Professional Employability Plan for Engineering Students - Semester 1

This report presents a student's professional employability plan, focusing on the engineering industry in Australia. It begins with an introduction outlining the importance of such plans and then delves into recruitment practices within the Australian engineering sector, highlighting industry trends and job vacancy data. The report emphasizes the role of networking in career development, suggesting strategies for building a professional brand and connecting with industry professionals. A significant portion is dedicated to self-reflection, including career motivations, short, medium, and long-term goals, and the skills required to achieve them. The student conducts a SWOT analysis, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and utilizes the SMART goal-setting process. The report concludes with a summary of the plan and its implications for the student's career trajectory.

PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYABILITY PLAN

Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction.............................................................................................................3
2.0 Recruitment practices within the Engineering industry within Australia.................3
3.0 Role of Networking within the Engineering industry within Australia.....................5
4.0 Self-reflection on Career motivations and Goals....................................................5
4.1 Short-term Goals.................................................................................................6
4.2 Medium-term Goals.............................................................................................6
4.3 Long-term Goals..................................................................................................6
5.0 Skills Requirement for Short-term Goals................................................................7
6.0 Self-reflection on Strengths and Development Needs...........................................8
7.0 SMART Goal Setting Process................................................................................9
8.0 Conclusion............................................................................................................10
References.................................................................................................................11

1.0 Introduction
Personal employability plan is an important aspect in the study of human resource
management as the plan encompasses the analysis of personal strength and
weakness in the context of the chosen industry which the person intends to work in
the future (Mullen, Bridges, Eccles & Dippold, 2019). The plan is a self-reflection of
the person and the intended paper is self-reflection of the researcher prepared in the
context of the engineering industry in Australia.
2.0 Recruitment practices within the Engineering industry within Australia
In last few years, the Engineering sector in the country has witnessed a downturn
and the report has shown that there has been a nationwide contraction in job
vacancies during 2019 ("Trends in engineering job vacancies show the profession
can survive a downturn - Create", 2020). As a result, Reserve Bank of Australia
(RBA) has applied several monetary policies in the form of lowering interest rates,
cutting tax burden on business and individuals etc. Hence, the job market has
witnessed a slight increase at the beginning of 2020 ("Trends in engineering job
vacancies show the profession can survive a downturn - Create", 2020). As per
Engineers Australia Report, the engineering vacancy generally consists of 2.4 % of
all Australian vacancy for the year 2019 and it has been observed that on an
average 4092 engineering jobs were advertised in various job portals nationally in
each month in the last year ("Engineering Vacancy Report", 2020).
Some of the key practices in the engineering segment in the country with respect to
job vacancy may be noted herein. First of all, the figure below shows that vacancy in
engineering job in the country has been consistently declining in last year and the
same is in line with a nationwide decline in the job market.

Figure 1: 2019 Australian internet vacancy trends: (January - December 2019)
(Source: "Engineering Vacancy Report", 2020)
It may also be observed that civil engineering professionals’ jobs and related
vacancies occupy most of the engineering job markets in the country as compared to
other engineering qualifications such as electrical, mining and testing related etc.
The fact may be corroborated from the figure below.
Figure 2: Australian engineering vacancies by occupation: January - December 2019
(Source: "Engineering Vacancy Report", 2020)
In terms of the state of the country, it has been observed that the NSW (New South
Wales) has been the primary location where most of the engineering jobs are being
advertised and posted followed by Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.

