• Make your CV stand out from the competition. With the increasing number of new graduates it is essential to prove to employers you have been proactive at university.
• Develop key skills demanded by employers that will make you more employable.
• Demonstrate that you have already achieved a certain level of competence - employers increasingly want new recruits to be able to add value straightaway.
• Obtain the required experience to pursue a chosen career.
• An opportunity to put theory from your course into practice.
• Help you decide on a future career direction.
• Gain an insight into different careers/organisations and find out more about what you enjoy in a working environment.
• Network with employers - students are increasingly being offered jobs in the same companies that they gained work experience.
• An opportunity to identify jobs that aren't always advertised - you become aware of internal advertisements.
• Get motivated - many students who undertake work experience or a placement often feel more motivated after having worked in a structured environment, experienced new things and worked with a variety of people.

Identify your own opportunities

Identify opportunities by Researching jobs, sectors and employers, see who is already recruiting and approach them for opportunities, see the Vacancy sources and tips page. See also using social media profesionally to make contacts, see Using social media to get a job and

Voluntary work

Unpaid time spent working for an organisation, often a charity. This qualifies as gaining experience because you are effectively undertaking a task/role whilst potentially using current skills and putting into practice what you know or developing new skills and learning something new. Volunteering opportunities can range from helping and supporting to more of a business, marketing or media role. Charities can benefit greatly from  student/graduate knowledge or experience to help them achieve their goals.

To find volunteering opportunities in the UK or abroad see Volunteering opportunities

Vacation placements

Work experience undertaken during university holidays. Not all vacation placements are advertised nor paid, you may need to apply speculatively for vacation placements which involves contacting an organisation directly and expressing in interest in gaining some experience/ working for them . See the CVs and applications section for further information and advice on how to do this.

To find advertised vacation placements visit the JobShop website.

Work experience

See the Work experience page for links to various work experience opportunities.

Work Shadowing

This involves observing someone during their working day and can usually last between 1 day and 1 week. It is an opportunity to gain an insight into particular roles or sectors.This is not usually an opportunity to get hands on therefore you are unlikely develop a wide range of skills as a result, it is however an opportunity to further develop your communication and networking skills and also further develop your commercial awareness. 

Industrial placements/ Sandwich placements

A great way to immerse yourself in a specific role and industry for approximately 12 months. An opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and experience and put what you have learnt on your course into practice. These often form an accredited part of your course at university.

Contact the Placement unit from your academic school to see if you are eligible to undertake a placement, also for potential contacts.

Also ensure that you contact the Careers and Employability Service for advice on how to market yourself effectively for such positions, or for advice on applying speculatively for organisations if you are applying for your own placement.

See CVs and applications section for further information and advice on CVs, applications and applying speculatively.

Graduate Internships

Graduate internships are an opportunity to work in an organisation from 3 months to a year. They can give you real life work experience, let you try your hand at a possible career, and prove yourself to a potential employer.

Graduate internships

To find volunteering opportunities in the UK or abroad see Volunteering opportunities

See the Work experience page.

Identify and make your own opportunities by:

Researching jobs, sectors and employers

See who is already recruiting and approach them for opportunities, see the Vacancy sources and tips page

Using social media profesionally to build a professional online profile, make contacts, see Using social media to get a job

Apply speculativley

Once you have identified companies you wish to work for then apply speculatively, this involves contacting the organisation, marketing yourself effectivley and telling them what you have to offer even if they do not have opportunitieis adveritsed.

Advice on speculative applications on the CVs and applications page.

See also Networking for how to apprcaoh employers

If you are looking to gain work experience to enhance your current skills and knowledge it is a good idea to complete a skills assessment to assess your personal strengths and weaknesses, skills and abilities to identify any gaps.

For skills assessment resources read our Career planning section.

Advice on how to make the most of your experience is available from Make the most of your experience