Swapshop - getting the most from work

We are aware here at Brilliant Careers that not everyone gets into their own Brilliant Career straight away.

Sometimes you will be working in the admin department of a company you really like but would really rather be running - well, in another department at least.

Sometimes you will be working in a high-powered, work mad environment desperate to get back to a more relaxed and artistic way of working and you'll probably have your eye on another part of the company that does just that.

In this case work experience probably isn't an option - but how can you move jobs without experience?

Well fear not. You shall go to the ball!
Enter job swaps.

Job "whats"?
Job swapping is simply arranging with a person doing another job that you will do their job for a while and they'll do yours. You could do it alongside them or instead of them, that can be arranged by human resources or your respective managers. You could do it for a year or a day.

Job swapping is a brilliant way of

• Making sure that the move you want to make is as great as it seems!
• Getting new experience and skills
• Finding out more about the company you work for
• And maybe even a way of deciding that you are actually in the right job!

How do we do this wonderful thing?

1. Talk to your manager and/or talk to the Human Resources department. It may be that there is a program in place or you may arrange it yourself.
2. Tell them what you would like to do and the department you'd like to do it in.
3. Having made sure it's ok, identify a likely suspect for your swap and approach them with an idea of what you want to do.
4. Try to get together with them and work out a plan for what both of you both want to achieve and write down anything that might be a problem.
5. Be realistic! You aren't going to get to cut major deals, and in fact you might have to do more shadowing than actual work. But it will still be useful.
6. If you want to branch out and do a job swap outside your institution then why not have a look at webswappers.com. They have set up a special section devoted to jobswaps in time for National Learning at Work day on 17th May 2001.

Making the most of it

• Write notes during the day - otherwise you'll forget most the useful stuff, you know you will!
• If you have a question about anything during the experience then just ask. Remember this is about you learning.
• Sit down and have a chat with the person you are swapping with after it's all over and ask questions. What have you both been surprised by? What was best or worst about the experience? Oh you can come up with some more!

by Katie Streten