Welcome to SMIRK Unit
9 - Preparing for
placement


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SMIRK - Preparing for placement by Leeds Metropolitan University Employability Office, modified by Marion Kelt GCU is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/metoffice/employability/resources/learning_objects/workexperience/index.htm

What is placement?

penguin using a computerWork experience is any time spent with an employer increasing your skills and knowledge. This could be a year long placement or internship where you might complete a specific project and work in a variety of departments or a period of a few weeks where you can sample the sector or industry that you are interested in. Some students use the Christmas and Easter vacations for work experience placements or you might spend one day 'shadowing' someone at work.

But work experience can still usefully be gained from situations that you set up for yourself (for example, half a day a week working voluntarily in a school) and all the skills and experience you can gain from a part-time job.

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SMIRK - Preparing for placement by Leeds Metropolitan University Employability Office, modified by Marion Kelt GCU is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/metoffice/employability/resources/learning_objects/workexperience/index.htm

 

The employer's perspective

This is what two graduate employers say about the value of work experience:

"Graduates with a wealth of good quality work experience (voluntary or paid) have varied learning experiences and challenges that develop skills and competencies such as - commercial awareness, results focus, self development, tenacity, project management, diplomacy, flexibility, resilience and customer focus. 

These are the key attributes that are required to be successful on our graduate programme and experienced graduates are typically able to articulate and demonstrate these skills/competencies within application forms and interviews more effectively".

Rebecca Fielding
Group Graduate Programme Manager

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"We have found that graduates who have spent some time gaining work experience during their studies perform very strongly during interview. We are always looking for applicants who are born leaders, work well as part of a team, have bags of initiative and most importantly, possess strong communication skills. 

Of the graduates that we recruit, those who have already worked in a similar customer facing environment tend not only to be more competent and developed in many of these skills sets but are also able to hit the ground running. It also demonstrates to employers that an applicant has a responsible attitude to work and has experienced life beyond the confines of an academic establishment".

Sara Varo
Recruiting Manage
r
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Activity: Are these statements true or false?

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SMIRK - Preparing for placement by Leeds Metropolitan University Employability Office, modified by Marion Kelt GCU is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/metoffice/employability/resources/learning_objects/workexperience/index.htm

 

The student's
perspective

Work Experience is an oppurtunity to try out Jobs and find out what type of role would suit you after Graduation. It is also the major route into finding Graduate work. More than a third of of Sandwich Placement Students go on to work for the same Employer permanently (Source: Incomes Data Service, 2005).

To make the most of your work experience it is important to consider what you can learn from each of the following categories. Choose two or three outcomes which are important for you from the list. You can then note them down and use them as the basis for a personal work experience action plan.

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SMIRK - Preparing for placement by Leeds Metropolitan University Employability Office, modified by Marion Kelt GCU is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/metoffice/employability/resources/learning_objects/workexperience/index.htm

 

What do you aim to
achieve?

Academic and Personal Learning 

Enhancing the quality of your academic knowledge, learning and the application of that learning to the workplace. Here are some examples:

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SMIRK - Preparing for placement by Leeds Metropolitan University Employability Office, modified by Marion Kelt GCU is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/metoffice/employability/resources/learning_objects/workexperience/index.htm

Aims - Career
Management 

Maximising the experience in order to develop your self-reliance and career management skills to boost your career potential. Here are some examples:

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SMIRK - Preparing for placement by Leeds Metropolitan University Employability Office, modified by Marion Kelt GCU is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/metoffice/employability/resources/learning_objects/workexperience/index.htm

Aims - work culture

Maximising your understanding of how organisations work and the relative benefits of different work cultures. Here are some examples:

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SMIRK - Preparing for placement by Leeds Metropolitan University Employability Office, modified by Marion Kelt GCU is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/metoffice/employability/resources/learning_objects/workexperience/index.htm

Aims - People skills

Gaining a broad range of people, team, and client skills, whilst maximising the learning from individuals in a variety of work situations. Here are some examples:

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SMIRK - Preparing for placement by Leeds Metropolitan University Employability Office, modified by Marion Kelt GCU is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/metoffice/employability/resources/learning_objects/workexperience/index.htm

Aims - organisational
awareness and skills

Developing a range of general and specialist skills, which meet the needs of your organisation and are transferable to broader work contexts. Here are some examples:

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SMIRK - Preparing for placement by Leeds Metropolitan University Employability Office, modified by Marion Kelt GCU is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/metoffice/employability/resources/learning_objects/workexperience/index.htm

Aims - Personal impact

Maximising your impact, becoming indispensable and providing evidence of the value you add to the organisation. Here are some examples:

Now you have clarified your aims, you can go on to our module on getting results from your placement.

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Creative Commons Licence
SMIRK - Preparing for placement by Leeds Metropolitan University Employability Office, modified by Marion Kelt GCU is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/metoffice/employability/resources/learning_objects/workexperience/index.htm