Return to Student Portal

Work Experience

At StudentWorx, we provide the opportunity to obtain valuable work experience while studying, and to receive an income at the same time. However, there are many ways of obtaining work experience, and preventing the monotonous complaint of 'the company requires work experience, but how do I get experience if I can't get a job.' Remember: include ALL work experience on your CV, especially if you are low on jobs, as even the part time work might be more relevant than you think. It is also an advantage, even though the experience you have may not be a prerequisite for the job for which you are applying.

Don't fall into the trap of believing you won't get a job before you have even tried. You are setting yourself up for failure! Anything is possible for those who are passionate and want to make a success!

Below is a list of different ways of adding work experience to your CV, other than obtaining full or part time work.

•  Volunteer work. This might be for a charity, an NGO (non-governmental organisation), NPO (non-profit organisation) or even a company. This can also be included as community service, which might be highly relevant to some companies and education institutions.

•  Internships. These are mostly without pay, but paid internships do exist. Some companies advertise internships, or offer them as part of bursaries. However, you can approach a company and offer to work for them for six months without pay. You will be as reliant on your parents as you were while studying, it is only six months, you will get the experience you need, and they might even offer you a permanent position, or a good reference!

•  Work Shadow. This is when you follow a professional around for a few days and observe their work processes. Often, they allow you to participate or give you a few tasks. This is particularly important when trying to decide which career to follow, or when deciding on the appropriateness of your chosen career path, but it might also lead to their seeing potential in you and offering you a position, or a reference. If you feel that your CV is very short, you should include these experiences. It shows that you have made an effort to explore your chosen career and probably have realistic expectations of the work you are going to do.

•  Do it on your own! Create your own website, create fake projects, play around. Even though you do not have the formal work experience, show that you are able to tackle any project, and that you have a passion for the skills you have learnt. If you decide to work for a client, make sure that everything is legal, don't close any doors, and never abuse other companies. If you are under contract to obtain clients for another company, you must not approach those clients for yourself. It is illegal, and you will develop a bad reputation.