What kinds of experiences are available?
Work experience can take a variety of forms - it can be part of a degree, for example a sandwich course, during which an undergraduate will take a year out and join a firm, where they will be treated like a normal employee.
Work experience can also take the form of a course-related project, a summer internship, work shadowing or an on-campus project where they can develop commercial skills.
Benefits to students
Apart from looking good on a candidate's CV, work experience is an opportunity to gain valuable experience in a real work environment. It is a chance to think about future career paths and try out some options first hand, as well as gaining insight into a specific organisation.
These opportunities also help develop awareness of professional codes of behaviour and the world of work, and allow you to build a network of contacts in your industry of choice.
Work experience can make a candidate look more attractive to employers, by demonstrating a proven interest and commitment to that particular career.
It may make a candidate more rounded, for example if a candidate has studied a technical discipline it will offer the opportunity to develop softer skills or vice versa. It will also provide candidates with some good practice for those all-important application forms and interviews.
Candidates will feel more confident in their own skills and abilities when they go for job interviews if they have practised their skills in a professional environment.
It is important to get the most out of a work placement. If a placement student shows the right enthusiasm and determination in the job, they could end up being offered a permanent graduate position at the end of the year.
A placement can also be beneficial to a candidate on their return to university. As well as gaining valuable commercial insight into their area of study it may also have helped with broader skills such as prioritisation or presentation skills.
Benefits to employers
Most employers actively encourage work placement opportunities. They are often used as a way of screening students for the following year's graduate jobs - the industrial placement allows an employer to see an individual at work and assess their abilities as a potential employee.
It will develop potential future employees - making candidates more mature, with good abilities in team-working, communication and interpersonal skills, as well as an awareness of the workplace culture.
When to start thinking about work experience
The earlier a graduate starts planning their work experience the better. This could be towards the end of their second year, if not earlier.
How do students find work experience?
There are various sources that students can use and one of the best sources available is the university careers service - the careers advisers are sent vacancy information from employers around September time.
Alternatively, students can use their industrial placement tutors, or apply direct to companies - most have an online application form. But students shouldn't constrain themselves to formalised work experience programmes.
If you know someone who works in the industry or job that you are interested in, contact them to see whether you can get some informal work experience.
Aoife Kilpatrick is graduate recruitment manager at PA Consulting Group. She has specialised in graduate recruitment for six years.
