Hi, my name is Dan... I'm on work experience and not a tea-run in sight. In fact, this is my first day of work experience at Personnel Today, and I'm the one being given the strong, black coffee... What strange business is this? I'm 18, wearing a t-shirt and trainers and yet not only feel valued and filled to the eyeballs with priceless journalistic titbits, but also exempt from the now notorious 'tea tally chart'? If that doesn't make any sense then check out the ongoing Personnel Today team office tea saga 'Office tea rounds | Nothing like a good brew to bring us together'.
At reception I was handed my very own 'special' staff pass and I've even been given my own desk - it's like a proper job. And here I sit, remembering the words of my old man and his tales of work experience which involved him standing next to a London butcher for eight hours, when he was a teenager: "That's how yer cut meat, boy!" If he were sitting next to me right now I might say: "Wow, how times have changed, father."
For my generation, it seems work experience is not only an essential weapon in the prospective employee's arsenal, but a damn sight easier on the legs, too...
An unpaid week of hard work..? Let's face it employers, if we're going to slave away, we expect a bit of cash in return for our efforts. It's only fair. Just after I'd been assigned the (unpaid) task of writing this posting, I was also challenged to find eight links to useful information on work experience. Thinking about the long term gain of work experience, I found this:
Students choose work experience over paid work.
So the long-term rewards of work experience are all well and good. But it's such an effort... I was lucky in 'knowing people that know people', but I've been through the endless e-mailing of CV's, the walking in and then straight out of offices, the temptation to reply to the next apologetic response with something I couldn't possibly write here...
If you've done any of these things (or worse), then never fear; the National Council for Work Experience has a handy little set of guidelines for students, to make sure that you can fit that cheeky little bit of work experience in before uni, including:
"Write a letter or e-mail to the Managing Director, setting out your request for a placement and why you need to do one. Also say why you are interested in spending some time in the company and what you might be able to do for them.
Follow your letter up with a telephone call if you have not had a response within a week. Be prepared for people to take evasive action if you do so but try not to let that put you off."
Don't just think the UK, either. Personally, I'm straight off to uni once September rolls around, but I'd love to go travelling, and working as you go seems logical. Remember: work experience + holiday = sorted. I found a site that specialises in work experience placements abroad Travellers Worldwide - Voluntary projects that has a wealth of different jobs in different places for you to try your lucky hand at during your gap year.
Sitting in the Personnel Today office, I felt it apt to have a shifty through its website, for more links for anyone looking for top notch work experience tips. This article, BBC's award winning work experience scheme, pretty much struck me as a no-brainer - links to work experience at the BBC, as an example of the type of experience students can get!
Whatever you want to do, work experience can offer you the on-the-job information that you won't get anywhere else. I'm an aspiring journalist, sitting right now in an office where actual proper real journalism is taking place. Brilliant.
What's more, the benefits for employers are numerous. I found a page on The National Council for Work Experience website, which urge businesses that taking on work experience students is a 'try before you buy' approach to recruitment and spells out that these students are: "Enthusiastic, hardworking and are increasingly computer literate." I'm blushing. We're generally free, too.
Further business benefits include a potential recruitment channel, created by setting up a link with schools, and an enhancement of a company's standing within the community so everyone's a winner!
There is a PDF of the priceless employer's guide to work experience by the Department of Education and Skills - Work experience: an employer's guide. Or how about finding out how Connecting with community is top reason for offering work placements.
So if you're a student, next time you find yourself sitting in the corner of a busy office; making a fine British brew or otherwise hoping to God someone gives you something to do (or at least goes to the toilet so that you can go on Facebook), why not put your foot down, and use my tips on how to get into work experience, and the myriad of places you could be instead?
After all, you could well find yourself in a position where you get your very own desk, and your very own 'special' staff pass just like 'Yours Truly'.
BLOGATHON CHALLENGE QUESTIONS
1. When you took on work experience as a student, do you think you were given the best work experience opportunity?
2. In your view, are companies doing enough to champion successful work experience placements? If not, why not, and if yes, explain why you think your placement was successful?
3. Do you think taking on students for work experience is a waste of time?
4. If you're a student, how would you change the nature of work experience placements?
Write your comment and if you wish, please state your profession and nationality, then press publish.
