Subject choice at school
Not sure which subjects you should be taking at school?
The subjects you take at school will affect how much you enjoy school and the value you gain from each class. They are also likely to impact your options in the future - what future study you can do and the career pathway you chose to follow.
Things you should consider:
Check out Careers NZ - How to choose school subjects.
Subject requirements for university
These vary from university to university and it is important to check these out as early as possible. You don’t want to find out at the start of year 13 that you need to take physics when you did not take it at year 12! See the links below for recommended and required subjects for each university.
Victoria University - Recommended School Subjects
Victoria University - Entrance criteria
University of Auckland - Subject guide
University of Auckland - Rank score guidelines
Auckland University of Technology - entry requirements
University of Waikato - Criteria for Admission
Massey University - Recommended subjects
University of Canterbury - Subject guide
University of Canterbury - recommended subjects
University of Otago - required and recommended subjects
Careers Advice - No idea what to do?
No idea what to do when you leave school? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Not many school leavers actually know what they what to do.
So what do I do now? Explore, research, talk to people. There is lots of help out there.
Have a look at some of these websites to get started then call in to T block or email to make an appointment with
Mrs Wiltshire or Mrs Rogers.
School Leaver - No idea?
What are you going to do when you leave school? It’s the dreaded question you are likely to be asked more often in your final stages of school than any other. Everyone has a different answer. We’ve got plenty of useful information and links here at School Leaver, and we can guide you to the best advice and resources to help you.
Info on courses, jobs, places to live, scholarships, student loans, apprenticeships and just about everything you need to help choose a direction to head in.
Careers NZ
Click on the Careers NZ tools
link to find work through your options (as illustrated below). Work through the boxes to find ideas that may be right for you before you see Mrs Wiltshire or Mrs Rogers.
Why do I need a CV?
A CV is like you a personal advertisement for you. It is all about your skills, experience, and attitude.
As a college student/leaver you need a CV to send to prospective employees or maybe to apply for scholarships and other opportunities. Generally your CV should be no longer than 2 pages. When writing it you need to think about who you are writing it for.
Presentation is important and creates the first impression of who your are. If you have taken care to make it look good and be easy to read and understand it tells the reader that you are serious about the opportunity. If is is messy and has spelling mistakes why would they want to interview you?
It is usually the first chance you get to make a good impression and you need it to be good enough to get you to the next step.
Common CV mistakes
Before you submit your CV make sure you get someone to check it.
Careers Central has a CV builder that many of you have already used.
The Skills You Need To Succeed - Forbes
Interviews
Check out Careers NZ interviews section to find out about:
Top tips for interviews:
Top 10 most commonly asked interview questions (according to JETmag)
Tell me about yourself…
Why should we hire you?
Why do you want to work for us?
What do you know about us?
Describe a time you were in a difficult situation and how you overcame it?
What is your biggest weakness
What is your biggest accomplishment?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
What is your biggest strength
Do you have any questions about us or the job?
You should have an answer for each of these before you go into an interview.
Check out Seek for First Time Interview Tips
