Jobs

Work experience is essential. How many times have you looked at a job application and decided not to apply because you had no experience? Most jobs will require you to have some sort of experience, and the only way to really get this is to take on a work experience placement. These usually last from one to four weeks. They can be daunting, and 9 out of 10 won’t pay, so you’re considered very lucky if they’ll pay all of your travel expenses too. But, it will give you the experience you need to apply to the jobs you want to, and it will look good on your CV that you have applied yourself, found work experience and carried it out. It is important to remember to get work experience in a relevant field that relates to the one you actually want to pursue a career in; it’s not very helpful if you did a week-long work experience placement with a brick laying firm and you want to be a writer.

Internships

Internships are similar to work experience in that you probably still won’t be getting paid for it. Internships will usually last a bit longer from anywhere between one and six months – you shouldn’t make a habit of working any longer than that for three. Internships (in my experience) seem to be more organised, and have more value for the intern and the employer, with a mutual need for one another to work well. Again, make sure the internship is relevant to your desired career, because one of the main differences between work experience and internships is that interns are more likely to be taken on to fulfil a junior role in the company if the job opening is there. If no opening is available, on an internship you will have had enough time to gather a good book of contacts, taking you one step closer to getting the dream job you wish for. Fill up on the Starbucks, keep telling yourself it’ll all be worth it in the end and your internship will be a success.

Graduate Schemes

Graduate schemes are, as the name suggests, for recent graduates. So if you didn’t choose to take the university route, you wouldn’t be able to apply for this. Graduate schemes more than often result in a job offer at the end, depending on your performance. They can last up to a year, sometimes longer, and are usually paid at least minimum wage. Successfully getting on to a graduate scheme will significantly increase your chances of finding employment with that company, or will alternatively give you an undisputed range of skills and experience, making your job search easier as you will be more employable to the companies you want to work for.

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