Today we are sharing the views of a recent graduate on the importance of work experience. Caitlin McLaren graduated from the School of Biological Sciences this summer and is currently employed by Nestle on their graduate scheme.
Caitlin took a proactive approach to sourcing work experience from 1st year onwards. In the summer between 1st and 2nd year she arranged 1 week’s work shadowing with an agricultural firm she’d met at the Careers Fair. In the summer between 2nd and 3rd year she aimed for experience more closely aligned with her degree, and after around 30 emails and calls to bioscience companies, secured 3 week’s lab experience. In her final summer break, she wanted to try and gain experience in a more commercial environment, having decided that a lab-based career probably wasn’t for her.
Here, she explains how she went about finding that internship, reflects on what she learned from it, and shares her top tips.
During the Christmas holidays of third year, I was determined to find an internship in a completely different sector and experience a workplace in a more business focussed setting. Third year internships are offered by many companies and are more structured than general work experience. Therefore, higher expectations are placed on the interns; you will have work to complete, be expected to participate in team meetings and be treated like it is your job. After browsing different job sites and reading about their internship programmes, I applied to Nestle for their 10 week internship in Quality Assurance. Ever since my time at the agricultural company, I had an interest in food production and thought there would be no better place to learn about this than the world’s largest food and beverage manufacturer! As with the majority of companies offering these programmes, there are a range of functions available. I decided on Quality as I thought it would allow me to use my analytical and problem solving skills I had developed at university whilst working in a commercial setting. After completing online tests and a video interview, I was invited to the assessment centre. It was an intense day of interviews, presentations and group work but I absolutely loved it! Everyone was so friendly and welcoming and after speaking to some of the employees, I really could see myself working there. Therefore, when the phone rang the following day with the news that I had been successful, I couldn’t wait to begin!
The 10 weeks I spent at their beverage factory in Carlisle was a fantastic learning experience. I was able to interact with all functions in the factory and I got to know many different people. My day would begin with a team meeting where our priorities were discussed and any issues raised. This was a good time to speak and ask for advice with the projects I was working on. At the start, I was always nervous about asking too many silly questions but I soon found that asking is one of the best ways of learning. Everyone knows you are new and I was always so surprised at how willing everyone was to answer all my questions thoroughly. Another key learning from this experience was the importance of building relationships and adapting my approach to suit different people. Everyone is different and so is their work style. By taking the time to get to know your colleagues, you will soon become aware of what approach suits and this will help to bring out the best in your conversation. As I grew more settled in my role, I was able to seek out different projects to get involved in and this gave me a greater knowledge in different aspects of Quality. I would also advise to make the most of your internship, I got involved in the Nestle charity stall at a village country show! Another advantage of many internships is the support you receive throughout. The Nestle Academy (responsible for interns, placement students, apprentices and graduates) are fantastic at making sure you are getting the best out of your programme. They ran different sessions throughout the 10 weeks and brought all the interns together, which was great time to discuss our roles and exchange advice. The academy also ran different events such as one which intended to improve and hone your presenting skills – something that was incredibly useful and has continued to influence my presentations. This support and network of other interns was an extremely valuable resource and contributed to my personal development. The 10 weeks flew past and when we were offered the opportunity to apply for a graduate role for the following year, I jumped at the chance. After presenting my learnings from my summer in front of the Quality Assurance senior leadership team and feedback given from my collegues in Dalston, I was so excited to be offered the job.
From my experience, I hope it is clear that every bit of work experience counts. It all adds up – a couple of days spent shadowing someone in first year might seem irrelevant to your final job, but it is just as important. Each piece of experience will build on to the next, no matter how small, there are always learnings and skills to be gained. I lost count of the number of people I contacted and ended up with only a couple of responses, but a couple of responses is all you need. If you know what you’re interested in – great. Go and research jobs which are relevant to your field and get some experience. If you don’t know what you are interested in – great. Go and research a variety of roles and apply for experience in a range of areas. You may not like any of them but that is also useful, your reasons for not enjoying them will help you focus on a career path that is for you!
I cannot stress enough the importance of work experience. I didn’t quite appreciate it at the time but 6 weeks into my graduate job, it is very clear. The skills learnt and business exposure gained will prepare you for a career in a way in which university cannot. I was very lucky in coming out with a job straight from my internship, however I know this is not always the case. But the experience and knowledge gained will be invaluable and will be a key factor in being selected for a role in the future.
My Top Tips for Work Experience
- Write a list of all the companies that you would be interested in gaining work experience with (and also remember which locations you would be prepared to travel to).
- Allocate a few hours (the Christmas holidays is a good time to start looking for work experience in summer) to write to the companies – DO include WHY you want experience with them. Spend some time researching and looking at their business aims and values.
- DON’T send a generic email to everyone. It might be easier and take less time but it shows a lack of effort and you are extremely unlikely to get a response.
- DO phone when possible. It might seem daunting but it will be appreciated. You are also more likely to be put through to the correct person instead of your email being lost in a general inbox, and it also shows your interest.
- The more the merrier. Apply to as many as possible to increase the likelihood of a response!
- Don’t give up. There were times when I felt like I had spent hours contacting companies and weeks would go by with no response. CONTACT AGAIN! You may feel like it’s pestering but it shows you’re keen! Make note of the dates you contacted them and email again a week or two later – following up is key!!
- If some workplaces can’t accommodate you for a week or two, ask for one or two days! This will still offer an excellent insight into the workplace.
- Keep a note of all the things you do during your work experience placement and the skills you’re using – it doesn’t have to be an in-depth diary but it will be so useful to look back on when you are applying for other internships/ jobs.
- As I mentioned before, part-time jobs and voluntary work are also great for developing skills – if possible, try and get involved in different aspects which may be relevant to a career you are interested in. For example if you are interested in marketing, then organising and promoting events for a university society would be really useful
- Ask ask ask. There are no limits to the number of questions you can ask! To get the most out of your experience, ask questions e.g. about the business, how it operates, the different roles within and how they interlink. A great question when meeting new people is ‘How did you get to where you are now?’ Not only does it show your interest but it will also help you build a picture of the many diverse career paths you can take – I’ve been surprised a few times when I have asked this question!
- Be grateful – it is not a requirement for organisations to take on people for work experience, so remember to thank those who help you!
- Finally, enjoy! Be excited to be gaining new skills, experience and business networks – make the most of it!
To take a look at the different internship and graduate programmes available at Nestle then follow this link: https://www.nestlecareers.co.uk/academy/
Good luck!
Caitlin
