Derek Wu

Derek Wu

Derek is completing his Bachelor of Economics (Honours), and Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics.

He recently started working as a junior economist at the Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

Derek will be undertaking an internship at the National Skills Commission. 

05 AUGUST 2021

How do you think your CBE degree will help you during your internship?

My CBE degree will help me with my day-to-day problem-solving tasks. As part of my internship at the National Skills Commission as a junior economist, I will be working on projects involving “Nowcasting” and modelling to provide a near-term snapshot of the Australian labour market. Some of the skills required for the role include time-series forecasting, computation economic programming and econometrics, which I have developed through CBE courses like Computational Methods in Economics, Econometric Methods, and Econometric Modelling.

How did you prepare your application and for the interview?

To prepare for my application and the interview, I had to figure out what I want out of the job, what excites me about it, why I think it is important work and how I can contribute. I recommend doing some research on what the department does, but also figure out why the team you are applying for would be excited about the work they do. Do you understand what they do? Why do you think that you will be a good fit? Ask yourself these kind of questions. For the interview, practicing “Situation, Task, Application and Result” (STAR) scenarios is handy for adding structure to your responses and building interview confidence. Practicing aloud in front of friends is also a great way to prepare. Finally, I believe being candid about why you want to be there is the best way to go.

What helped you the most to secure the internship? Your degrees or CBE experiences?

I think a combination of both. Having a degree in your area of interest helps. But more importantly, I think being able to convey clearly to your employers your skills, interests and why you want to engage in the projects that the team works on. The more specific, the better. 

What are your three tips for students looking to secure an internship?

Get to know what you are interested in, understand the skills that you will be able to bring to the table and what the employers are looking for, and most importantly, don’t be discouraged! There can be a lot of randomness involved with job hunting. Good luck!