Gaining Work Experience is as Important as Your Education

internships are an essential part of the college experience.  internships provide you the opportunity to test-drive a career field, make contacts, build marketable skills and figure out your likes and dislikes within specific industries. and graduates without work experience will stand little chance of securing a job after graduation research suggests.

How did you spend your summer?  Did you go back to your camp counselor job? Perhaps you took classes or better yet, you had a summer internship in a field related to your degree. As recent college grads discovered, good grades and/or prestigious schools are no longer your ticket to graduate school or landing your first professional job.  You need more. You need an internship. Two is better.

Graduates with work experience are more attractive to employers than those without

A 2013 report by High Fliers Research concluded that college graduates without work experience have “little chance” of getting a job. High Fliers Research managing director Martin Birchall told The Huffington Post that work experience is “now just as important” as a college degree.

“New graduates who’ve not had any work experience at all during their studies are increasingly unlikely to be offered a good graduate job after university,” said Birchall.

Work experience helps—even if it’s unpaid

Working can teach you many valuable lessons and skills. Try to get a job in a field you’re interested in, but internships in other fields can be just as valuable. Here are six reasons why an internship is valuable work experience that can lead to the next step in your career field. 

1. Employers see you in action and you get real-world proof points to demonstrate your skills.
2. You develop a sense of workforce expectations and your likes and dislikes.
3. Your opportunities to network with professionals in your field increases dramatically and you can uncover the hidden jobs—those not posted on job boards or on a company’s website.
4. You’ll like get an opportunity to apply what you’ve learned in coursework to real-world problems.
5. First-hand introduction to specific industry and company cultures and etiquette.
6. You can get recommendations employers value.

Plus, interning can give you a chance to learn what your best job skills are, which skills need improvement and how to work with people. 

 

Getting work experience starts on your college campus

Your school’s career services center is a great place for you to start your internship search.  Most schools have an internship database that is easily accessible. Here are some things to consider.

▪ Update your profile and resumé.  You’ll receive targeted emails and employers can view your qualifications and reach out to you.

▪ Keep your search broad. Be open to location, employers and job functions. Identify keywords to aid in your search.

▪ Set up an auto search. When you do this, you will receive emails notifying you of each new posting you are interested in pursuing. 

 

Recruiting cycles vary by industry and organization

Each industry and organization has a different recruiting timeline. For example, in the fall semester, a lot of engineering, business, finance and consulting companies recruit.  In the spring semester, you will find marketing, advertising, nonprofit and entertainment opportunities. 

 

An on-campus career fair is one of the best opportunities to uncover internships

Career fairs organized by the career services center set up opportunities for you to have on-the-spot interviews with employers actively looking for entry-level candidates ready to start an internship or start a job right after graduation.  Be sure to check the career services website and set up an auto notification.

Many students complain career fairs are only for engineering students, accounting majors, nurses, teachers and other direct-to-career majors/degrees and not for humanities/liberal arts majors. Nonsense! There is nothing stopping the sociology, communications, psychology or philosophy major from attending, for example, an engineering-specific career fair. The participating companies all have marketing, human resources, sales and other departments that are integral to the organization. Your objective is to get your resumé into the hands of a real person (not a software program) at a company that is looking for young talent. Attending career fairs makes good strategic sense regardless of your major. 

 

A career fair strategy to help you maximizes your ROI

▪ Sign up early. Participating companies often will identify the students they want to interview and there is only so much time.  Signing up and having your resumé in the database increases your odds of getting interviewed.

▪ Develop your criteria. Research the participating companies to determine those that are potentially the best fit for you.

▪ Rank companies in priority order. You will not have time to visit with all attending companies. Ranking the companies ensures you will get to see the ones you are most interested in.

▪ Download the career fair floor plan. Map a path against the floor plan to make your time efficient.

▪ Create marketing materials. An employer’s campus recruiter visits a lot school and sees thousands of students. You want to stand out. You need a tailored resumé and consider creating a one-page handout highlighting projects, skills and other important information even recommendations/quotes about you to support your resumé.

▪ Dress for success. You want campus recruiters to see you as an employee.  Jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, gym shoes and the like are unacceptable.

And be sure to follow-up with the recruiter highlighting the two-three points you want to emphasize about your qualifications and ask about next steps.

Work experience and your degree go hand-in-hand.