3.0 Role of Networking within the Engineering industry within Australia
As per engineering job vacancy report, networking plays an important role in the
process of job hunt not only for engineers but also for all the prospective employees
and especially the fresh candidates intending to join corporate world ("Building your
engineering career: the secret benefits of networking, mentoring and making
connections | Engineers Australia", 2020). The very first step of networking is to
create a personal brand. In this context, it is interesting to note that an individual may
need to allocate sufficient time for the self to develop self-personality and build a
profile. Thereafter, the person may need to contact and coordinate with industry
professionals through social media like LinkedIn etc. Engineering students have to
undergo technical pieces of training and on the job training as well and this training is
the crucial time for them to build a strong and efficient network with various industry
professionals, corporate people, HR experts etc. The student may need to meet and
exchange contacts with these professionals which may help the student through
mentorship accordingly. Finally, it may be stated that networking helps an individual
to develop communication skill, report writing and negotiation skills as well ("Building
your engineering career: the secret benefits of networking, mentoring and making
connections | Engineers Australia", 2020).
4.0 Self-reflection on Career motivations and Goals
The career development plan is defined to be a systematic and time-scaled
approach to identify one's knowledge, skill and ability, strengths and weaknesses
persistent in them and then undertake necessary measures to brush up own
capacity to enhance own employability in the subsequent future (Vargas-Hernández
& Jimenez, 2016). In an attempt to develop my development plan, I segregated my
career goals in three broader parts with respect to the time frame. These 3 segments

are short-term goals, mid-term goals and long-term career motivations and goals. In
the next section of the paper, I will briefly discuss each one of these segments.
4.1 Short-term Goals
Generally, career goal in next 6 months to 12 months period is considered to be a
short-term career goal. For the purpose of setting a short-term goal, I would like to
say that I have planned the next 6 months’ time horizon within which be able to
complete post-graduation and thereafter I can search for jobs. During this short-term
period, my target will be to achieve a specific score in my semester so that the same
will enhance the quality of my CV.
4.2 Medium-term Goals
The period for the mid-term horizon in career planning ranges between 2 and 5
years. For setting up a mid-term goal, I have set a period of 2 years after I complete
my study and then I would like to join a small or medium-sized company as a civil
engineer in their operation and looking after construction work-related project in
junior management level. I think within the next two years I will be able to grow
myself in terms of both soft as well as technical skill. I am expecting a promotion or a
salary hike during this period as well.
4.3 Long-term Goals
An individual ultimately focusses on devising a long-term career goal from his
college days only. However, the long-term career path generally starts after 10 years
of career. As far as my long-term career goal is concerned, I have also set a period
of 10 years for the purpose. After 10 years down the line, I would like to see myself
as holding a senior management position in a leading engineering consultancy firm.
For the purpose, I need to serve companies for at least 7 to 8 years and if possible, I
would like to change my job role based on the situational needs and preference. If I

get a better opportunity, I will quit my existing job during this period. I have also set
goals to upgrade my salary scale to the extent of the national average at NSW for
engineers working in a senior management position. In this context, it is interesting
to note that the NSW region happens to be one of the most populated regions for
engineers with high demand and competition because of the availability of efficient
manpower.
5.0 Skills Requirement for Short-term Goals
Taking reference from the previous sections of the paper, I can state that I need to
improve my time-management skills which I have described below. I need to be
more study centric and I need to achieve efficiency in my interpersonal skill as well. I
have identified the same as one of my weaknesses in terms of behavioural traits. I at
times may get angry and lose temper which affects my relationship with others. In
this context, it may wise to note that I plan to hone my behavioural strengths and
focus on my weakness to nullify them in next 6 months period. My priority now is to
complete my course in the University and for the purpose, I will have to manage my
schedule, focus on learning the key concepts as taught in the class, revise my
learning and knowledge by consulting with the teachers and simultaneously practice
soft-skill course from the internet. There is a number of free e-learning websites are
available on the internet which I have planned to pursue later on. In short, the skills
required for my short-term career goals may be listed as below:
o Technical skills – accounting and finance
o Time management (routine, schedule, academic calendar)
o Self-management (balancing between student and personal life)
o Inter-personal skills (informal group behaviour)
o Communication skills (both written and oral)

