Many young people tend to get stuck on what to focus on first regarding their professional career: the job itself or experience. You may have noticed in most job postings, recruiting firms or organizations seek entry-level candidates with a minimum of three years’ work experience. So, as a student, you won’t have a choice between good grades and working while you study. Just having your diploma in the relevant field is no longer good enough to secure a job. Potential candidates who are qualified for the position usually have a broad working experience mentioned in their CVs that really makes them stand out from the crowd. Experienced graduates will be better positioned to get their feet outside the door and get their first jobs.
How to gain experience?
We understand how difficult it is to strengthen your resume while you spend all your time studying hard. According to a survey by the NACE national association of colleges and employers, 91 percent of employers prefer to hire fresh graduates with experience. There are multiple ways to gain job experience while studying and equipping yourself with the ideal skills for the workplace in your chosen career. Let’s find out what are the ways around:
Formal work experience placement
Work placements are professional and unpaid ways to gain experience in various workplaces. They are usually arranged by colleges and universities as part of the courses offered and take about 3–6 months. Grades are awarded as per the completed projects and progress reports.
Internships
Internship programs help students gain real-world work experience in their career fields and find mentors to guide them on the right path. Internships may be paid or unpaid, but the primary objective is to develop a successful career in the company. When one has decided to embark on an internship journey it is kin to do proper research on companies in your relevant field and ask the right questions, for example, do they have a student internship program, is it a good value for your time, is it paid or unpaid, what kind of support and guidance is available to you, how many hours a week are you expected to put in, will you be retained, will you get a referral letter, will you embark on a personal project to showcase your abilities. The list is endless but with proper research, the right questions will follow.
School leaver careers, fairs, and events
Virtual events and fairs allow students to meet and interact with employers. They will give you helpful insights into the type of work you want to do after school. It offers multiple networking opportunities with more than 2500 organizations, making it an important event for determined students. To maximize opportunities here put yourself out there by joining social media groups with professionals in your relevant field, doing your research, and preparing for career events within your vicinity, you could go as far as listing out all the names of future companies you are interested in and also potential employers or headhunters, write what you would like to achieve from them so you have pointers and do not waste your time and theirs also.
Volunteering
It’s very helpful to get involved with an organization in your field of interest. Volunteering is a significant resume builder and usually helps a student gain work experience while helping the community. Also, it allows you to network within the community and shows the employer you take initiative and are passionate about the position. Finding the right volunteering is a great opportunity. Ask to work on an exact case study and ask the organization to provide a detailed/signed case study and scope of work that you’ve done to showcase in your resume.
Part-time jobs
A part-time job is an excellent option if you cannot go without cash flow and need to gain experience while studying. This gives you an opportunity to evaluate whether that’s the type of work you enjoy doing and effectively learn to manage your time. Try to find a part-time job in a field that may relate to your degree even if the position is not matching and learn the way how the company operates in the field of your specialization: For Example: joining McDonald's while studying marketing, go and speaking to supervisors to ask how they enhance their marketing efforts and if you can ask for a meeting with a marketing manager to learn more, etc.
Work-study programs
Many colleges and universities usually offer work-study programs that allow students to work on and off-campus. However, the work might not be in your field of study, but the skills and experience achieved will be valuable in the future, such as computer skills, multitasking, effective communication, and teamwork. If this is the case you find yourself in it is advised to pick skills that could elevate your related field of study.
What you gain from job experience
Workplace experience plays an integral part in complementing your studies by providing an extra learning strategy outside the lecture room. TryWork helps you gain the boldness required in your career field. As a student, you will need typical workplace knowledge and skills before graduating and starting your dream job. Consequently, it gives determined individuals a chance to network and develop hard and soft skills, including management, leadership, analysis, critical thinking, etc.
Work experience will greatly help you grow your portfolio which is the critical aspect employers are focused on when hiring. Our TryWork programs will help you apply your knowledge and implement your ideas with guidance from professionals, webinars, and workshops. You will interact with career coaches to assist you in updating your resume professionally when entering the job market. With the complete TryWork Program, you will have gained 1.5 years of experience by spending just 2 hours per day to complement your education by the time you graduate
Register for TryWork programs today to build your career portfolio while studying to help you proactively secure a job after graduating college TryWorkco.com.
Upon completing the Program, you will be granted reference letters, workshop completion certificates, and a signed project portfolio showcasing your skills and experience how you have grown your knowledge and qualification.
