Gaining Work Experience

You may find yourself only focusing on academics during your diploma or degree. Although this is great to do, as you will be educating yourself, there is a component of post-secondary that students can forget. This component is gaining work experience. Take some time to think about why you are doing your diploma or degree. It is NOT to practice how you study or master doing quizzes, it IS to gain relevant knowledge and skills that will translate to a career. Let's dive into my tips for gaining work experience, whether it be this summer, during the school year, or next summer!

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or simply want to chat. My information can be found at the bottom of this post.

What makes me credible to give you advice on how to gain work experience? I realized the importance of gaining work experience in my second year of university and have gained both paid and volunteer experience in the field I want to go into, marketing. Below I have briefly listed the work experience I have gained so far in my education:

Volunteer:

- Social Media Manager for the Humans of TRU

- Marketing Team Member for Your Edu Connect

- Marketing Campaign Volunteer for Volunteer Kamloops

- Marketing Volunteer for The Shuswap Family Centre

Paid:

- Marketing Coordinator for Community Futures Thompson Country

- Marketing Summer Student at Salmon Arm Savings and Credit Union

Trying hard in my classes and getting good grades is a priority of mine, but also seeking experience in the workplace. It not only gives you an idea of how your future career will look like, but allows you to maintain and develop your skills. There may be a lot of questions storming in your mind. Where do I look for internships in my field? How long will it take me to find an internship? Is looking for an internship like looking for a job? It may seem complicated, but it truly can be so simple! You will never know what's out there unless you look, so I recommend browsing contract and temporary positions in your field on Indeed (https://ca.indeed.com/), WorkBC if you are from British Columbia (https://www.workbc.ca/Jobs-Careers/Find-Jobs/Jobs.aspx), Workopolis (https://www.workopolis.com/en/), and so on. This form of searching is the most generic, however you can extend your search further.

If you are in university and have not yet learned the employment-oriented site LinkedIn, make a profile now! Seriously. It serves as a platform for you to showcase your resume online for thousands of students, entrepreneurs, and employers to see. You can connect with others like you, in the same career path as you, and in your dream career. Not only can you connect with them, but you can message them and learn so much about the career you are pursuing. LinkedIn has a "jobs" tab that allows you to search for job titles, can be internships too, in specific locations. It will give you that much of an opportunity to find your ideal internship.

What else could you do to find work experience? Use your current connections! This can include students in your classes, professors, club members, and previous employers. Who knows, someone in your life may know of the perfect opportunity for you... you just need to ask!

While using job boards, LinkedIn, and personal connections in your life, you may come across struggles. Finding an internship can be difficult and it was for me this year. I started applying for summer jobs in February and did not land the Marketing Summer Student position I am in now until June. Be persistent. If you want it bad enough, the right opportunity will come to you. Keep searching, keep making connections, and keep being confident that you are capable to land a position and will!

Email: kimzavera28@gmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyscampus/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlyzavera/