The types of work experience students should be taking advantage of

As anyone who has achieved high grades will testify, in the current market this isn’t enough. In other words, students need to add a little more to their arsenal in a bid to net that elusive job, and today’s article is going to discuss some of the ways that this can be done.

According to Kevin Rolle, students have to put in more work than ever before “behind the scenes” if they are to compete for the top jobs. Bearing this in mind, let’s now take a look at some of the forms of work experience you can turn to if you are looking to succeed in the world of work after you complete your studies.

Summer internships

Let’s take a look at something which more and more companies are starting to offer and really, this is no surprise. Summer internships can bring benefits for both parties. For the company, they not only get an extra pair of hands during the summer months, but they are also given a CV that they can turn to in later years when they are looking to fill a vacant position. In other words, a lot of internships tend to result in full-time positions, at a later date.

They demonstrate that you are desperate to stand out from the crowd, and happy to sacrifice your months of vacation to do so.

Year-long placements

As the name of this next form of placement might indicate, it’s much more long-term.

Again, it’s something that is growing in popularity. They are usually offered following the second year of a university course, and those students that subsequently return from these for their final year of study are gifted with a lot more knowledge.

Something else that appeals to a lot of students is the salary-factor. These are paid placements, and it’s not simply a case of covering your expenses. In other words, you can expect to earn a decent amount of money (at least by entry level standards) and this means that the benefits are of course two-fold.

Work shadowing

Something which isn’t quite as formal as the previous two options is work shadowing. The big downside with this is that companies don’t actively advertise work shadowing opportunities they have. It means that you have to be quite proactive, and email them to see if they have anything that might work for you.

If they do, it can help your professional development substantially. As the name suggests, work shadowing is all about following an expert in a company and gaining an understanding of the work he or she is involved in. It’s something that’s not going to give you a salary, but a lot of students tend to use these opportunities to put themselves into competitive industries (such as TV) where work shadowing is quite commonplace. It will give a real shining point to your CV, even if it’s going to be a relatively short-term form of work experience.

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