Five Tips to Guarantee Your Placement Success

Five Tips to Guarantee Your Placement Success A good work placement can set you apart from other graduates who havent had the benefit of a year-in-industry, but you cant expect just to stumble onto a good work placement. Here are five tips to help you pick the right opportunity and then shine once you start. 1. Be picky Dont just apply for every placement scheme you find. Decide what you want from a placement and target the ones that offer what youre looking for. Writing individually tailored cover letters will make you stand out from the crowd and will help you secure the place you want. Next, do as much research as possible so you know exactly what youre getting yourself into. Aim for a position which offers you the chance to do real work, not just administration. Think about how the tasks youll be carrying out will look on your CV. Which would you rather have? A years experience photocopying at an FTSE 100 company, or working at a smaller firm but getting hands-on experience of the kind of role youll be applying for when you graduate? Asking students who have already been on a placement about the experiences they have had is an excellent way of getting a real picture of how a scheme will benefit you. 2. Present yourself well It used to be a new haircut and some smart clothes were all that were needed to impress a prospective employer, but these days you also need to worry about your online persona. Employers will  track down your social media accounts to help them decide if taking you on would be a good idea so you need to make sure youre not making the wrong impression. Limiting access to your profiles is advisable, especially if there are things on there that dont present you in the best light. Its also a good idea to learn about the job interview process, especially if you have no experience of them. Researching the sorts of question you are likely to be asked and preparing some answers is an excellent way to ensure youre not overwhelmed by what can be a daunting experience. 3. Be prepared for a culture shock The most obvious difference between student and working life is that in the latter you have to be in the office by 9am Monday to Friday but thats one of the easier things to adapt to. Its the more subtle differences that are harder to get to grips with. Take deadlines, for example. You have them at university and youll have them on your placement. But when youre given an essay, you can expect around three months notice of its due date. In the office, youll sometimes be given a task that needs to be completed by close of business the next day. Learning to manage your time and prioritise tasks will be one of the most challenging parts of your placement and mastering it will ensure you get given more rewarding duties to carry out as your manager will know you can be trusted. 4. Remember youre still learning It might not be the same as university, but a work placement is very much a learning experience, so take everything you can from it. If youve done your homework, you should find yourself carrying out a range of tasks giving you experience of a variety of roles. Not only will this look great on your CV, but it can also broaden your horizons in terms of the kinds of places you can work at and positions you can apply for once you graduate. A good placement is the best way of researching your future career. 5. Take your business skills back to uni Dont think you have to wait until after graduation to benefit from your placement â€" your new-found time management skills can be used to help streamline your studies. Youll find that when youre used to getting up early most mornings, you wont be able to sleep until noon even if you want to. Take the regimented ways you learned at your placement and apply them to the rest of your time at university. Perhaps the most important thing to remember, though, is that your placement is what you make of it. Put yourself out there, let people know youre willing to help out in whatever way you can. Dont blend into the wallpaper.