Make work experience work for you
Forty per cent of recruiters from the UK’s Times Top 100 employers warned it was either ‘not very likely’ or ‘not at all likely’ that a graduate who’d had no previous work experience at all with any employers would be successful during their selection process, irrespective of their academic achievements or the university they had attended. – High Fliers Research 2020
Why? Why? Work experience allows you to gain an insight into a career and demonstrate to future employers how you have put your degree theory into practice. Having experience can help you make an informed decision about your career direction by either affirming, or disproving, your interest in a certain area. Employers want evidence that you have a selection of the skills required for their graduate roles. Through work experience, you can directly evidence your skills and demonstrate your abilities to employers. These can be transferable skills, such as team work or communication, or technical skills required for a specific role, such as programming in Python or Java.
What? Work experience is anything that gives you practical experience and allows you to develop either transferable or technical skills. Both paid and voluntary experience can give you the opportunity to develop skills that are relevant to future employers and careers. Work experience can include activities such as: • • • • • •
Work Shadowing or Spring Insight Schemes Internships Industrial Placements (if your course gives this option) Volunteering Part-time or summer jobs Competitions
However, evidencing your skills does not just have to come from ‘traditional’ work experience. Remote online learning opportunities are a fantastic way to evidence interest in a sector and develop relevant skills. Research a job profile or sector to understand the essential skills required and use this knowledge to develop these skills using online courses such as LinkedIn Learning and massive open online courses (MOOCs). This extracurricular online learning can showcase your motivation and proactive attitude to continued professional development.
15
