Making the Most of Work Experience
Introduction
Graduate employers are always looking for students who can articulate the benefits of their experiences and are able to think about the skills they have gained. Work experience is an ideal way of developing these necessary skills.
This workbook has been designed to enable you to make the most out of each work experience you undertake by planning it beforehand, when you are there and reflecting on what you have achieved afterwards.
Section One: Before You Go
Firstly information if you are planning to undertake some work experience, including prompts and exercises to enable you to make the most of the experience when you are working.
Section Two: When You Are There
The workbook also looks at how to develop skills whilst undertaking experience.
Section Three: Afterwards
The kinds of activities helpful to assess your experiences and develop your career.
“Any experience is experience but what employers want you to be able to do is articulate your achievements so that they have an understanding of what you can do for them. This means reflecting on what you have done so that you can identify the skills you have begun to develop and can talk about what you are capable of” Work Experience – Prospects Guide 2006
An additional benefit to planning your work experience in this way is that it means you can answer graduate application form questions with relevant, insightful responses. For example, could you answer the following?
“Describe an experience you have had whilst in employment or at university where you have found out about how a business works. What did you find most challenging about the environment?”
“Please describe your most valuable work experience and outline the benefits gained.”
“Please give an example of when you have set yourself a particularly challenging target/ objective.”
How To Use This Workbook
This workbook has been developed as part of the Work Experience range. We don’t expect you to read and work through this all in one go, but simply to dip in and out of it whilst you study here at Nottingham. There are activities throughout the workbook to help you think about setting targets, and recording your achievements. Do these alongside your e-pars Personal Evidence Database or personal activity records. If you need further advice, or to talk through any issues contact the Centre for Career Development and see a careers adviser.
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