Getting work experience

Paid or unpaid, work experience is valuable! 

What types of work experience are out there?

• Work Shadowing:  Unpaid.  Short term.  Observe a professional at work
• Placement:  Paid.  1-6 months.  Organised work experience doing a specific job for the company. May be part of your studies.
• Internship: Paid / Unpaid.  Term used mainly by American companies for formal work experience in an area related to your degree or to a career you wish to pursue.
• Stage: French term for work experience.
• Praktikum: German term for work experience

How to find work experience:

Through Careers:

We'll advertise all paid jobs in Careers Connect - log in using your student login to search / browse opportunities. Summer placements can be more formal and advertised either on the company’s website or through the Careers Connect. Tip - update your profile to get weekly updates on opportunities!

Any internship / work experience programmes which tend to be available every year (often unpaid) will be mentioned on our internships page. 

To get work abroad, check our website or free leaflet ’Work Abroad’.  There are also many reference books and files to help you in the Careers Information Room.

Other on-campus help:

Visit the Students Union – they may know of other job vacancies.  

Keep an eye on academic unit noticeboards as some companies contact them directly.

Look for voluntary opportunities with charities at home or abroad.  This will help to develop the attributes and skills that employers seek. Join ALIVE programme while studying.

Join a society / club that interests you and get involved in marketing, organising, web-site design – anything that is appropriate to the career you have in mind.

Other ideas:

Apply on spec to companies. Make a list of companies that suit you either by looking at company directories or the Golden Pages.  Tailor your CV and cover letter to suit each company.

Talk to friends and family to see if anyone has a contact that could be useful (after all, 70% of jobs are not advertised!).

Use the Christmas rush to your advantage – working in a shop or an office will develop many skills [working under pressure, interpersonal, communication, decision making skills, showing flexibility etc].

Making the most of work experience 

Set objectives with your boss and find out exactly what they expect from you. Ask if you need help!

Show an interest in the company and be enthusiastic and hardworking – more interesting opportunities may crop up.

Mailshots can give an insight into other businesses and/or marketing techniques.

Improve people skills – talk to other employees and find out what their job entails and how they got them.  Offer to help – if they need it!

Record everything that you do.  You then have a ’selection of evidence’ of the skills you have acquired or expanded.

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Useful links

We've added loads of links to our Delicious page.. check out links tagged internships here.

Read gradireland.com's articles on work experience.

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