Why work experience works
Work experience can get you started in your career, as well as helping you to pin down what you want to do.
Work experience is important whether you want to stay on in education or get a job. It shows people that you’ve thought about what you want to do and that you have a realistic idea of what working life is like. The more experience you can get before you apply for your first full-time job, the better.
It will also give you a good opportunity to gain useful skills and experience working with a range of people from all sorts of different backgrounds. As well as showing your enthusiasm for your career choice, they are key factors which universities and employers will be looking for in your CV or UCAS form.
Work experience helps you to:
Understand the everyday realities of working life
Find out about your own abilities and limitations
Communicate well with all sorts of different people
Take charge of your own future
Demonstrate your skills to employers
Even if you're the perfect person for a job, it's difficult for employers to know that without proof of what you can do. Work experience is an extremely important part of that proof.
Work experience helps you learn about yourself
It's not all about impressing employers. Work experience also reveals things about you that will help you to choose the right career path. For example:
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Are you a good communicator?
Do you work well in a team?
Do you enjoy the work as much as you expected?
If it turns out that the job isn't a good fit for you, then it's better to find out on a short placement than a full-time job.