Yep, as other have said, just apply and see how it works. Extra language proficiency is a very important asset these days. But it's not the be-all and end all.
Most international organizations, even for national staff members, expect language proficiency in one or two of Hindi, Chinese, Spanish, French, Arabic, etc., depending on the location, type of job, and customers/clients involved.
As Mara stated, interviews are the best way of selling yourself. Even if you "fail" in the interview, you learn a lot of thing that you can't learn otherwise. It helps built confidence and builds an attitude.
The market is very competitive these days, but I feel nothing beats skills. Experience helps foster skills, yet if you're damn good at what you do, which the Uni is supposed to ensure apart from your own personal desire to learn, you'll be in pretty good hands.
Though, as you said, you need to apply for many, MANY before you hear from them. The sad part is the hiring managers themselves aren't overtly qualified these days, so it all comes down to a perfect match or chance.
UFGN wrote:I'd advise any school leaver nowadays to think about how future-proof their chosen career is. Its something i didn't think through properly and as a result I might need to retrain at some point.
Police, emergency services, skilled tradesmen, teaching, physiotherapist, anything that can't be replaced by the Internet.
That's very true. The shell life of many jobs these days fluctuate and decline ultimately. To use films as an example, Tarantino started off working in video rentals. But he learned his trade there and went on to become a fine filmmaker, so even after the decline of video tape rentals, he managed to carve something for himself.
jmiles10 wrote:They dont really encourage you at school to establish what you want to do. It's like going uni is be all and end all these days.
That's a major argument doing rounds in the education sector. Formal education teaches you the laws of gravity, but does it teach you to be practical and become street smart, which is as essential as knowledge these days? That's why many say that the education system needs an overhaul. We're still stuck with the same system, albeit a different mechanism, as we were in the 1800s and early 1900s. Not much has changed after the advent of Campus Universities.
Back then, people were practical and you had to go out to learn. You could learn the less refined aspects through your community. It was essential for a child to be double-edged: street smart and prudently refined. The lifestyle was such. These days, you can stay at home and learn almost anything, yet you lose out on the practical aspects of life that experience teaches you, which is why a 20-year-old of twenty years ago would be a lot more practical and equipped than a 20-year-old of today.
For example, I dislike talking on phone. It's in-built because I grew up in a internet/smartphone/laptop centric generation. For somebody before me, it's a surprise that I prefer text over talk. This generation is just horrible at public relations and physical networking because everything is done behind the screen.