Mehak moved from her home country of India to study a Master of Biotechnology at the University of Melbourne.
During her time studying, Mehak learnt about the process of converting lab research into a marketable product. For example, converting a newly discovered therapeutic molecule into medicine.
As well as gaining key knowledge on biotech processes, Mehak joined the Job Ready program to learn how to find internships and work opportunities in Australia and to familiarise herself with Australian work culture and employee expectations.
“Job Ready helped me understand some aspects of the Australian work environment which were useful while applying for jobs. The CV writing and cover letter writing workshops were also very useful for me to learn how to present myself to the employer.”
Job Ready also helped Mehak understand the importance of networking to find opportunities.
“After graduating, I realised that you get to know about many opportunities by talking to people. Many of these opportunities are not advertised on platforms like LinkedIn/Seek. This was exactly what was taught on Job Ready - to network and learn about your industry.”
Her favourite part of Job Ready was the Mock Interview in the last week of the program.
“During the mock interview I got to know about some of my weaknesses. I consciously made an effort to not repeat the same mistakes in my actual interviews after graduation.”
Mehak used the skills she gained from Job Ready to find new opportunities in the biotech industry. Through the help of one of her professors, Mehak applied for and successfully obtained an internship. During the internship, Mehak was part of a small research project where she worked in a PC2 laboratory and learnt about cell culture.
After graduating in July 2020, in the midst of the COVID crisis, Mehak managed to obtain a job as a Melbourne-based biotechnology company, Exopharm, which helps produce exosome-based therapeutics.
“You should definitely take the Job Ready program. You learn so many things about finding new opportunities for yourself. The course also adds to your CV.”
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