Work Experience
Work experience equips you with certain soft skills such as team working, communication skills and commercial awareness, all of which are sought after by employers.
Differentiate yourself and make yourself more employable
Work experience also helps you to stand out amongst other applicants, an important thing to factor in when competition for jobs is so fierce. There is evidence that employers look more favourably on candidates who have gained a basic understanding of their business sector and know what it’s like to be in a work environment.”
Enhance your application forms and interviews
Work experience also equips you with knowledge that will enhance your job applications and particularly your interviews. Because you’ve gained a better understanding of the sector you want to go into, you’ll be able to talk more authoritatively and ask questions that resonate with the employer…
Road test a company/sector/role
One of the great things about gaining work experience as a student is that it gives you the chance to try things out to see if they suit you. Want to find out what a company is actually like to work for, or what doing a certain job is like? Well work experience gives you the chance to experience this – for a week, a fortnight, a summer or even a year.
The possibility of leading job offers
Some work can lead to employment.
Personal development
But work experience isn’t just about impressing recruiters, it is also about personal development.
Find out about the different ways you can gain the work experience you need to impress employers and get hired, whether or not you go to university first:
