Oftentimes, students will come across a fork in the road whilst venturing down their career paths — one that will force them to choose between dedicating their time to studying or gaining relevant job experience. Although it may be tempting to view this as a “choose one only” situation, it is actually quite possible to dedicate oneself to both options; in fact, students have shown time and time again that, if the two tasks are carried out in balance, the future will not be filled with stress and underachievement, but rather aspirations and opportunities. As such, it is paramount to realize the importance of obtaining job experience, especially since it can help you:
3. Establish interpersonal relations
Job experience can also be acquired in several different ways, ranging from taking on internship opportunities to engaging in part-time jobs and volunteering positions. Regardless of the paths you choose to take, though, just remember that it is always possible to switch your direction at any point in time. With that, let’s embark on our exploration together!
1. Develop important skills
For the most part, the jobs that are made available to high school and post-secondary students will require their workers to hone a variety of skills, such as those pertaining to critical thinking, initiative, communication, collaboration, and time management. The latter two, in particular, are perhaps the most important fruits of attaining job experience, and they also happen to be the two skills that jobs will drill into students the most. This is primarily because almost every single job operates in a team environment, thus inciting its workers to collaborate with their peers and, if applicable, customers in an effective manner. As well, students will also be encouraged to learn how to juggle their time because they will need to balance their school life with their work-life, thereby improving both their work ethic and their grades. It is important to note that one should generally avoid working for over 20 hours per week, though, as doing so may eat up too much of their study and rest time.
2. Build your resume early on
Possessing relevant job experience will help students immensely when they apply for academic programs, institutions, and even other jobs, as it allows them to provide proof of their reliability on their resumes. This shows their employers that they are not only qualified for their position of interest, but they are also enthusiastic about getting involved with their community and, as a result, capable of being a passionate asset to their workplace.
To cement the importance of gaining professional experience, one can turn to a study conducted by the UCAS in 2019. In the aforementioned study, the UCAS released a survey revealing that two-thirds of employers looked for graduates with relevant work experience because it helped them ensure that their employees were prepared for work and capable of developing general business awareness. Many employers at the time had, unfortunately, discarded resumes without a second thought as well if the applicant did not include the necessary work experience, thus proving the fact that job experience is key in today’s society. It is definitely rough to be rejected without having a chance to prove oneself, but this is precisely why students should seek to involve themselves in the professional world — they need to ensure that their employers have no reason to eliminate them from the application pool!
3. Establish interpersonal relations
Because most jobs are situated in a team environment, workers will inevitably have to interact with other people, whether it be their coworkers, supervisors, or customers. As such, this is a perfect opportunity for student workers to network with those around them and hopefully establish connections that could benefit them in the future. Some employers, for instance, might be willing to write reference letters that would aid students in pursuing higher education or additional employment; others may be willing to offer their workers full-time positions or promotions if they prove their worth. Who knows? Perhaps someone might hold your ticket to future success!
<aside> 💼 While it is important to understand what you can gain from working in a professional world, though, it is also essential to know how you can obtain such experience. This can primarily be done by considering the following opportunities:
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Internships are professional training opportunities that allow students to gain meaningful, career-related experience whilst fortifying their hands-on skills and expanding their realms of knowledge. They are often well supervised and structured, meaning that interns will be able to foster a strong understanding of their tasks, and they usually allow their applicants to choose between undergoing either a part-time internship or a full-time internship. The former option usually takes place during the school year, while the latter one is often provided during the summer.
Most of the time, students will undergo an internship or co-op placement to determine whether or not a certain career path is the right one for them. If they realize through their experience that their intended career is nothing like what they had imagined, they can always change their pathways because they have come to this revelation earlier, rather than later.
Those are not the only reasons why you should seek an internship or co-op placement, though. In fact, according to Hart Research Associates, 60% of surveyed employers claimed that they would be more likely to consider a candidate for a full-time position if they had completed an internship before. As such, if you think that you can find the time to engage in a few hours of labour during the summer (or the school year), you should really consider applying for a credible internship opportunity! For more information on different internship opportunities, you can visit LinkedIn or Chegg Internships.