For students
Why do a Work Placement?
To have a successful career, it’s important that you take any opportunity you can to increase your awareness about the world of work and your place in it.
Making successful career decisions requires access to accurate information about many aspects of employment; much of that information may be available through a work experience placement. Work experience adds to the skills & knowledge you develop while at University, and provides another avenue for learning, one that’s outside the classroom and in the ‘real world’.
Undertaking some work experience relevant to your degree can provide you with at least two things that will help your career: personal insight and a competitive edge.
Personal insight
Activities like work experience can give you valuable insight into:
- the world of work generally
- the industry, profession or area your degree is taking you
- your preferred working style and work environment
- your strengths and weaknesses
Work experience allows you to experience and observe the realities of life in an organisation, and enables you talk to people within your chosen industry and profession.
You can compare the job duties, working conditions and industry practices against your initial expectations. The insights you gain can then be measured against your existing career goals. Is it what you expected? Have your career goals been confirmed, or do you want to modify them? Have you discovered a new area of work you hadn’t considered before?
If you’re uncertain as to your career goals, and unsure about what you want to do with your degree, work experience can enable you to work in various fields without a long-term commitment, and open your eyes to all the possibilities. You may then be able to clarify your career plans, and identify the particular field you want to pursue after graduation.
Personal development
Apart from the direct work-related insights, you may also find you develop on a more personal level as well, once you’ve been subjected to the challenges and responsibilities of the professional workplace.
A work experience placement can give you an opportunity to grow in self-confidence, initiative, maturity and self-management. You’ll gain a greater sense of self-awareness, and be able to identify your personal strengths and weaknesses, prioritising areas for improvement.
You’ll also gain some insight into your preference in terms of work environments and styles; did you enjoy undertaking one project at a time, or did you really feel energised by having every day full of varied and unexpected activities and challenges?
Competitive Edge
To compete successfully in the graduate employment market, it’s important for you to be proactive and take responsibility for developing your skills and attributes.
Remember, you may be competing against not only your peers in this university or from universities across Victoria, but also from universities across Australia and from around the world. So you need to set yourself apart from the rest of the graduate market.
Graduate employers are looking for candidates with demonstrated generic skills in areas such as: communication, teamwork, problem solving, self-management, initiative, planning & organising, using technology and the ability to adapt & learn. All these skills - known as ‘employability skills’ - are crucial in the workplace.
In a general sense, employers value greatly any experience you’ve had in what they might call “the real world” of work. They will especially value experiences directly connected with their industry or profession.
Application of Academic Learning
In your course, you have learned some specific skills in an academic environment. Now you have to apply this theoretical knowledge to real life situations. How would you use these skills in the workplace? Work experience enables you to test out how these skills are used in a work environment, and to check whether your skills are at the right standard.
Work experience can help you develop ideas for final year projects that are based on real-world scenarios. You may even be able to develop a project that meets both your academic requirements and the needs of a particular company, which could result in an ongoing relationship with that company.
Supercharge your resume!
Resumes that can demonstrate experience in the professional workplace do stand out. Work experience gives you an opportunity to demonstrate both your technical and employability skills, enabling you to include valuable information on your resume.
This is particularly important if you need to fill skill or knowledge gaps in your resume; if you’re a student who hasn’t had the opportunity to gain any paid or voluntary employment in your chosen field, then undertaking work experience means that you can still include examples of industry experience and knowledge in your resume.
Networking
Work experience is also an opportunity for you to network and build business contacts. You may meet people during your work-experience placement who could be useful in the future; as referees, to give you career advice or to alert you to potential opportunities.
Through the workplace, you may get access to industry events, information seminars, or the opportunity to join an industry body. All these activities will help you develop industry knowledge and contacts.
Smooth Transition into Graduate Work
In today’s competitive environment, employers now expect graduates to be able to quickly make a transition to graduate work. Once you start your graduate position, you’ll be able to ‘hit the ground running’ if you’ve already got some experience in the field.
Knowledge of workplace etiquette, an awareness of what’s important from an employer’s perspective, and an appreciation of basic business communication skills will all help you make your entry into the graduate labour market much easier.
Job Seeking & Job Interview Experience
Any activity you can undertake that allows you to practise the various components of job search and the recruitment process is clearly beneficial. Every interview you go to - whether for a work-experience placement, voluntary activity or part-time job - will improve your technique for future job interviews. Your work experience can also provide you with examples when answering behavioural questions at job interviews.