GradFest 2026 is here. Your ultimate cheat sheet for life after uni starts now. Join us across three weeks of panels, webinars, and real talk from people who’ve actually been there.  

🎁 Register and attend to go in the draw to win: 

  • Our Career Kick‑Start prize pack, including a 1‑on‑1 coaching session with Sophie Hirst (Founder of Workbaby), a USYD hoodie and a water bottle (valued at $650) 

  • Or LinkedIn Premium Career Subscription (12-month, valued at $323.88) 

*Terms and conditions apply.

Get the insights you need to back yourself, and launch into your next chapter with confidence.  

It’s been weeks, and you still haven’t heard anything back from the 50+ jobs you applied for. So… what’s going on?

This session breaks down what happens behind the scenes when companies hire grads. From AI resume screeners and recruiter red flags to the tiny details that make candidates instantly stand out, you’ll get the advice most people only learn after dozens of rejections. We’ll unpack exactly what hiring managers really care about in 2026.

Key takeaways from this session:

  • Learn what recruiters and hiring managers look for in 2026, and the “standout factor”.
  • Identify the common mistakes that may be holding you back.
  • Understand how to align your application with what employers value.
  • Walk away with actionable steps to refine your job search approach.

Our panel includes:

  • Daniel Kim, Early Careers & Campus Recruitment Specialist, Accenture; BCom/BAdvStudies ’23
  • Dominique van Rijn, Founder & Career Coach,  NPower Careers; BA ’21

Your first real salary hits differently - it’s money you’ve finally earned after years of hard work, late nights, stress, and real achievement. But then life hits you with rent, subscriptions, takeaway, student loan, and “little treats” that slowly start eating through it.

This session gives grads a realistic, no-judgement guide to managing money and making healthy everyday money habits. Our panel will cover budgeting while still getting to enjoy those little treats, dodging lifestyle creep, and building healthy money habits before bad ones become expensive.

Key takeaways from this session:

  • Build simple, sustainable money habits that last.
  • Identify and avoid common early-career money traps.
  • Understand how lifestyle creeps happen, and how to stay ahead.
  • Gain practical strategies to budget without feeling restricted.

Our panel includes:

  • Michelle Baltazar, Editor-in-Chief, Money Magazine Australia; BSc ’97
  • Moderator: Keala Goldsmiths, LLB final year student; BA’25

Everyone’s talking about AI - but the real edge comes from how it’s being applied in practice. In this session, two panellists working on the frontlines of AI will share how their organisations are actively embracing the technology, bringing it to life through real-world case studies and examples.

Together, they’ll cut through the hype to show how AI is being used day-to-day to out-learn, out-prepare, and out-perform - particularly in early careers. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how AI is shaping workflows, decision-making, and performance in real organisations, and what that means for you as you step into your first role.

Importantly, the discussion will go beyond tools. Our panellists will unpack the human capabilities that remain critical in an AI-driven world - creativity, adaptability, and critical thinking, and how these are being combined with AI to create stand-out performance in their organisations.

Key takeaways from this session:

  • See how leading organisations apply AI through real-life case studies - and what you can take from their approach.
  • Build confidence using AI tools the way top performers do. Learn practical, ready-to-use workflows you can apply immediately to study, interviews, and your first role.
  • Understand the human skills, such as creativity, adaptability, and critical thinking, that keep you competitive in an AI-driven job market.
  • Develop a future-ready mindset so you can learn faster, adapt, and stay ahead as AI continues to evolve.

Our panel includes:

  • Jasraj Chouhan, Founder & CEO, Modedu; BE (Hons) & BSc ‘22.
  • Jen Liu, Founder, Next Steps; BCST ‘17
  • Moderator: Amrutha Umesh, AI and Business Intelligence Engineer, University of Sydney; MCom ’24.

Landing your first job is one thing - figuring it out is another.

In this in-conversation session with Sophie Hirst, founder of fast-growing platform Workbaby, unpacks what actually makes early careers take off. Drawing on 15 years in high-performing teams at companies like Google, YouTube and Myspace, and close to half a million dollars’ worth of executive coaching, Sophie now focuses on making work easier (and less overwhelming) for young professionals.

Together, our panel will bring out the most honest insights, no-fluff advice on how to build confidence and become the kind of person people trust, value, and want to work with. Sophie is known for her “Power Skills” approach - tools and smart ways of working that help you grow in your career.

Key takeaways from this session:

  • Learn how to navigate your first role with clarity and confidence.
  • Build trust and credibility from your first weeks on the job.
  • Develop habits that fast-track your growth and development.
  • Walk away with a clearer path to long-term career momentum.

Our panel includes:

  • Sophie Hirst, Founder & Career Coach, Workbaby; BCom ‘06
  • Joshua Sinn, Engagement Manager (Competition, Strategy & Economics), Mandala; BCom(Hons) ’19 & LLB ‘21

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