096: How to secure work experience when you have given up hope

Dive into your Career

Ever found it tricky to secure work experience? Difficult? Ooooh.... "impossible" you say? If it is feeling like you are not having any success finding work experience, this episode - "How to secure work experience when you have given up hope" is for you.
I'm Gina Visram - a career coach and consultant who wears multiple careers support 'hats' in varying settings. Head of Careers in a secondary school. Freelance Careers Consultant at a University. Careers content creator, workshop facilitator, coach and (soon to be digital product creator) at Your Career and Future (part of Limitless Coaching).
I have had over a decade of supporting students and graduates with their careers - including the oh so important element of work experience and this is truly one of my favourite topics to come back to again and again and again.
Why?
Well, because it is that important. Work experience (and indeed volunteering) truly has the potential to be a game changer on your early career trajectory. The earlier you engage with it the better (some schools offer work experience from Year 10) as before you know it, when you are applying for apprenticeships, part time jobs and graduate jobs - you may get stuck in that frustrating "need experience to get experience cycle".
So - whether you are tuning into this episode as a 22 year old or a 15 year old - I sincerely hope today's topic - "How to secure work experience when you have given up hope" is helpful for you. The 5 main tips given today include:

1. Our mindset and words are powerful: change your tune
2. Take stock of what you have done - and remember to follow up where relevant
3. Approach organisations which are less hierarchical than big corporates
4. Remember all work experience is good work experience: Be open minded
5. Be tenacious: Keep going

If you have found this useful, please share it with at least one friend so they too can be motivated to stick with it and secure their next opportunity.
In the meanwhile, previous episodes about work experience include:

• 066: 3 steps to finding work experience
• 057: How do I find work experience? (10 top tips)
• 017: Where can I find virtual work experience?

Do feel free to engage with this topic (or indeed with me) at any of the below:

• The Dive Into Your Career podcast page of the Your Career And Future website where you can also leave me a message suggesting a careers-related topic for a future episode
• Follow Your Career And Future on Instagram and TikTok
• Via "Gina Visram" on LinkedIn (where they may be a post with a link to this episode where you can contribute some wisdom / reflections)
• Sign up for the mailing list (for students and graduates... a list for their supporters will follow)
• E-mail me on [e-mail] with any queries

Also - are you a job seeker early in your career?
Download the checklist: 25 UNMISSABLE TIPS TO SKYROCKET YOUR JOB APPLICATION SUCCESS RATE
You've got this!