#17 Tips on building University and Business Relationships

Having good relationships not only helps in business but also to have a better life. The people in your life have very significant affects on you. Genuine contact with people can also help your career be successful. You could even build a good enough relationship at university to start a partnership in business with them if you wanted to.

Successful businesses want to develop closer relationships with customers. The following are some tips for building business relationships:

• Be a professional friend to build a network
• Before asking for something, offer something
• Be prepared and to the point
• Be emotionally intelligent
• Be truthful and have integrity

If you are trusted and liked, you will be referred and recommended and that is a great way to do business!

Hopefully this has helped you understand why relationships are important. These tips will help you in your university life and to kick-start your career.

- Jon Barnitt

http://stopsellingvanillaicecream.com/effective-relationships-clarity/ 

#16 - Exams!

With only a couple weeks of term left, assessments are picking up and exams will shortly be upon us. This can be a very stressful time for a lot of students. Many feel that the final exam will either make or break them for their course. While this can be very much the case it is important to remember that if you don’t go so well, don’t stress. University exams aren’t the be all and end all! There will be plenty of other opportunities. Anyway, here are some tips for exams:

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• Plan your time wisely! – Work on your weaknesses, spend extra time on the units that need it

• It’s never too late to start – Whether you’ve been studying regularly since the beginning of term or it’s the week before, START STUDYING!

• Ask for help – Don’t feel embarrassed asking your tutor or lecturer!

• Check out past exam papers!

• Use your reading time - Plan what you are going to say, start with the questions you're most confident with

-    - Aaron H

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#11 Bullet Journal - How to organise your life with one simple journal!

Bullet Journal is an analog note-taking system for organising your to-dos, ideas and appointments in one simple but powerful paper notebook. The video above shows you how it's done in a nut shell.

One thing I really like about the Bullet Journal system is its heavy use of shorthand notations and bullet points, as opposed to the longer entries we write in our traditional journals. By sorting entries into three categories: tasks, notes and events, you can virtually capture anything that life throws at you in this handy notebook (as seen below).

While this is just a quick guide, there's actually a lot more to the Bullet Journal system than you might think. There are ways to organise related bullets, tasks, notes, and events into a single organized theme, which is great for managing your projects. There's even a method for moving your items from one "month" to another "month" inside your journal seamlessly. So have a go and see how the Bullet Journal can greatly boost your productivity!

- Michael Wu

#8 Email etiquette: how to communicate with academics effectively

As a student you often need to email your lecturers or tutors to ask them something about a subject or to make an appointment with them. It's very important be professional and polite when emailing your academics. To do this you should:

• use your student email
• say why you're emailing
• be precise in your request 
• avoid long sentences and use paragraphs if appropriate
• be courteous in your language
• use proper grammar and spelling
• avoid using slang or abbreviations 
• proof read your email before you send it

Here's an example of an effective email to a lecturer:

This is how not to email your lecturer:

- Michael Wu

#7 Time Managment

An important aspect of studying is time management. Whether you are doing full- time or part-time at university, time management is key to being successful. Not only is time management important with your studies, it’s also essential when you enter the workforce.

Part-time students have both uni and work to juggle, therefore managing their time efficiently is critical. If they fail to do so they can burn out or become highly stressed out with the deadlines of both university assignments and at their workplace.

pixabay.com

Full time student’s major problem is balancing time between subjects. Taking up to four units means a lot of work and assignments. Ensuring that time is adequately planned out is vital to ensure that there isn't a sudden rush to complete a number of assignments due in the same week or on the same day!

