Preparing for a Successful Work Experience

2. Preparing for a Successful Work Experience Developing Business Practice – 302LON Unit: 9Knowledgecast: 1

3. Module Learning Outcomes In this Knowledgecast, we will: • Evaluate current academic, self-marketing and personal skills and present a plan for developing skills • Evaluate own skills, competencies and attitudes required for a successful work experience • Develop an effective employment and career development strategy

4. Module Overview

5. Benefits of Work Experience ’Employers are likely to be looking for graduates who can demonstrate softer skills such as team working, cultural awareness, leadership and communication skills, as well as academic achievement (Carl Gilleard, Chief Executive of the AGR) • Increases your employability • Enhances your CV • Develops your skills and eases your transition into the business world • Demonstrates you are interested in a certain type of work • Increases your networking opportunities Source: CU Careers and Employability Service

6. A 6th Strategy for Career Success Based on: Cameron (2009) Positive Thinking

7. Work Experience Preparation “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat. “I don't much care where,” said Alice. “Then it doesn't matter which way you go,” said the Cat. Lewis Carroll – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

8. Work Experience Preparation

9. Work Experience Preparation SWOT

10. Agree Objectives & Measures of Success • Use your SMART objectives to clarify what you need to achieve • Use your Measures of Success to clarify how you will know that you have achieved your objectives

11. Getting a Realistic Job Preview Use your network of contacts and alumni Web research on the company Arrange an informational interview Web research on the role What will it be like? Come in to meet your colleagues Shadow a colleague for a day Connect with colleagues

12. How Things Work Around Here… Some of the details to find out before Day One: • Start and Finish times • Dress code • Breaks and meal options • Transport links • Contact details for your office • Working relationships with your line manager

13. What are we going to cover next? In our next Knowledgecast, we will look at: • Evaluate current academic, self-marketing and personal skills and present a plan for developing skills • Evaluate own skills, competencies and attitudes required for a successful work experience • Develop an effective employment and career development strategy

14. Knowledgecast Summary In this Knowledgecast, we have looked at: • Evaluate current academic, self-marketing and personal skills and present a plan for developing skills • Review and revise your profile to formulate your preparation for your work experience • Evaluate own skills, competencies and attitudes required for a successful work experience • Identify the needs of the organisation and visualise the working environment to help you fit in and get on • Develop an effective employment and career development strategy • Benefits of using well prepared work experience to gain career building evidence for your professional profile and self marketing tools

16. Seminar: End of Module Assessment • Share reflections and feedback on Regular Assignment 2 • Details of the End of Module Assessment: Reflect on what you have personally learned during this module. How will this affect the way you will study in the future? Prepare your Personal Development Plan and account for the actions you have identified. • Plenary and Q&A

17. Group Activity: Self Awareness Audit ‘Unfortunately, most of us have little sense of our talents and strengths, much less the ability to build our lives around them. Instead, guided by our teachers, parents and managers we become experts in our weaknesses and spend our lives trying to repair these flaws, whilst our strengths lie dormant and neglected.’ Buckingham (2005) Revisit the range of self awareness tools used in this module and review how you have developed your strengths. • What has been most helpful? • Have you identified evidence of how you have developed skills? • What are the areas of strengths and areas to further develop?