Work Experience
Graduates are constantly finding themselves trapped in the vicious circle of
work experience. "Well we like you but you have no work experience" "How do I
get work experience if you won't give me a chance?" Does this sound familiar? On
average a graduate employer will invest almost £7000 to recruit, train and
develop their new recruits - they want to make sure they get the right person
and without a proven track record many employers are unlikely to take the
chance.
It is now more important than ever to gain valuable work experience because with
400,000 students graduating every year the competition is tough and you have to
stand out in the crowd.
There are many different ways to gain experience of the world of work. Formal
work experience as part of a university degree comes under a number of different
names including sandwich and industrial placements, work-based projects or
Internships. If you are still at university it is strongly advisable to look
into securing some work experience through one of the above mentioned methods.
You can either approach companies directly or talk to your careers service about
opportunities available to you.
Other types of work experience once you have graduated can include voluntary
work, part-time work or work shadowing in a particular industry you may be
interested in. There are various organisations that specialise finding work
experience for graduates and students. The Shell Technology Enterprise Programme
(STEP) provides vacation work experience where students undertake a specific
project within a small-medium sized business for eight weeks during the summer.
For more information click on the links below.
If you have relevant work experience, you will obviously stand a far better
chance of getting that graduate job. Work experience also allows you to get a
taste for a certain industry or positions. Rather than throwing yourself into a
career head first you can decide whether it is right for you.
Where to find Work Experience
Whether you are looking for a voluntary short-term placement or want to find
some long-term work experience you must prepare early. Unfortunately far too
many graduates leave universities with little or no experience and this is an
opportunity wasted as you will never have more time or freedom to pursue work
experience than whilst you are at university.
There are so many resources available to you. As a graduate you are still
entitled to use your careers service after you have graduated so use this
resource to find whether they have details of companies offering placements.
Voluntary placements can be really beneficial because you can gain valuable work
experience in a relevant field. Write to companies that you are interested in.
It also shows commitment and assertiveness to future employers and could even
act as a "foot in the door" at the placement company. Companies maybe reluctant
to take on a graduate full time with no experience but a placement can act as an
extended interview and lead to a promising position.
Finally talk to your friends and family and use you networks. Often you can
arrange a placement through a contact and gain access to a variety of roles and
industry sectors that may be more difficult without some inside knowledge.
For information on work experience and placement opportunities, visit these
useful websites: