Internships take this engineering student to a whole new frequency

Arslan Nizami, Masters Electronic & Energy Engineering, at Griffith University. 
Student internships at Radspec, and Talentvine.

It has been one year since international student Arslan Nizami graduated from Griffith University with a Masters Degree in Electronic and Energy Engineering and already it has been quite a ride. He is currently employed at Radspec in Brisbane as a radio frequency consultant, where he applies his engineering expertise to assist customers with their radio communications frequency and licensing requirements.

He attributes this opportunity directly to the role he gained as a client services manager at Talentvine through Ribit’s first speed networking event in Brisbane, ‘Student Connect for Jobs’, back in August 2017. This route was, he points out, actually anything but circuitous.

“I met Justin Falk, founder of Talentvine at the event. There was a good rapport right away and after a couple follow-up meetings, I was offered a role as client services manager.”

Based at Brisbane’s startup hub, River City Labs, Talentvine is a disruptive recruitment marketplace that connects employers with Australia’s best recruiters.

As head of client services, Arslan was responsible for managing existing relationships, as well as new customer acquisition. 
“Although I had been looking for a more technical role, honestly this position at Talentvine was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“Not only did I get to diversify my skills, I was also immersed in the recruitment landscape of Brisbane.”

“Seeing what roles were available in my field of engineering, along with the candidate requirements, gave me a real advantage. When the right job came along, I was more than prepared.”

The experience of working for a startup was invaluable in terms of learning and personal development.

At a startup, the team is usually quite small, so you often get to work directly with the founder,  and there is no communication gap. If you have an idea, you get to share it and the best part is that if it makes sense, you’ll get to implement it right away. This gives you so much more ownership of your work.”

Arslan attended Ribit’s “Student Connect” event after seeing it posted on the Griffith University careers page.

“The speed networking format meant you actually get to sit down with a potential employer one-on-one, rather than having to compete with everyone else for their time.”

Moreover, it was the perfect occasion to fine-tune his elevator pitch.

“By speaking to multiple employers one after the other, you are practising telling your own story. You might be a bit nervous at first, but by the end of the night you have perfected it, something which could take months of interviews via a more traditional recruitment process.”

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Work experience is hugely beneficial and can really compliment your studies, even when it is in a different field as in Arslan’s case.

“There are some things which you can only learn through real-world practice, such as multi-tasking, time management, oral presentation and listening skills. You can’t learn these skills overnight, you have to practise over time to improve, they can only be gained or improved by doing something outside of your degree.”

And where does he see his career heading?

“I want to cement my position as a radio frequency engineer in the growing sectors of wireless communication and operation point-to-point and point-to-multipoint microwave links, including familiarity with ACMA licensing processes.