Hints and help about work experience

Make sure you turn up on time!

Turning up on time (or even 5-10 minutes early) will let you your supervisors know that you’re keen to learn and that you’re taking your placement seriously. Turning up late will indicate to the company that you don’t really appreciate the experience they’re offering you, or care about learning the company’s role and values.

It’s important to look the part.

Think about what the people you’re working with might wear, and try to dress in a similar way. Dressing inappropriately will demonstrate to your lack of suitability to the role. This isn’t to say go and buy a $500 suit, just use what you’ve got, or borrow from a friend. And if you’re not sure what employees at the company might wear, give them a call the week before and out how they expect you to dress.

Treat your work experience like an audition.

You never know where a week’s work experience might take you! Years down the track when you’ve finished school and gotten the necessary training requirements you might be in line for a position with the company you did the work experience for!

Be proactive.

Don’t sit around waiting for someone to tell you what to do. Approach people around the office and ask if you can be of assistance to them.

Do all tasks with energy and enthusiasm.

Your supervisors are more likely to treat you with respect, if you do the same for them. So even if you’re asked to do menial tasks like shredding paper – do it with pizzazz!

Take time to sit back and absorb the environment.

It’s amazing how much you will learn just from being in a ‘work’ environment. Observe how the office operates, and what each person’s role is within. Do employees work together? Or do they work as individuals?

Have a chat.

Talk to your colleagues about what they do for the company, and how they came to be in that position (i.e. what study and training did they do?) Ask them if they have any advice on making it in the industry.

Don’t race out of the office at 5 o’clock on the dot!

It’s going to look poor if the clock strikes 5pm and you’re running out the door. If it won’t take all night, finish the task you’re doing, and ask the person you’re working with if there’s anything else they need you to do before you leave for the night.

Ask for feedback.

Ask your supervisor or whoever you’ve been working with for feedback on the tasks you’ve completed. What did you do well? And what can you work on improving for future tasks?