Are you experienced?

If there is a queen of work experience then I'm it.

After I finished my degree I did as much work experience as possible. I worked for a museum, a gallery, a stately home, various law firms and barristers' chambers, a couple of newspapers. You get the idea.

I did all this for one reason: -

I half knew what I wanted to do

You probably either know exactly what you want to do, or you have a dream of what you'd like to do but you have doubts. Not surprising really!

How do I test my doubts out?
While you are making a career choice you tend to get information and advice from everyone including Auntie Glenis and the milkman. It is possible to read vast quantities of careers information books, talk to any number of careers advisers and do hundreds of personality tests while you are coming to your decision.

Yet it still doesn't help you to gain real inside view of what it's really like to be…a fire-eater, for instance! And whether or not it would be right for you. The only way you can understand the work is to the do the work, isn't it?

So go get into it! Get some work shadowing or work shadowing!

What's the difference?
Work shadowing - Tends to last for two days at most and is far more focused around one person whose schedule you will follow during your visit. You will go to meetings with them, listen in on telephone conversations and gain a general idea of what their work involves on a day to day basis.

Work experience - Usually lasts anything from a week to a month or more. You will spend time in the working environment as if you are actually working there. You may have a project to complete, depending on your experience you may be able to help out with some of the company's real work.

So why bother with Work Shadowing?

• You'll get to see the really interesting parts of the industry.
• You may get to see the daily working life of someone higher up in the industry - you're less likely to get that with work experience.
• You'll know what you can aspire to!
• You could make some useful contacts.
• It looks really good on a CV!

So why bother with Work Experience?

• You should get some extended experience of the sector you're interested in.
• You could make some useful contacts.
• You will have the chance to ask the people you are working with for their advice and talk about their career paths - get some inside info!
• You will have enough time to see the dirty underbelly, sorry make that the ins and outs, of the industry you're trying out.
• It looks really good on a CV!

So how do I go about it?
Phone calls and letters

• Choose the companies you would like to work for or which work in the industry you are interested in.
• Look in the telephone directory for their phone number and ring up to find out who is the best person to write to.
• Once you've done that, either ring or write to see if they are prepared to offer work experience/ work shadowing. State your reason for wanting the experience, offer information about your qualifications, career hopes and times when you are available.
• Remember to include your CV. It might help them to give you an interesting project. Check out our CV Sorcerer for an online guide to writing it all down and a template.
• Don't worry about sending more than one application out at once if you are investigating different career options.

School/college/university
Careers teachers, advisers and careers services often get told about opportunities that aren't open to anyone applying speculatively. Often these will be for longer periods of time and you might even get paid. Which is nice!

You can also ask your teachers or advisers for help. They may contact companies for you or have suggestions to help you in your own search. They can also look over your CV for you. So it's worth getting their advice. Check out what they have to say.

Friends and family
Last but not least! Your friends, your family, your family friends might know people working in the areas where you are interested in getting experience. It will be much easier for you to approach your uncle who's a marketing manager just down the road than the marketing manager of Giant Co. in London. (Not that that should put you off! I'm just trying to help the lazy amongst us - like me!)

Explore
In short, explore your options. Use your library, friends and the careers offices around you to find out more about work - you might find out that law is definitely for you.

Or, like me, you might realise that you should be doing something completely different.

Now for my next article…

by Katie Streten