Summer work experience

"Building an impressive CV no longer revolves solely around your qualifications - recruiters are more demanding. They are increasingly looking for the X factor - what makes you different and ultimately an asset to them' Many degree courses do not equip today's graduate with enough transferable skills so it's up to you to develop other skills. Providing real world evidence of team working skills, time management, organisation and leadership can be demonstrated through work experience. Even better examples include any voluntary work or involvement with the Student Union will really set you apart. It may seem impossible to fit any extra work into your busy schedule but make the effort and you could find a graduate job quicker than you think."

Dan Hawes, Director, Graduate Recruitment Bureau

The good place to start looking is via your career service and on the Internet. Also use your friends, family, tutors at university and your department's placement office (if you have one).

Summer work can include the following:

• Internships
• Full or part-time paid work
• Voluntary opportunities
• Work experience abroad
• Course-related

Overview
There is an increasing emphasis being placed on work experience by employers and universities in response to the rapidly changing world of work. There are many work experience opportunities available to students this summer. All options provide a wide range of learning experiences and offer a great way to develop both personally and professionally. It can be vital in enabling students to make realistic career decisions.

Benefits of summer work

1. Develop skills wanted by employers
2. Gain useful experience
3. Have information to add value to a CV
4. In many cases have the chance to earn money

Obtaining the type of work experience you would like takes a considerable amount of time and effort. You need to be prepared to do a lot of the ground work themselves to get what they want.

Summer holiday work strategy
Plan this as early as possible. Try to decide what you want to achieve and what constraints you face. It could be that maximising net income to help towards debt is a top priority, in which case the search criteria will be to get the best paying job you can while living at home. On the other hand, you may judge that course-related professional experience is vital for landing the sort of job you want on graduation. This may be gained through unpaid work experience, for example working voluntarily, through work shadowing or formal organised schemes like internships.

Internships: These normally last between 8-12 weeks and traditionally places are fiercely competitive. The majority of internships are offered by larger companies who have the resources to provide structured training and support although there are some equally beneficial opportunities in SMEs. Most large organisations start advertising in early October and many have closing dates in early Spring (February-March time), however you must be prepared to look right throughout the academic year as not all places are filled early. All internships provide useful experience and, if you perform well, you may well be offered a final-year sponsorship or an automatic step to an interview in the final year of a graduate job. Summer internships are normally offered to students between their penultimate and final year and the schemes can be either directly related to a their course or completely unrelated. Most are open to applicants from any degree discipline.

Full or part-time paid work: These summer vacancies can be either one off jobs or jobs offered on a more long-term basis, temporary or permanent. Some of the most popular areas that students find work in are: retail, administration, bar work and call/contact centres. Although, the motivation for most students to do this type of work tends to be to earn extra money, they must remember that they also develop very useful skills that can help you to impress future employers when you start to apply for other work experience e.g. internships and placements, graduate jobs or for moving into postgraduate study.

Voluntary opportunities: Voluntary work provides invaluable experience and can be a good way of developing a range of skills that employers look for in new graduates. If you have a certain career in mind e.g. the caring professions, teaching, journalism, environmental or museum work it is considered highly desirable, even essential, to undertake relevant voluntary work. There will be lots of opportunities available in local groups/organisations, as well as through a variety of organisations offering voluntary work overseas. If you are in your first year, it is important to realise that voluntary work can be a good way for you to gain the skills and experience to impress employers when you come to start applying for other work experience e.g. summer internships and placements.

Work experience abroad: Many students express an interest in going abroad to add an additional dimension to their work experience, it can be an extremely good way to impress future employers. If you would like to develop or improve a particular language skill then you can learn a great deal from undertaking some work experience abroad. However, whatever your motivation, you will need to plan and prepare carefully. You have to be extremely committed and dedicated to the task of finding an opportunity and in many cases there are additional financial costs to be incurred. Some organisations help students find opportunities in particular countries. Typical organisations include BUNAC and CIEE. However, many students find what they are looking for only by undertaking a lot of research themselves and sending out CVs and covering letters to organisations in the language of the country in which they want to work.

Course-related: Course-related work experience is work experience a student undertakes that is specific to their course. It can be either paid or unpaid, a project or a specific role they undertake within an organisation and it can be either an integral part of their course or undertaken as an extra-curricular activity e.g. during vacation periods. If their department requires them to undertake course-related work experience as an integral part of their course, the department itself may have special arrangements to help them find it. It may have a specific system for receiving and publicising opportunities e.g. internships, placements, projects etc. As a priority students must establish what assistance their department will give them to help them find suitable experience.

Skills
From what we know employers are becoming more and more concerned with the skills and attributes a graduate can offer in addition to their qualifications. Around 40% of vacancies advertised for graduates in the UK do not ask for specific degree subjects. Possession of a degree itself is taken as evidence of a candidate's intellectual ability. Of equal importance is the range of skills and experience that a graduate can demonstrate in addition to their degree. Work experience is one way in which an undergraduate student can demonstrate they have "something extra" to employers.

The skills, personal attributes and work-related knowledge that an employer seeks in new recruits for undergraduate work experience will depend on the job they want them to do. Specific technical skills or knowledge may be required for some vacancies for instance, those working in law or engineering roles have to master a specific set of skills or knowledge. However for all jobs, including those with strong technical content, employers want individuals who possess a much wider range of personal skills and attributes. These skills are transferable between roles and make a student more marketable. Transferable skills include some of the following:

• Enthusiasm and willingness to learn
• Communication skills (written and oral)
• Numeracy and IT/Computer Literacy
• Teamwork
• Interpersonal skills
• Creativity
• Planning, organising time management
• Confidence and assertiveness
• Pro-activity and commitment
• Initiative and motivation
• Drive and determination
• Problem solving
• Decision making
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Negotiation skills
• Networking
• Leadership
• Selfmanagement
• Commercial awareness/professionalism

During summer work experience you should think about what the above skills and attributes really involve, gather evidence of your ability to use them successfully, and to think how a particular skill might apply to other situations and areas of work. This will give you something to demonstrate to employers and definitely impresses future employers during the recruitment process.

Our tips

• Apply early and be persistent (e.g. call frequently)
• If at first you don't succeed, try again
• Don't sit back and expect the jobs to come to you
• Keep persevering, don't let rejections put you off
• Use the careers service as a starting point
• Seek the advice of friends and family
• Ask for university department industrial/commercial contacts
• Check the Internet for a whole range of advice and options

Whatever you decide to do this summer we hope you have an enjoyable and worthwhile experience.