How to get great work place-
ments • Be brave: don’t be afraid to ask friends, family and contacts for help • Do your homework about the company/person you’re approaching • Send a succinct letter—don’t email—with a one-page CV and follow up with a phonecall • Be punctual, polite and enthusiastic • Dress smartly • Don’t waste time surfing the internet or pretending to look busy • Be brisk but thorough—never leave a job half done. And, if you’ve completed your tasks, ask if there’s any- thing else you can do to help
Work experience needn’t be boring—some companies give you an opportunity to really get involved and gain confidence
that I will probably never do again in my life.’ Use social media sites such as Twitter,
Facebook and LinkedIn—Hilary Benn’s office has confirmed the MP recently welcomed a youngster on work experience who’d been bold enough to ‘tweet’ asking for it. But, although she cites the Old Roedeanians’ Facebook page as a great place for her pupils to secure work placements, Miss Reid urges pupils to be careful about their own online image. ‘Being aware of what impression you’re giving through these sites is part of the transition from being a child to becoming an adult,’ she cautions. ‘I tell the girls they should start to think about building their own “brand”, and to consider how they may be perceived by future employers through their contributions to online forums. Employers do Google pro- spective employees—why wouldn’t you?’ There are also plenty of opportunities for
working in the great outdoors. Estates such as Holkham in Norfolk accommodate child- ren from local schools on work placements
www.countrylife.co.uk
with its team of gardeners. Champion National Hunt trainer Paul Nicholls is keen for youngsters to see the daily routine at his Somerset stables. ‘They don’t get to ride, but Paul thinks it’s important that year 10 pupils have the chance to shadow our staff and see how the yard works,’ says Lina Chad- burn, the trainer’s accounts administrator. The army offers would-be soldiers a five-
day course at a training camp in their area. Generally involving a 1½-mile run (six times round the football pitch), an assault course, sleeping out overnight and firing guns in a simulator, these courses quickly establish whether or not pupils are serious. ‘They separate out those youngsters who have fantasised about a career in the army from those who are genuinely interested,’ says army careers advisor Maj Andrew Duncan. ‘Work experience is great because it assures us that those who want to join between the age of 16 and 18 with their parents’ permission have tried it and they like it. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.’
As ever, however, whether you want to be
a land agent, a professional event rider or a rollercoaster designer, being enthusiastic is key. ‘It’s incredibly important to assume an entirely professional manner, be com- pletely open to everything and say yes to every opportunity that comes your way,’ advises Miss Hoddinott, an aspiring broad- caster. ‘If you make an effort to fit in, you’ll feel that you’ve really gained something from the experience.’
WHO TO CONTACT Houses of Parliament
email
workexperience@parliament.uk NHS
www.nhscareers.nhs.uk HSBC
http://jobs.hsbc.co.uk/apprentices Goldman Sachs www.goldmansachs. com/careers Knight Frank
www.knightfrank.co.uk/ recruitment IPC Media
www.ipcmedia.com/careers/ work-experience
School Life, Spring 2013 11
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