5 reasons why you should do a Year in Industry
In 2nd year and thinking about going into work placement next year? Recent graduate Amrit is here to give you 5 reasons why you should go for it, and also 3 handy tips to help you find and apply for the perfect placement opportunity!
- Boost your CV
Doing a year in Industry looks amazing for your CV and can often be the difference between finding a job when you graduate and missing out. Think about it — if an employer has to pick between a graduate without any relevant work experience, and someone who’s done a whole year in placement, who do you think they’re more likely to pick?
2. Real-life experience of work
We all have an idea of what a place of work might be like — you’re thinking your future boss might be a bit like Michael Scott from The Office right? Well, until you put yourself into a real-life job and experience what that’s like, there really isn’t anything else to prepare you for it. Studying at University is great to develop you academically, but that alone doesn’t teach you about office small-talk and offering colleagues a hot drink every time you go to the kitchen!
3. Decide your career-path
From a future career perspective, this was the biggest benefit of doing a placement year. You, hopefully, will love your job and think “this is exactly what I want to do when I finish Uni”, which is great. But you may also really not enjoy your time at work, be it because it isn’t the right role for you or because you simply weren’t ready to jump into the world of work — that ‘bad’ experience is just as invaluable and useful! Being able to better decide what you’d like to do when you graduate, because you’ve been through it already, will help you massively and put you one step ahead of someone who never had the experience.
4. Money (if paid)!
You can earn some money, probably! I say probably because not all placements are paid opportunities, but you’re likely to find a paid placement when you go digging around. If you can afford to do an unpaid placement, then happy days. Otherwise, it’s nice to be able to earn some money and buy your mates a couple of drinks on the next night out without looking at your overdraft!
5. Good mindset
Lastly (one which I really wasn’t expecting!), doing a year at work really focuses and motivates you for your final year at University. You get a practical sense of deadlines; the real-life importance of the work you’re doing; appreciation of doing well in your degree to then get a job; and, if you were anything like me and struggled waking up for your morning lectures, placement can turn you into a morning person who can actually manage their time better! Doing your last assessment, dissertation or exam is ultimately going to be the toughest of your degree, and having a good, motivated and focused frame of mind will help you get that 1st or 2:1 you’ve worked so hard to get!
Now that I’ve convinced you how great a placement year is, all you’ve got to do is find the right role — much easier said than done!
3 top tips to land yourself a job
Here are my top three tips for finding, applying and interviewing to help you land the perfect placement.
- Dedicate your time
It can be very time-consuming to be looking on LinkedIn or Indeed for a job that suits your degree and career choice, and you’re likely going to be spending a solid hour a day doing this, usually between writing your essay or doing some reading. Make sure to speak to your faculty’s Employment Team for any opportunities that are advertised, and also look on the Careers Centre Vacancy website for upcoming opportunities.
2. Save your applications
The application process can also take up a lot of your time, as you’ll need to research into the company, answer questions catered to the specific role’s responsibilities and even adapt your CV accordingly. A tip — save all of your cover letters and applications! You might be able to pull things from different applications for a new, similar role rather than starting from scratch. The Careers Centre can take a look at any applications before you send them off, if you want another pair of eyes to look over anything.
3. Prep plenty for interviews
The final tip is one I wish someone had told me! Prepping and research is crucial, or else you might get caught out by a question you haven’t prepared for. Of course, it’s difficult to predict what you’ll be asked, but you can do your best to guess! Things like the company’s values, an important project they might be working on, skills that are relevant to the position you’re applying for — all things you can read into before going for an interview. Again, you can make an appointment with the Careers Centre and do a mock-interview, which helped me massively in being ready for my actual interview.
