was able to improve my English with MARKCubator.”
Most entry-level roles in Australia involve communicating with your colleagues and creating content in English. Being fluent in speaking and writing English will help you interact with local peers and expand your local network. If you’re an aspiring marketer, fluent English is highly essential to breaking into the marketing industry.
As an international student, fluent English is probably easier said than done for you. This can impact your confidence to interact with locals, making you feel homesick and isolated. From there, you may struggle with job interviews which ultimately make you lose hope in your dream job in Australia.
But you are not the only international student who struggles with this. Adam was just like you and successfully overcame it.
The key to Adam’s success was practising his English early. Coming from China, Adam was insecure about his English abilities. So initially he only spoke with Chinese-speaking international students. But in his second year of university, he grabbed the opportunity to actively practise his English skills at MARKCubator. It was a nurturing environment for him since MARKCubator is made up of international students who experienced and understood his struggles. Supported by his team, he practised expressing his ideas and writing content in English. From there, he took it one step further by speaking English at networking events and student gatherings. Eventually, this helped him confidently communicate in English with his clients and in job interviews.
“My favourite thing about MARKCubator is the workplace culture and environment. I believe everyone in the MARKCubator teams is sharing the same goal and passion for helping international students realise their Aussie dream”
Strategy 3: Step-by-Step Mentorship
“I was convinced by Theresa’s passion for helping international students realise their Aussie dreams. Dr Theresa acts as a mentor and provides us with a platform that allows us to try and learn everything, not only marketing. I felt empowered and comfortable to share my ideas & insights.”
Adam’s mentor-mentee relationship with MARKCubator founder Dr Theresa opened doors for him. During his internship with MARKCubator, Dr Theresa took him under her wing. As a migrant from Singapore, she knew exactly how difficult it is to break into the Australian job market. This gave her the heart to help international students. With her 35 years of marketing industry experience, Dr Theresa imparted her knowledge and trained Adam with the necessary skills. Over time, she saw his strengths and encouraged him towards social media and events marketing. By the end of his internship, she awarded him high performance with opportunities to work with her clients. He was ready to work independently and developed his skills, opening doors to his current role.
Ultimately she held his hand the whole way, guiding him towards the light at the end of the tunnel. With her guidance, he found his passion, career direction and a full-time job.
“MARKCubator helped build my confidence a lot. I finally found my direction to be a professional marketer with a place in the Australian industry.”
International Students Like You Can Land Full-Time Jobs In Australia Too
The journey to breaking into the Australian job market for international students can be difficult but not impossible. Adam’s example shows that with a strategy backed by the right things you too can land your first full-time job.
If you are currently in Adam’s previous situation, don’t worry! Try out the methods in this article that helped Adam land his current Marketing Executive role. It may be just what you need to achieve your dream of working in Australia.
But if you think you need more help, feel free to reach out to us for a consultation session! We would love to help you craft a strategic career pathway specially designed to help you land your first full-time job in Australia.
If you are passionate about marketing and have no experience and wonder how to enter the Australian job market, MARKCubator, Your Aussie Partner, is here to help you. We love to build and connect you to the industry, equipping you with digital marketing skills and getting you ready for your dream job in the Australian marketing industry. Join our MARKCubator LinkedIn community NOW!