“As a job seeker, remember this: You only lack experience if they want it done the same old way.” – Robert Breault
For any university student, building their resume or CV as a fresher is a major challenge. The challenge multiplies manifold when you consider that university students do not have the option to leverage their work experience on their resume in order to impress the recruiter or interviewer. While university students might not have relevant formal or professional work experience, most of them have carried out placements as volunteers or charity-based jobs. This involvement should be credited/ listed on their work/education files.
Not only students but some professional practitioners also stay engaged with charity and philanthropic activities for most of their lives, including churchgoers who perform humanitarian and missionary duties locally and around the world. Volunteerism is an important part of our culture.
Job seekers, both freshers and those already practising skills but looking to switch jobs should keep this in mind that companies generally want positive-minded workers on their payrolls. When you volunteer, you share your skills and time with people and organizations in the community without expecting to be paid. As a fresher, volunteering can give you a chance to build your experience and skills within the specified field as well as demonstrate your employability while as a practitioner it allows you to share your expertise and skills thus giving back to the community.
We are here with a small list of the benefits of having a work experience placement or voluntary work.
1. Get a taste of the Industry
Work experience placements or volunteer works are a good way for graduate students and young people to get to know more about the industry. These work experiences or unpaid volunteering allows you to gain an insight into the working life, the types of job roles in your industry and what the job role involves in its day to day execution.
Aside from just getting an idea and the understanding of the practical side of the job, you also get a chance to polish your skills and expand your knowledge that will not only help you in your future job but also provide you with the edge against other candidates during the job interviews.
2. Get a Practical Hand-on Experience
Work experience placements or voluntary work is a good way for graduate students and young people to get their hands dirty and practical experience relevant to their future job roles. It gives them an opportunity to connect their studies and theoretical knowledge to the real world and on-field experiences.
Engaging in the above-mentioned activities is a win-win situation as it is a good way to learn more about yourself and your potential while having a chance to hear the perspectives of other people about your strengths and weaknesses.
3. Networking
Work experiences is a good way for graduate students and younger people to get to know and meet influential people in the industry. These work experiences provide you with a huge potential of building and growing your own professional network.
Aside from just the people you know and all the other people they know, work experience placements and volunteering experiences provide you numerous chances to meet new people, such as the staff, board members, clients, other volunteers and suppliers, etcetera, who you never know when and how might help you later on in your future endeavours.
By accepting and doing these work experience placements and volunteering works, as a job seeker, you get the opportunity to boost not only your career but also your well-being. The previously mentioned activities will help you in knowing your skills, accomplishments, interests and values, thus strengthening your foundation of career knowledge and success.
ABL Recruitment team