Some tips to ensure your time management is successful:

·         Plan ahead. Look at assignment due dates and plan accordingly

·         Be organised. Use “to do” lists if necessary

·         Prioritise. Do the more important tasks first or the tasks that will take the most time

·         Avoid overload. Don’t forget to relax, take short breaks to ensure you are productive

·         Be flexible. Know how to rearrange your schedule when needed. Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Aaron H

#5 Résumé tips for Internships / Cadetships

My thoughts about what employers would like to see in a résumé or CV are to:

• Keep it short/brief. It should not be longer than 2 or 3 pages. Employers don't have the time and don't want to go through heaps of pages about yourself.
• If you don't have much experience, you can just put little things down. For example things you've done at school, volunteering things and sports.
• Employers like to see a whole rounded person not just someone who has really good grades.
• Include other things like education skills, any sort of work experience, interpersonal skills, interests, references and any extra-curricular activities

You will need to be prepared for the recruitment process. Most Cadetship/Internship jobs have a recruitment process as follows:

1. The applications stage - to learn more about you
2. Interview process - Firstly a phone interview then a face to face interview
3. Testing - not a right or wrong, mainly testing your ability
4. Group assessments - case studies and presentations to show your team working skills
5. Networking opportunit

This might seem all daunting to you but if you prepare well you could get what you're looking for. You get out what you put in. The interview process is not there to trick you. It's an opportunity to find out more about each other. Hope this helps you to find what you're looking for! I used these sorts of principles and it helped me.

- Jon Barnitt

http://crushable.com/relationships/getting-a-job-and-dating-arent-so-different/attachment/bxp250202/

#2 A personal reflection: study-life balance

One of the first things that really stood out to me when I began university was the amount of time and choice I had with my study. There was no rigorous structure I had to abide by. Nobody telling me what I had to do and when to do it. It was a whole new world, a welcome change from high school. 

A problem I ran into (and a common problem for all) was enjoying myself too much. I neglected my studies to have a raging social life. I would have something to do every day, from hanging with friends to soccer training, uni work was always pushed back. I think it’s important to have a good balance between both worlds. Non-stop studying can be very draining, and you don’t want to risk losing relationships by ignoring your friends and family. While completely neglecting homework/assignments/study will eventually result in extra stress and potentially a failure in your units. 

So enjoy the new found freedom with your studies, just remember that a good balance is the key to success! 

- Aaron H

#1 Let the Hack Begin!

Are you looking for ways to study more effectively and make university life an all-round experience? If so you've come to the right place! MQ UniHack is a resource aimed at providing you useful and practical tips to help you get the most out of your university experience. We’ll be writing about various topics, including but not limited to:

• Hacking your study. Learn more effectively with less time and develop good habits for studying.
• Participating in extra-curricular activities such as Global Leadership Program and student societies to round off your studies and get practical experiences.
• Kick-starting your career. Develop a unique personal brand and promote yourself more effectively.

To put it simply, we write about life hacks that are essential to university students. Whether you study at Macquarie University or not you’ll certainly find useful information on our blog that will help you succeed at university and beyond.

Now a quick introduction of our awesome bloggers:

Michael Wu
I'm on a journey of discovering my voice in the midst of our dynamic business world. Studying a Bachelor of Business Leadership and Commerce I enjoy getting involved in activities and projects that add value to other people. When I'm not glued to the screen I enjoy playing basketball and reading books.

Aaron Hutchinson
Hi, my name is Aaron Hutchinson. I am 19 years old, in my 2nd year of studying at Macquarie Univeristy. I am doing a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in marketing. I would consider myself a laid-back person, but can be very passionate about sports.

Jon Barnitt
Hello. My name is Jonathan Barnitt but you can call me Jon. I am almost 20 years old. I am studying a Bachelor of Commerce Professional Accounting at Macquarie University. I'm in my 2nd year and hoping to finish in 2 and a half years time. I am working full time in Accounting. I like to work hard and play hard. Weekends are the best. I like doing things with friends and family, it doesn't really matter what it is.

Aaron Steven
Hi, I'm Aaron Stone. Currently a 1st year student studying Information Technology, majoring in Software Technology at Macquarie University.
Apart from my deep interest of developing mobile applications that relate to sport and saving lives, I love to make others laugh and smile whenever possible. If you haven't met a triplet before, you have now....

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