News stories
UQ Masters student finds new possibilities through Lode
20-Aug-2009 Lode is the perfect platform to expand your horizons & promote your talents to new markets without time consuming research. Second year MBA student Andrew Bardon demonstrates how Lode delivered a 3 month business development role with CSIRO.
With a science degree already in hand from QUT, Andrew Bardon was in his second year of an MBA at UQ when he came across Lode and discovered an entirely new career path. Read on to learn about Andrew's experience with Lode and the three month employment contract he secured with CSIRO's Exploration and Mining Division.
1. How did you hear about Lode?
I heard about Lode firstly through the BSPA club at UQ. During one of our functions Justin Robinson came and spoke about the future plans of Lode and invited us to register as the test subjects for the new system.
2. What prompted you to load your profile?
I realize that to be successful in business you have to be good at networking. Lode is a great forum for getting your name out into the industry and making potential employers aware of you and what you can offer.
3. How long did it take you to complete the profile?
It probably took me twenty minutes to complete the initial profile and then over the next couple of weeks I accessed it more and updated and added new information.
4. Was CSIRO on your radar as an employer?
Not at all. That's the great thing about Lode. It allows employers you may not have considered to access your information and offer any relevant positions. I didn't even know that CSIRO had a business development section.
5. How have you found your first few weeks in the role at CSIRO? What type of 'business development' are you doing?
The first couple of weeks have been great. Our department focuses on business development in the mining sector, and with no previous experience with mining it has been a steep learning curve. My supervisor has been great in directing my learning and supporting me through the first couple of weeks.
6. What do you hope to get out of the experience?
Firstly, I would like to do a great job for my employer. CSIRO has taken a chance to give me the opportunity to work with them. They obviously have expectations on what they would like to get out of the exercise, I would like to not only meet those expectations but aim to exceed them. Secondly, I hope to gain some knowledge of what it takes to be involved with business development, what sort of personal characteristics are needed and where I might be able to find myself in that industry in the future. I am gaining invaluable experience about the process of taking an idea and making it commercially available.
7. How would you describe your experience with Lode?
Lode has been great for me. It was simple to create a profile with the site and then all I did was wait. The staff has been very attentive and always professional.
8. What do you think of the concept? Can it be improved in any way?
The concept is great. The edge that Lode has over other job websites is that the company comes to you. This saves a lot of time for both parties because the people who know the most about the position are making contact. They are able to find the right person for what the job requirements are.
9. Would you recommend the program to other science students?
I would definitely recommend the program to other students as a way of feeling out an unfamiliar industry. It gives them a chance to be considered for positions they had no idea they were suitable for.
Lode offers CSIRO the easy road to graduate recruitment
Dr Kambouris is the Director - Innovation & Commercial Development for the Exploration and Mining Division of CSIRO. He signed up to the Lode pilot program with a strategic intent to expose graduates to a research career. Within days he had identified five potential candidates and arranged to have coffee with the two most promising students.
The result: Post-graduate student Andrew Bardon secured a three month contract with CSIRO and Dr Kambouris found the person he needed. Lode provided a win-win solution with a minimum of fuss.
"Interacting through the interface is quite easy. It was easy to write up a brief, easy to find people," he said.
"We will keep using it, depending on the projects we have in hand. We still have projects to deliver on. Our motivation is to try to convert some of these graduates into doing a PhD or to stay within the research environment - because most of them wouldn't normally think of having a research career," Dr Kambouris said.
CSIRO is no stranger to graduate recruitment. As one of the world's largest and most diverse research agencies, the various arms of CSIRO have a wealth of experience and discipline-specific databases to draw on. Nonetheless, Dr Kambouris was keen to investigate the potential of Lode to enable CSIRO to engage with more graduates. He found Lode's straightforward approach offered particular benefits.
"Being able to search Lode and look through a series of CVs of potential candidates is useful. Being able to see a full CV was also quite useful. It allows you to move towards a one-on-one relationship with candidates from an earlier stage."
Although Lode offered a comprehensive search facility detailing student results for particular subjects, Dr Kambouris was more interested in the way the students were able to present themselves.
"I quite enjoyed the 'Tell me about yourself' section. I wasn't searching for an A student. I was looking for someone who was a bit more dynamic, had the get up and go, and was willing to put in a bit of skin. What I liked was the pro-activeness of the students," he said.
The ability to connect directly with students also suited Dr Kambouris.
"In terms of the way the Lode system works, you identify a CV, you ask for more information and it's up to the candidate to respond. The response was overnight which was great and then, opportunistically, I rang him while I was in the city and said 'do you have time for a coffee?' He just happened to be in the city. We caught up for coffee. I interviewed a few others in the same way and decided on Andrew. It's been really straightforward. Having that interface on the web has been quite helpful," he said.
<< Back
