Query from TMC:
I have one and bit years of school left and am finishing my
A Level Mathematics this year. I want to get some work experience.
Do you have any tips or advice that might help me?
Answer:
Good timing, the time to thing about work experience is before you leave school. So to get some practical ideas lets start with some questions and then find some answers that you would feel comfortable with – after all you will have to do the work!
What’s the purpose of work experience?
Idea: to show you have outside interests to employers
Idea: to broaden your experience
Idea: to do something to see if you like doing it
Idea: to get used to being with people you don’t know well
Idea: to gain self confidence
Idea: to learn to ask for what you want or need
Idea: to meet Uni or Job interview requirements
Idea: You fill this in!
Idea: You fill this in!
Idea: You fill this in!
How much time can you afford to do it?
You only have a limited time to do everything, such as
study work at college, study work at home, recreation/hobby,
doing chores at home, travel time, sleep (important).
Idea: Make a rough plan of a typical week – how it should be
Idea: Decide if you can how many hours you can commit in total
Idea: Decide if should be all in a lump or a few hours here and there
Idea: Decide how far you are willing to travel
Idea: Decide if you want evening work or at weekends, or either
Idea: Decide if you want one Work Experience or several
Idea: You fill this in!
Idea: You fill this in!
Idea: You fill this in!
Do you want paid employment?
Some job interviewers like their candidates to have experience of a ‘proper job’. Some interviewers want to see that you are willing to volunteer and put other’s interests before your own.
Idea: Ask some potential employers what kind of Work Experience they expect interviewees to have. This is a good way to get over any worries about contacting people. It will also teach you to introduce yourself and ask clear and concise questions! Practicing contacting people is a valuable Work Experience skill
Idea: Consider doing a course such as Touch Typing, or Website Design, or First Aid, or Football Refereeing i.e. practical, useful anyway, Work related.
Idea: Consider working in a Charity Shop or FoodBank, somewhere where you will meet the Public and Employers
Idea: You fill this in!
Idea: You fill this in!
Idea: You fill this in!
What do you expect to gain from work experience?
Knowing what you want to get out of all this is very important.
Make a list of the outcomes you want, before you start
Idea: You fill this in!
Idea: You fill this in!
Idea: You fill this in!
What other Questions should you be asking yourself?
Idea: Write them down as you go along
Idea: Keep a Work Experience Folder to keep all your notes in
it can provide an Interviewer with a clear impression that you can plan, are organised and can keep records. That’s a good start!
That’s it for now. See if you can add more ideas and see if you can provide your personal responses to the ideas outline above. Let me know how you get on by filling in the Comment box. Good Luck.