IT IS an all too familiar problem for current students and graduates alike: you can’t get a job if you don’t have experience, but you won’t get the experience if you can’t get a job.
It’s a vicious circle, and the increasing need to differentiate themselves from the rising number of university graduates, coupled with the highly competitive job market at the moment makes the issue all the more pertinent.
So what’s to be done when you’re a full time-student, unable to spare the time or financial investment to undertake an (often unpaid) internship?
Fortunately for my generation, and those coming up into the world of work, there is such an expanse of opportunities like this available nowadays.
From highly focused, short-term "micro-internships" like those offered by the University of Aberdeen to summer placements for secondary pupils through schemes such as the Career Ready programme, there are so many avenues to try, and plenty of knowledgeable people ready and willing to help you along the way.
I have experienced this myself this year, having had the pleasure of joining the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce as communications assistant through the student placement initiative, co-ordinated by Robert Gordon University.
Lasting typically for 48 weeks, third year students in the management school are given the opportunity to undertake a paid work placement with a company and tasked with real roles and responsibilities - we’re most definitely not just photocopying or making coffee!
From day one, I was involved in rolling out the Chamber’s new website last summer, and training my colleagues in how to use it - having just learned the basics of website administration myself.
Every month, I have been involved in the production and planning process of the Chamber’s monthly magazine, the Business Bulletin, and have also sourced and edited copy for our page in the Roustabout Energy magazine.
I’ve been behind the Chamber’s marketing channels too, creating our monthly enewsletters to send out to members, while sharing news and promoting the Chamber’s work on social media.
And they say students don’t know what hard work is!
For me personally, this has been such an invaluable experience and is one I would encourage others to embrace if they are given the chance.
I have learned so much throughout the year and developed skills that you can't fully grasp in books or in a lecture hall.
Communications, both internal and external, are integral to any organisation and for me personally, being part of the Chamber’s communications team has without doubt enhanced my knowledge in this key area.
This, alongside other aspects of my role such as time management, keeping to deadlines and working as a team are all skills I have built upon during my placement, and it’s gaining these (buzzword alert) "transferable skills" that makes the opportunity so valuable.
The interview process when applying to the role in the first instance gave me much-needed practice in an interview situation, and taught me that the process is as much about finding out if the company is a fit for you as it is about finding if you are a fit for the company.
Being involved in the recruitment process for my successor was also a great insight, as I have been able to see what is expected of a candidate from the other side of the interview table.
Even simple things like getting to know what an office environment is like has been a benefit.
I know what to expect now and won't find it so daunting in future.
I’m just holding out hope that every office is as lovely as the team here at the Chamber!
However, it’s not just the student who gains something from this arrangement.
The employer can benefit from the student’s fresh perspective, enthusiasm and ideas, and sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can see things in a different light, or identify a new approach to a process or project that you might never have thought of before.
It’s a win-win for both sides, and who knows?
Maybe the student might work for you again someday in the future.