{"id":3783,"date":"2023-02-13T14:15:46","date_gmt":"2023-02-13T14:15:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetalentcycle.co.uk\/?p=3783"},"modified":"2023-02-20T13:18:34","modified_gmt":"2023-02-20T13:18:34","slug":"how-to-organise-work-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetalentcycle.co.uk\/uncategorized\/how-to-organise-work-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"How to organise work experience"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I remember there used to be this great restaurant near me, called Colley\u2019s Super Rooms.\u00a0 It looked like my Nan had decorated it, but the food was amazing.\u00a0 And one of the key things that made it so good?\u00a0 You got to \u2018try before you buy\u2019. \u00a0Well, sort of.\u00a0 They brought round all the plates of food so you could visually see the food before ordering.\u00a0 No picking off a menu and then getting food envy when you saw what next door\u2019s table had instead.<\/p>\n

And picking a career can be a bit like that.\u00a0 Although we\u2019re living in a time where agile career mindsets and skills are going to be crucial to success, as you switch and change throughout your career with an increasing regularity, you don\u2019t want to be doing so because you\u2019ve chosen the wrong thing.\u00a0 Far better to make solid decisions rather than blind leaps of faith about a particular career as the idea just popped into your head.\u00a0 And whether you\u2019re 15 or 50, a great way to find out a bit more about a particular career, sector, or job type, is by trialling it with work experience, volunteering, or an internship.<\/p>\n

Now you\u2019re giving up your time for free here, so these placements should be easy to find, right? Wrong.\u00a0 Employers are busy people who know that they\u2019ll need to give time to support anyone on a placement, and so you need to convince them that it\u2019s going to be as good an idea for them as it is for you.\u00a0 Here are some \u2018top tips\u2019 on how to do just that.<\/p>\n

1) Decide on the career you\u2019re looking for<\/p>\n

Remember the purpose of this activity is to build on your knowledge and experience to help you make a decision on a career that is right for you.\u00a0 So a great place to start is to jot down the ideas of things you may be interested in, don\u2019t worry if you\u2019ve not decided on which, that\u2019s the whole point of doing the work experience.\u00a0 You can also use this time to think a little more broadly if you don\u2019t think you\u2019ll be able to get your ideal work experience placement.\u00a0 For example, if you dream of one day driving HGV lorries but don\u2019t yet have a driving license, you could think about trying to get experience in the office or see if you could ride along with the driver.\u00a0 Interested in medicine but think your age will rule you out?\u00a0 Consider who medics might work with, everyone from voluntary organisations to scientific laboratories who may have less strict rules on age.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not sure what you want to do just yet then don\u2019t despair, this is a great way to find out.\u00a0 You could take an idea, however vague it might be and use it as a way to do some initial research, for example \u2018I like playing music in my free time\u2019 might mean you could explore a career in that area.\u00a0 Or if you\u2019re looking for more meaning in your career life after the pandemic made you re-evaluate things, then search job websites and look at what careers are describing that as part of the role.<\/p>\n

2) Consider your network<\/p>\n

That old adage of \u2018it\u2019s not what you know but who\u2019 has never been more important than when you\u2019re searching for a placement.\u00a0 Have you volunteered before and could you reach out to them to see if they know of other organisations looking for volunteers?\u00a0 Did your university tutor have links to a particular company where you\u2019d love to intern?\u00a0 Where have previous colleagues moved on to or what about your friends\u2019 parents?<\/p>\n

Another approach may be to start with the company itself, where would you dream of working?\u00a0 Then work your way back from there, do you know anyone who works for them already?\u00a0 Search your LinkedIn contacts to see if any are there, or have ever been there, as they may know others who still are.\u00a0 And if you really don\u2019t know anyone, search for general contact details so you can approach them about the possibility of working for them.\u00a0 It\u2019s best to get a phone number as well as email address; you\u2019re harder to ignore when you\u2019re on the phone and it looks more proactive.<\/p>\n

3) Find a company<\/p>\n

Another way to find a specific company to approach, is to look at who is advertising roles in your area.\u00a0 Whilst you\u2019re not looking for paid employment, the fact that they are looking for someone might indicate they are short staffed and would be interested in having another pair of hands to help out quickly, without the extensive paperwork required for a new job.\u00a0 It my also have the benefit of potentially leading to a longer term paid role, if that is what you\u2019re ultimately looking for at this stage.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a young person still in education, then looking for employers who are looking for apprentices may also be a good bet, as they are more likely to be open to working with younger people and some of the red tape that goes along with that.<\/p>\n

4) Prepare and plan<\/p>\n

Before you make that call however, it\u2019s important to plan what you are going to say.\u00a0 This doesn\u2019t mean telling them all about what\u2019s in it for you, but thinking how you can add value to them.\u00a0 Talk about the transferable skills you have, from good communication to enjoying supporting a team.\u00a0 Give them an overview of your experience so far and if you\u2019ve never worked anywhere before, tell them instead about your studies and why you\u2019re so keen to do a placement.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t just make it generic, talk about why you want to work for that particular employer.\u00a0 There are a host of ways you can research the company, from looking on their own website to glassdoor (a company reviewing platform).\u00a0 You can also look at if they have set up groups on social media, and follow those, to find out more about what they\u2019re saying right now.\u00a0 What are they really passionate about, what problems are they having which you could help solve?\u00a0 From the first conversation onwards, you want them to think you\u2019ll be helpful for the company.<\/p>\n

5) Resilience is key<\/p>\n

Maybe you decided to start off by emailing the company, and they\u2019ve not replied.\u00a0 That\u2019s ok, now is the time to call them.\u00a0 You\u2019ve tried three charities and they\u2019ve said thanks so much but no.\u00a0 Fourth time\u2019s a charm.\u00a0 Don\u2019t\u2019 give up, keep persevering, and notice how you are feeling as you move throughout the process.\u00a0 If you\u2019re not too bothered when one says no, it might tell you something about how you really feel about that particular role.\u00a0 But if you are disappointed, then it\u2019s time to focus your attention in that area and keep trying.\u00a0 You never know, this may mean you are already on the path to your future career dreams.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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