14th July 2022

School holidays are often ear-marked for a bit of relaxation or revision, but how about thinking ahead to a bit of career planning?

Are you choosing your Level 3 options and weighing up two different BTECS or T Level courses? Are you in year 12, pondering what degree or apprenticeship to apply for? Our portal contains an enormous amount of information and links which can help hugely with this decision, but there’s one thing you could be doing which may help you make up your mind in just a few days. Work experience, or put another way, experiencing your possible future!

You can find some great virtual WE online but nothing can compare to having a real experience. So how do you go about securing it? Well here are some tips that we have picked up over the years;

• Don’t wait for Work Experience Week at school. Your school may not even have one, so think about what you could be doing in the school holidays or even at weekends if it’s possible.
• Ask your friends and family if they know of anyone who works in the areas you are considering. Ask them to reach out to their network. People are often keen to help.
• Always try to find an actual name rather than just the HR department. Google online to find people who are giving webinars, making YouTube videos, active on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn etc. Not only are they very active in their fields but they are more likely to want to help the next generation!
• Approach your contacts, introduce yourself and express an interest in their career and tell them how you came across them. For those who have come via a contact, namecheck them. Explain that you are considering it as your future career too. Tell your story; e.g. what made you consider the career, what especially interests you, what courses you are considering etc. as this gives you a greater chance of connecting personally with them. Outline your current skills – both directly relevant to the type of work and also transferable skills (see our Transferable skills page under the Students section). Only then ask them if there will be any opportunity for work experience or shadowing (see below) and tell them when you are available, and how very grateful you would be!
• Attach your CV.
• Follow up after two weeks if you don’t hear from them. Do not pester however!

We have found that some students have more luck when they refer to ‘shadowing’ rather than ‘work experience’. Employers have told us it’s because it’s easier to arrange and less stressful for them to find a student things to do. We also think it can be just as insightful to observe and listen anyway.

We asked some students who have recently completed work experience what they got out of it:

Lily – experience on a TV drama set:

‘I contacted the film producer Simon Mills, who was a guest on one of the Adviza podcasts. He was incredibly helpful and set up a whole week working on an Apple TV drama. Everyone was so welcome and helpful. I worked as a runner on set, and then did some admin in the production office. I knew I wanted to work behind the scenes in film and TV but wasn’t sure which area. I now know I want to be an assistant director, and work my way up to a 1st AD. Everyone was telling me that many people move into different roles throughout their careers though which was good to hear as I think it’s important to have new experiences.’

Jess – experience lambing on a farm and in an Early Years nursery.

‘I have always known I wanted to work with animals or little children. In year 11 I had to apply for college courses so I applied for an Animal Management BTEC and a T Level in Childcare. I knew I had to decide after my GCSEs so in the Easter holidays I cycled up to my local farm and asked if I could help with the lambing. They said I could watch, so I did that for a few days and nights which was amazing. I also helped milk the cows. I then emailed my local nursery and asked them if I could come in after my exams. I did a whole week which I really enjoyed, especially the toddlers. In the end I chose to do childcare because I had got more personal satisfaction out of it.’

Sam – experience in an asset management company:

‘When I started year 12 I was thinking about the degree I wanted to do. It was either Economics or Finance. I thought getting some work experience would be a good idea to help me make up my mind, but also because it would be something to add into my UCAS personal statement to demonstrate my commitment. I asked a friend of my father’s who worked in finance if he knew of anyone who ran work experience schemes for students. He didn’t but gave me the name of a recruitment consultant in the city to contact to ask if they knew of a scheme. They gave me three names who I emailed. I attached my CV in case it was relevant. One came back to me and offered me three days during February half term. It was incredibly interesting because they introduced me to the importance of data and I did a small research project for them. As a result I decided to do a Business Analytics degree instead!’

 

So, get hunting, and good luck. We would love to hear how things went, so let us know on Webchat!

Take a look at our links for virtual work experience in the See your future…be your future section in the Student area of the portal!