Work experience is important because you will build an impressive CV and can apply for a variety of jobs. You will learn more than just how to succeed in your job, but learn skills that can be used in almost every job you enter.
It is important to gain work experience in an industry you want to progress in. By already having the fundamentals down and an understanding of how things are done, you will be able to gain promotions faster and gain a higher position in a company.
What Is Work Experience?
Work experience can be identified as a certain period of time you have worked at a business where you have learned valuable skills and knowledge. At some jobs, you will learn transferable skills that you can use in the next job you are applying for.
Examples of transferable skills include:
- Adaptability
- Communication skills
- Problem-solving skills
- Flexibility
- Time management
- Critical Thinking
For employers, it can be impressive to see that you have these skills on your CV and raise your chances of landing a job.
How Can I Get Work Experience?
You can get work experience by doing one of the following:
- Volunteering
- Part-time jobs
- Work for the family business
- Apply for internships
- Freelancing
- Job shadowing
- Studying for a NATED Diploma
How Can I Get A Job Even With No Experience?
You can get a job by highlighting all the aspects on your CV that will make you a desirable candidate for the position you are applying for. This can include any hobbies you might have relating to your job.
For example, you are applying for a junior chef position, and you can list cooking and baking as your hobbies, because it can count as experience. You can also list other aspects such as activities you did in school, any tertiary education relevant to the job or list the transferable skills you have.
Why Is Work Experience Important?
Work experience is important because employers generally choose candidates that know what is expected of them before employing them. Work experience is also important because it allows candidates to practice what they will do in their future careers.
What Are The Advantages Of Having Work Experience?
Here is a list of reasons why it would be advantageous to have work experience:
- You will become a valuable employee in the workplace
- You can be offered better job positions
- You will have an impressive CV
- Your interviews will sound more impressive to employers
- You can explore different careers
- You will have a general understanding of how the work environment works
- You can build a professional network with many people
What Is Networking?
Networking is when you build relationships with people within your job environment or on social platforms such as LinkedIn. You will then maintain these relationships even if you move on to another job.
These networks will help you find out from other people about better and more rewarding job opportunities.
What Are The Benefits Of Networking?
Below you will find a list of benefits of creating a professional network with other people:
- You will be building a good reputation for yourself within the business sector
- You will receive a confidence boost
- The opportunity for new job opportunities will be larger
- You will build long-lasting personal relationships with others
- You can trade knowledge and ideas with other professionals to continue your professional development
What Is Professional Development?
Professional development is when you continuously want to educate yourself and grow in your career. You will keep perfecting the skills you can use in your career and learn new skills you can apply to your job.
By developing professionally, you are always working towards a higher job position. You will gain promotions faster if you show your employer you are always interested in improving yourself. Your new knowledge will then be applied to your job and will help your company succeed.
What Are The Five Phases Of Professional Development?
Here are the five phases of professional development:
- Build knowledge base
- Observe examples and models
- Reflect on your practice
- Change your practice
- Gain and share expertise
Build Knowledge Base
In this phase you will acquire new knowledge and information. You will have to understand what you have learned and start setting goals for where you want to go with your professional development journey.
Observe Examples And Models
Here you will study instructional examples such as studying a course, attending a class or watching someone practice a skill you can learn from. You can also watch videos or listen to audio to do your research about the skills you want to learn.
Reflect On Your Practice
This is where you will analyse the information you have researched as well as the instructional knowledge you required in the previous phases. You can now evaluate how it can be used for your professional development. Examples of doing this is by journaling or having a discussion with another person.
Change Your Practice
In this phase, you will take all that you have observed and researched about other people’s professional development and apply it to yourself. You will adapt to your own individual way of doing tasks.
Gain And Share Expertise
The purpose of this phase is to continue your instructional practice and keep studying with your peers. You will keep sharing what you learn with each other and in this way, you will continue your professional development.
Gain Work Experience By Studying A NATED Course At Bellview Institute Of Distance Learning
We can help you gain the work experience you need to kick-start your career. We would recommend doing one of our NATED Diploma courses. This is because this course will not only focus on teaching you the theoretical knowledge you need to enter the business world, but also give you practical experience.
You will earn a total of 18 months of practical work experience, and this will thoroughly prepare you for your future job. The experience you receive in this course you can list under work experiences on your CV. This is why this Diploma is sought after by many students across the country.
Here is a list of all the NATED courses we offer:
- NATED Educare Diploma
- NATED Business Management Diploma
- NATED Human Resource Management Diploma
- NATED Legal Secretary Diploma
- NATED Marketing Management Diploma
- NATED Financial Management Diploma
- NATED Management Assistant Diploma
You can contact one of our course specialists to book your course today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of tips on how you should write your work experience on your CV:
- Write your job experiences from the earliest date to the latest date
- Include your job titles
- Explain what your accomplishments and responsibilities were at your previous jobs
- Include the locations and names of the companies you worked for
- Mentions any promotions you have received
- Be short in your descriptions. You do not need to explain everything about your previous jobs. Remember quality over quantity
You can put any type of job you have worked in. It can even be freelancing, part-time jobs or volunteering. In all of these jobs, you have gained valuable experiences you can use in your next job. That is why it is essential to list any job experience you might have.
It is also important to include the work experience in your CV that is relevant to the job you are applying to. Adding skills or hobbies that match the job you are applying for is also a good idea. By doing this, you can inform the employer you have experience in the specific industry or a similar role. Your chances to get the job will then be higher.
Yes, it can. If you complete a NATED diploma course. If you study for an undergraduate degree, you will mainly focus on theoretical knowledge and not practical skills. With a NATED Diploma, you will gain practical experience that you can list as job experience.
Here are a few examples of different jobs you can do as a student:
- Lifeguard
- Dog-walker
- Fitness instructor
- Home health aide
- Tutor
- Translator
You should emphasize the work experience that relates to the job you are applying for. Here are some elements you can include in these descriptions:
- Be specific about the responsibilities and duties you had in your previous jobs
- Include statistics in your responses, for example, you boosted the company sales by 30% in December 2022
- Describe your previous work experience effectively, because this will make you stand out from competitors
Author: Esmari Pool
Editor: Connor Bergsma
Date Published: August 30, 2022