Curtin science and engineering students Amy de Groot, Troy Burgess, Samuel Gibson and Jeffery Lai are each paving the way to an exciting future, named in the Top100 Future Leaders.
The selection process mimics a rigorous professional recruitment process. Applicants submit a written application, complete psychometric tests, undergo a video interview and attend a face-to-face assessment with a real employer. It’s a chance for students to meet employers, practise applying for jobs, represent their university and increase their profile.
Having been a finalist for two years running, and nominated in the software engineering award category at the 2018 competition, Faculty of Science and Engineering student Troy Burgess found the experience rewarding and valuable.
“Just like in a professional environment, this competition focused heavily on your personal brand. It’s a platform to demonstrate your public speaking skills and leadership qualities and express what’s important to you as a person. I enjoy advocating the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) with the wider community and the competition only serves to strengthen how my personal brand reflects this,” he says.
Nominated in the engineering consulting award category, Amy de Groot entered the competition to test her ability to fulfil new and unfamiliar tasks.
“At the time I applied, I had never done any online testing or video interviews as part of a job application, so when I came across the competition I thought it would be a great change to practise these tests and interview skills before the stakes are higher, when I’m applying for graduate engineering positions next year. Participating in a structured ‘assessment centre’ where small groups of five students worked on a case study, presenting and interviewing in front of the award sponsors in Sydney was a fantastic opportunity to further put these skills to the test,” she recalls.
“The competition was a great way to meet likeminded, friendly students from all across Australia. It was also a great opportunity to network with Jacobs engineers and representatives from other sponsoring companies across a range of industries.”
De Groot acknowledged that many of her experiences at Curtin assisted her in the competition.
“Being involved in extracurricular activities facilitated by the university such as Curtin Volunteers! and the Student Ambassador program put me in a great position to apply for the award. I believe that it is through leadership and teamwork positions in these activities, I developed the skills and experience required for the competition.”
The competition is open to undergraduate students enrolled at an Australian university, with the 2019 round open for nominations later in the year. For more information, visit the Top 100 Future Leaders Competition website.
