Why work experience is so valuable during study?

Employers are increasingly looking for experience as well as academic achievement in candidates that apply for their roles, making it a really valuable part of your time at University. 

Michael from the University’s Careers and Employment team tells us more about work experience, including how to find part time work and placements while at Herts:

Work experience can come in many different forms, from a Part-Time job to a Placement, but all are equally as important when it comes to gaining a good graduate job. The two most common forms of work experience students gain before graduating is Part-Time work and a Placement year.

Part-Time Employment
A Part-time job can be a financial necessity for many students, but it can also help you to develop a wide range of valuable skills that you can add to your CV, and provides talking points when you’re at job interviews. For example, balancing part-time work whilst studying requires excellent time management skills.

My biggest tip for working part-time work is not to let your degree suffer; It’s important to not over stretch yourself in terms of time and energy. Be realistic on how much time you can suitably put aside for part-time work by taking into consideration your timetable and any additional hours for studying.

Placement
Doing a placement is a chance to start your career earlier by gaining valuable experience and industry contacts. It’s also a great opportunity to gain insight into the industry you’re about to join. 

Most students enjoy the break from studying and return for their final year, more confident and ready to excel with their new knowledge.

If you are interested in getting a placement, make sure you start looking early. I know it’s difficult because you’re in the middle of your second year, but you don’t want to miss out on a placement opportunity because you missed a deadline.  We have a whole team that can help with searching, applying and processing your placement, we even invite employers onto campus so you can meet and find out more about the opportunities they offer!

Careers Hub

If you are looking for any type of work experience, we have lots of resources available through our CareerHub. And remember you can always stop by and see us in Hutton Hub on College Lane.

CareerHub Vacancy
The vacancy section on CareerHub is a great place to find job opportunities from industry leading employers form right across the UK. They also attend a number of events on campus throughout the year so look our for our jobs fairs!

CareerHub Resources
Discover and develop new career and business skills with expert advice, videos, interactive e-learning courses, tips. Search millions of jobs in over 50 countries or explore employer tracker to discover a range of employers with fantastic graduate and student opportunities. Get your CV ready with the CV tool kit and get it check instantly with CV360.

CareerHub Advisers
All students have access to the University’s Careers Adviser team which can help with anything from feedback on CVs, applications, business plans to conducting a mock interview with you.

Whatever sort of work experience you do whilst study, my advice for succeeding is to use these three resources above to the maximum your chances of securing the opportunities you want!