I Now See How Important It Really Is……
So this is my first blog entry and I’ve decided to make it a blog of how important getting out there and gaining valuable work experience really is. A good friend of mine recently graduated with his bachelor’s degree this past June. He has been applying for work left and right and has received maybe three calls for interviews out of the 43 positions applied for. Now most of these employers are in search for a recent college grad, so what’s the problem?
Well, I decided to ask him to let me see what type of experience he had and also asked what interviewers had told him.
The problem was this: NO INTERNSHIPS HELD! He had not completed not even one internship his whole four years in college. The jobs he held did not apply to his major at all. So we know now that what prospective employers are searching are not only recent college grads but recent college grads with some experience within the industry. Wow!! Okay, so that’s why schools push students to apply for internships. After seeing what my friend is going through I realized, I got to get going with this. I’ve got to gain some valuable work experience within the journalism field. So my journey has begun. I am now in the process of locating and applying for several journalism internships.
My advice to you all is this, do not go through college without upholding an internship in your area of interest. If this is not possible, search for positions which can give you valuable experience and knowledge within whatever major you may be studying. With a little research and patience you will find all the possibilities which await you the student.
And for the recent grads who have been unfortunate in their job search, DO NOT GIVE UP!! Find a position that will allow you to gain experience without having experience.
So I’m happy as can be being able to learn from someone else’s mistake. I find myself now with a clear head and with full motivation and direction towards my goal. I know now, more than ever, that it takes more than just those college courses we register for every semester. Keep in mind, don’t turn down those internships, they just may be your key to that great career you’re working so hard for to reach.
Its easy to say you should have some intern experience on your resume, but actually getting that experience can be impossible. I am studying web design and have been searching a lot and have never found any related internships in my area, or in my field of study. Although I have found one or two unrelated ones, I just can’t seem to find that foot in the door; I am starting to think there are no internships in my field. All the jobs want experience only, but nobody seems to want to give you that experience anyone.
If you can't find a paid internship, then look for an unpaid internship or volunteer. You can then use the experience you get from the unpaid internship or volunteer position into a great paid internship. That will be invaluable to moving into a great paying, permanent position. We have a ton of information about this on our site. Run searches using keywords such as "no experience" (no quotes) using the search engine in the top right corner.
Your friend has a typical response (invitation to interview) rate, 10 percent. Actually, his invitation to interview rate is extremely high. It's the response one way or the other that is usually 10 percent, and then 10 percent of that number turns into a real, live interview.
Internships come in many packages. There are unpaid internships that give college credit instead of dollars. What these offer is hands-on experience that can be transported to just about any environment, directly and indirectly.
Paid internships are sometimes difficult to find but are available. Employers usually view these as summer, temporary jobs but they are still retaining an employee who they intend to train to do the work well and will look forward to producing a worker eligible for hire after graduation.
Then there is the matter of volunteer internships. I'd like to phrase that in a different way. Membership in an organization. Participation on a committee. Development of a project or presentation or stragegy to gain some type of advantage. Membership in organizations, especially nonprofit and member, social or professional focused ones, are terrific for gaining experience and expertise.
When Flash first came onto the scene, for example, there were user groups formed so that techies could come together and gain more knowledge of the platform and develop their skill and expertise. Some did presentations to the groups and earned themselves recognition. The local women's group that needs a programs chair or programs member will provide great experience in planning, developing, recruiting, and delivering. Publicity committee work will stretch one's experience in many areas of communication, writing, and journalism -- sometimes into areas completely unexpected.
All of these experiences should be tracked on the resume. If your friend overlooked documenting the skills and expertise he gained through his various work experiences, he should revisit his resume and start seeing where he can talk about the skills he earned and how he made an impact on the bottom line or opening up opportunities.
If one has no work experience at all but a great deal of volunteer or intership history, make certain that volunteer and internship experience is documented, just as with work history, so that instead of a blank slate, the knowledge and talent that is being developed will be very visible and marketable.
Sorry to preach.