The Gradlife - Working your way into work experience

The Gradlife - Working your way into work experience by Lydia Randall Question: Do you have any work experience?Since travelling the UK this autumn and attending grad fairs, I’ve asked this question on numerous occasions. What I found most surprising, however, is at least 4 out of 10 students would look at me with an expressionless stare and say ‘no’.Now, not having any work experience can sometimes be justified, understandable and, in some instances, even expected â€" depending on your circumstances. However, the concern for me was the lack of understanding around the importance of trying various form of work experience.In order to address the problem, here’s a brief explanation on what work experience is, and why it should never be overlooked.Work experience is…A form of employment for a set duration of time, carried out to acquire certain skills, knowledge, and industry insights.They’re usually temporary positions but, depending on the individuals performance, these short term roles can sometimes lead to future e mployment opportunities being offered.So, what does this mean for you? In simple terms, work experience is a credible way to help improve your chances of becoming employed.And despite the strange misconception that work experience is only for final year students, and that year placements guarantee you a graduate job, I’d just like to clarify that this definitely isn’t the case.A Randall fact…   Here’s a quote that someone once said to me: ’No experience will ever be wasted, but time wasted has no experience.’ Dr. G.Whyte (see, even this quote wasn’t).These words were said to me after I decided to take a voluntary role in Namibia. I was only able to make a temporary difference, which never felt enough, and when I came back it seemed as though my experience was not helping me to get the job I wanted.However, that experience played a fundamental part in my role today.   I found, by showing a range of work experience, my CV would host a more diverse set of skills, whilst being less conventional.Transferable skills…So, although I wouldn’t always have directly related experience, I was still able to show employers that I could easily adapt, I was hungry to learn and would be committed to working hard. Employers know that you won’t always have directly relevant experience, but your job is to show with the experience you have, and how those are experiences transferrable.And the more you have, the easier it is.You just never know how one experience can change your whole future, and what doors it could open. So gain as much work experience as time and circumstance permits, and try and keep it around your areas of interests.Finally, always do it to the best of your ability, even if you’re unsure of how exactly it will benefit you.The best time to look for work experience…If you’re asking this question, then chances are you should already have started.Work experience can start at any time, and at different stages it doesn’t always have to be with the biggest businesses or last for months on end.My first ever taster of work experience was in year 8, which was known as ‘take your daughter to work day’. My second was in year 9, where I spent a week working in the Old Bailey which was amazing.Next, I helped out with a few charities, until my first official job at 16, working as a Christmas temp in a shopping centre.All of these experiences helped me gain some valuable skills, and allowed me to and have something to show on my CV. There’s never really a perfect time to look for the right work experience role â€" you just need to get yourself out there.So, why should I find work experience? Work experience is absolutely vital to getting ahead in your career, for a number of reasons.Firstly, it allows you to put into practice all the subtle institutional practices that you learn from school, college, uni, such as time management, self-discipline, accountability, hard-work etc.It’s also how you begin building your CV. Without any work experience, employers are unable to assess your skills or suitability for roles.To put it simply, your CV is like a proposal and your work experiences are the features and benefits. They help tell an employer why  you’d be the best fit for a position, allow your skills to stand out from the crowd, and give your application more personality.So, whether you’re still at school, you’re at university or you’ve already graduated never turn down the opportunity to take on more work experience.It could just be the difference when it comes to finding your next role…Lydia Randall is reed.co.uk’s first representative exclusively for graduates. If you’re looking for some one-to-one advice, comment below, or tweet Lydia @reedcouk. Still searching for your perfect position?  View all of our current vacancies nowFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clickin g Submit you agree to the