o Presentation skills
Besides, I have kept a goal of email writing skills development in next 6 months
which I think is utmost necessary while communicating with my teachers efficiently
and professionally. If I can brush up these skills, I think my short-term goal will be
achieved effectively.
6.0 Self-reflection on Strengths and Development Needs
To achieve short-term goals and career objectives, personal SWOT analysis may
need to be conducted with special focus on individual strengths and developmental
needs and the same has been performed as below:
Strengths Weaknesses
Leadership skills
I have observed that I have strong
leadership skills which have been
proved several times while doing the
class assignment. I have always taken
the lead while preparing the group
assignment.
Communication skills
I believe that I have excellent written
communication skills. In terms of oral
communication as well, people say that
I am a good speaker and all the group
presentation at our University has
mostly been delivered by me speaking
most of the time.
Time-management skills
My biggest developmental need is that I
am not at all punctual! I seriously have
the issue with my time-management
skills. I am always late in my class and
even on class examination as well!
Inter-personal skills
I have felt that I behave rudely at times
and often lose temper. This behaviour is
hampering my inter-personal
relationship with people.
Number crunching skills
Being an engineering student, it is pre-
requisite for us to have an excellent
grasp on number-crunching. However,

Team skills
While working on a class assignment, I
have observed that I have the ability to
work with people from different
backgrounds and mindsets. I can very
well understand team dynamics.
Problem-solving skills
I have noticed that I have a
considerable amount of problem-solving
skills and I have resolved the issues
which other team-members have failed
to even identify at times.
though I secure a reasonable score of
in-class tests, I feel I still need to
improve my numerical ability to a certain
extent.
Resilience
Another weakness is that I do not want
to see any change in circumstances and
surroundings. I am resilient to resist
change and this, in turn, proves my non-
flexibility which may adversely affect my
career in future.
7.0 SMART Goal Setting Process
Specific I need to achieve at least an average of 80% score in my
University. Also, I have planned to develop a well-designed and
updated CV which will act as my promotional and marketing
material subsequently in the job searching process. I have also
planned to visit one of the job fairs which is going to be held in
next 6 months so that I will have the opportunity to meet with
industry professionals and experts and network with them.
Measurable The performance metric here will be my scorecard from the
University and also the updated CV. Besides, I will undergo a
course on time-management and inter-personal skill for which I will
have the certificate at my disposal.
Achievable I need to study hard and considering the present average score of

nearly 70%, I do not find it absurd to achieve the average 80%.
However, I need to be more planned and study-oriented
henceforth.
Realistic There have been instances in our University that people have
secured good result in last semester and I think I will be able to do
the same as well.
Timely Within the next 6 months, I will have to work on my soft skill as
well as technical skill as well. Besides, I have thought of
undergoing a certain crash course of time-management and inter-
personal skill to brush up my personality and eliminate the issues
in my behavioural traits.
8.0 Conclusion
On the basis of the aforesaid discussion, I may hereby conclude that a well-designed
career planning supported by rigorous self-monitoring and mentoring will surely help
me to achieve my long-term career objectives in most optimum fashion (Vargas-
Hernández & Jimenez, 2016).

References
Building your engineering career: the secret benefits of networking, mentoring and
making connections | Engineers Australia. Engineersaustralia.org.au. (2020).
Retrieved 8 April 2020, from
https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/News/building-your-engineering-career-
secret-benefits-networking-mentoring-and-making-connections.
Mullen, E., Bridges, S., Eccles, S., & Dippold, D. (2019). Precursors to Employability
—How First-Year Undergraduate Students Plan and Strategize to Become
Employable Graduates. In Employability via Higher Education: Sustainability
as Scholarship (pp. 171-200). Springer, Cham.
Trends in engineering job vacancies show the profession can survive a downturn -
Create. Create. (2020). Retrieved 8 April 2020, from
https://www.createdigital.org.au/trends-engineering-job-vacancies-show-
profession-survive-downturn/.
Vargas-Hernández, J. G., & Jimenez, R. A. (2016). Personal Marketing Plan and Its
Influence on Employability. Responsible Marketing for Sustainable Business,
63.