Features: Last chance experience

With an average 69 applications for every graduate vacancy this year, competition for jobs is intense. Work experience will set you apart, and as these graduates show, it’s never too late to add some to your CV.

Jennifer Williams studied Community Regeneration and Development at the University of Bradford. The work experience she gained in her final year boosted both her studies and her CV.

Jennifer volunteered with environmental regeneration charity Groundwork Leeds, working on a project offering training to unemployed 16-24 year olds.

‘I was attracted to the placement, because Groundwork’s vision is related strongly to the subjects in my degree,’ she says. ‘I therefore felt confident that a placement here would strengthen my learning practically.’

Jennifer’s placement involved supporting young people who are given employment and training with Groundwork. ‘During their six months with us it is my responsibility to support them so that they get the most out of their time at Groundwork and increase their employability for the future,’ she says.

The experience has given Jennifer a vital confidence boost. ‘The placement has really helped my confidence for the future and enabled me to pursue decisions that I would sometimes have felt anxious about before. I know my decision to pursue postgraduate study is no longer just based on what my degree has taught me but also my work placement here at Groundwork.’

The experience has also helped Jennifer to get the most out of her final year of undergraduate studies. ‘A lot of modules have more resonance now that I can see how an organisation such as Groundwork interrelates with other sectors across the region. As a student, knowing how the industries function in your subject gives you a broader awareness of the field.’

While Jennifer chose to get experience in her final year, students like Anam Butt prove that work experience can also be valuable once you have finished your degree.

‘After completing my bachelors, I thought a work experience placement would be a great way to find out how I could apply the skills I had acquired through the course of my education in a professional environment,’ he says.

Anam successfully applied for a placement with Oxfam, working as an Internship and Volunteering Advisor. ‘During my placement I acted as the mediator between managers and interns, advising managers on all matters concerning voluntary internships, including recruitment, management, resolving differences, and supporting interns through induction events and workshops,’ he says.

Anam’s placement helped him to understand how the skills he had learned on his degree could be applied in practice. ‘While my university education gave me the theoretical grounding of the work that charity organisations do, this placement gave me the practical understanding of how they are structured and operate to do so.’

Work experience has also helped Anam focus his plans for the future. ‘An internship with an organisation like Oxfam is a stepping stone to a full-time career,’ he says. ‘I now have a greater understanding of what I enjoy in a working environment and a clearer idea of where I want to pursue my career.

‘Work experience has given me sharper communication, management and organisational skills, not to mention a much higher level of confidence which will no doubt help in any profession.’

For more information see the Prospects work experience section.