I was 15 and I had just finished my GCSEs. As well as having to complete my National Record of Achievement folder (they weren’t the success the Department of Education hoped they would be), the school also “strongly recommended” a week to two of work experience in our chosen career sector. Let us be honest here, how many 15-year-olds really know what sector they want to work in when they reach adulthood? My mum had worked in PR (public relations), in both the private and public sector and had a plethora of contacts in the industry. A few phone calls and a couple of favours later my Mum had secured me work experience at the prestigious PR company The Brunswick Group.
My work experience experience was terrible. Not wishing to sound ungrateful but in the mid-90s I do not believe businesses were as geared up as they are today when it comes to offering work experience, internships or apprentice placements. I spent a week photocopying and making tea and coffee for secretaries, all with the added pain of having to self-fund my travel to the office, an investment that didn’t feel like it was yielding.
My experience didn’t live up to expectations, but now nearly thirty years later I reflect on that experience. As a business owner, if I offer work experience to students, I want the experience to be rewarding for both parties. Last summer I took on my son and his friend for a week's remote work experience. It was remote as I was travelling in Botswana at the time. Each day I set them tasks and each day I provided feedback on the tasks and explained why I had asked them to complete the task. Each of the five tasks they completed over the week was connected and took them through the process of business development, product and market research, identifying the target audience and their requirements, and creating an advert that communicated the benefits of a product to the audience. At the end of the week they had to produce an advert. I was astounded by the results and the creativity.
When I asked the boys for feedback on the week they both appreciated the structure and the tasks, they felt like they were working towards something and learning along the way. One of the final adverts was so good I sent it on Linkedin to the brand owner, who commented on the post and commended the creativity and thoughtfulness.
My key outtakes for both business owners and work experience delegates.
To the business
1. Be prepared to invest time in planning work experience, mapping out what each day looks like and giving the delegate clear tasks that they can complete and feel a sense of accomplishment for doing.
2. Make it relevant, to your business and the delegate. Ensure the work the delegate does adds value to your business. It is a waste of both parties' time if you create obscure tasks that are unrelated to the day-to-day business requirements.
3. Explain why the task has been set, what the learning is, why the task is important and how it relates to bigger activities. Help the delegate understand.
4. Discuss the tasks collectively. Get the delegates' perspective and then offer feedback be it praise or areas for consideration should the task (or something similar) be repeated in the future.
To the Delegate
1. Know what you want from a work experience placement, and pursue it.
2. Use the opportunity to ask questions, learn, and be inquisitive. This is your chance to get insight into a sector you may consider working in, in the future. Try to get a rounded feel for it.
3. Connect with individuals across the business and try to stay connected after the posting. Networking may not be your favourite thing to do but the sooner you get comfortable with it the easier you will find it long term.
4. Give honest feedback to your host so they can help optimise the experience for others in the future.
5. Enjoy it!