Three ways to gain work experience before you even graduate!

There comes a time in every student’s life when they’re taking a gander on Indeed.com or LinkedIn and realize one thing. Those job interests—even the entry-level ones—require at least some work experience. The problem is, you’re still in school and haven’t yet had a full-time job. What is a person to do? 

Turns out, there are ways to get work experience even if you don’t have experience. This way, you can help secure a job when the time comes. 

Volunteer 

Volunteer opportunities often don’t require as much experience because, well, they’re not paying you. And that makes them the perfect opportunity to take on a role that will provide you with valuable practice. Websites like Charity Village, Volunteer Toronto, or industry volunteer boards are good places to start. There are also volunteer opportunities on campus! Student groups often have postings at the beginning of each semester. Be sure to follow your school, faculty, and program’s social media to stay in the loop. With volunteering, not only are you helping an organization advance its mission, but you gain experience while making valuable connections. If you do your best and commit to strengthening your skills, you never know when a paid position will come up with your name on it!

Apply for an on-campus job

I worked on campus in positions that gave me blogging, writing, communications, and social media experience. These jobs were paid, convenient, and the hours coincided with my course schedule. Not to mention, they set me up really well for a job in communications. So many people would ask me how I was able to go to cool events and get sweet gigs, but it was nothing more than applying for a job right at school! I highly recommend looking for on-campus opportunities.

Get an internship

Internships are an amazing way to get your foot in the door, work on relevant projects and tasks, and create real results for a team or department. Start your internship search early to see what’s out there. And make sure to do some research on the terms of the internship (i.e. whether it’s paid).