work experience
Relevant work experience is a requirement in most job postings! Employers often feel that employing a candidate with some experience will help them prepare for work and also help them develop general business awareness. Work experience is not limited to working in a company as a full-time employee; volunteering to work for a firm without being compensated or working online for freelance sites such as Upwork can also be considered as work experience.
Having work experience shows an employer that the candidate is self-motivated: it also indicates that they are passionate and interested in growing professionally. Therefore, they are likely to be offered a job than new University graduates with no experience.
Work experience enables students to gain soft skills such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills – they are highly valued by all employers. Also, one will quickly become successful in any work environment if they have these skills. “Today’s workers have less repetitive job tasks and need more autonomy and superior soft skills due to the flattening of the organizational structure.” (Meeks, 2017).
Working as either an intern or a freelancer is the best way to identify one’s abilities and areas that one may flourish. Also, one can identify their weaknesses and work on them to foster quick career development.
References
Meeks, G. (2017). Critical Soft Skills to Achieve Success in the Workplace. Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5180&context=dissertations