The value of work experience
Very often when starting their careers, graduates come up against that annoying catch-22: they need experience before many employers will consider employing them, but they need a job in order to get that experience.
Work experience is a great way to gain skills, confidence and increase your employability.
Work experience includes any paid or unpaid work - employers will be especially interested in work experience that relates to your degree
Different types of work experience:
- Work placements as part of your academic program
- Internships
- Volunteering
Benefits of work experience
Choosing the right work placement for you
How do you find a work placement?
How do you find a volunteer placement?
What are your rights as a non-paid employee?
Benefits of work experience
Work experience offers a range of benefits that can be valuable not only in the short-term in helping secure a job, but also in the development of skills and contacts that will be used during your entire career.
Here are just a few benefits a work experience placement can offer:
- Gives you a realistic insight into your chosen profession
- Improved job prospects – work experience within an organisation frequently leads to employment.
- Practice in applying and interviewing for jobs.
- Improve your resume - employers are interested in graduates with a well-rounded education. Work experience shows that you have initiative and are willing to learn new skills.
- Networking - a placement can provide crucial opportunities to develop your networking skills and make useful contacts within your industry.
- Identification of your strengths and weaknesses - work experience can show you which skills you should promote to potential employers and which you may want to improve.
Choosing the right work placement for you
It's important to choose a placement that will be of maximum benefit to your career prospects. You should:
- Choose a company in the industry in which you aim to work.
- Ensure that the work you'll be doing provides you with useful experience and skills that are likely to improve your future job prospects.
- Ask if there will be opportunities within your placement to do a broad range of different tasks so you can maximise the experience and skills gained.
- Check your working conditions and the company's expectations of you, and make sure that you are given the rights entitled to you (see 'Your rights as an unpaid employee' below).
How do you find a work placement?
- University careers services
- Job seeking websites
- Government programs
- Family and friends (use your networks!)
How do you find a volunteer placement?
Volunteering Australia
Australian Volunteer Search
Employment and Workplace Relations Services
Volunteering.org New Zealand Placements
Friends in Deed Organisation
Pro Bono Australia’s Volunteer Match
AIESEC
New Zealand Trust for Conservation Volunteers
What are your rights as a non-paid employee?
You have the right to:
- Work in a healthy and safe environment.
- Be interviewed and engaged in accordance with equal opportunity and anti-discrimination legislation.
- Be adequately covered by insurance.
- Be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses.
- Be given a copy of the organisation’s volunteer policy and any other policy that affects their work.
- Not fill a position previously held by a paid worker.
- Not do the work of paid staff during industrial disputes.
- Have a job description and agreed working hours.
- Have access to a grievance procedure.
- Be provided with orientation to the organisation.
- Have their confidential and personal information dealt with in accordance with the principles of the Privacy Act 1988.