Build an employment record

It is time that our youth pound the pavements to try all possible ways to get work experience, says Natalie Rabson of Boston City Campus & Business College.   You can get work experience to put on your CV even if you are a young graduate and have never had a job before, says Natalie Rabson of Boston City Campus & Business College. 

“The talk lately is all about the unemployment rate amongst the young people of our country,” she comments. “According to the World Economic Forum Global Risk 2014, South Africa has the third highest unemployment rate in the world for people between the ages of 15 to 24. According to the latest Statistics SA report on national and provincial labour market trends, our unemployment rate among youth aged 15 to 34 increased from 32.7% to 36.1% between 2008 and 2014. These statistics are enough to wipe the smile off even the most enthusiastic and optimistic job seeker, aren’t they” Rabson, however, believes that instead of throwing in the towel, young people should take to the streets like their predecessors did 38 years ago - not to protest but rather to change their unemployed status.  “Thirty eight years ago, South Africa’s youth took to the streets to fight against an unfair education system,” she explains. “Today, many of our youth have a qualification - be it a degree or a diploma or a certificate - but cannot get jobs because they don’t have any work experience. The fact is that employers prefer to employ candidates who have hands-on work experience and can be productive from the first day on the job.  It is definitely a clear sign that our youth should take charge of their futures, and try all possible ways to get some work experience. They should not sit in their rooms waiting for things to change.”

It is not easy, but with a positive attitude and a spirit of perseverance it is possible to create a record of working experience. Rabson suggests that you first identify what experience you need to get to find a job in your field of study; then find ways to get that experience. “Push aside the idea that you can only get experience when you are officially employed,” she advises. “Every project, every small part-time job can help you build up a track record of work experience. For example, waiting tables at a restaurant gives you experience in customer care and basic public relations skills. So if you want to go in those fields of work, get yourself a part-time job as a waiter or waitress and add it as work experience to your CV.

Volunteering at charity organisations can give very broad experience in sales, bookkeeping, administration and project management, to name a few.”The secret is to point out in your CV the relevance of your past experience to the position you are applying. Should you be applying for a position that requires dealing with customers, experience as a waiter or waitress should definitely count in your favour. Yet there are learners and graduates that don’t consider a waitering job because they believe that such a job is not in line with their future career aspirations or that it doesn’t count as ‘real’ experience in the eyes of prospective employers.

According to Rabson there are many similar examples of seemingly menial jobs that can ultimately lead to a list of credible work experience. “You will realise there are plenty of opportunities when you start looking carefully,” says Rabson. “And you need to remember that all work experience shows commitment and perseverance, it’s also an opportunity for an employer to get to know you and write a great letter of reference concerning your work ethic and initiative. These are all traits that are valuable to any employer.

Try as many job opportunities as you can until you have a reasonable record of experience that you can mention in your CV.”It is, however, essential to specify in your CV what skills you acquired with each project or job that you carried out, she points out. “Put on your CV the type of work done, the place and dates that you worked and then explain what you can now do that you couldn’t previously do,” she says. “If uncertain on how to put it on your CV, ask your parents, a mentor, recruitment agency or a career advisor to help you draw up a CV that will sell you as good employee material.” 

Contact Boston City Campus and Business College on 011-551-2000, email info@boston.co.za or visit www.boston.co.za. Boston offers its students top training and assists them with compiling winning CVs and job searching.

These look good on your CV

To create your own work experience, be prepared to carry out the work for no pay or on commission-only basis.  Aim at getting work experience to add to your CV; make financial needs a second priority. Look for opportunities like:

Selling – it teaches people skills, marketing skills, confidence and how to handle rejection. Any and every business makes use of sales staff, part-time and fulltime.?

Stocktaking – it teaches skills in time keeping, administration, accuracy, and working with others. Both big as well as small businesses do stocktaking, so ask the friendly shop or spaza around the corner to take you on. 

Data-capturing – it teaches basic computer skills, accuracy, working according to schedules and deadlines and dealing with important information. Retailers use data capturers to input credit applications from consumers, schools and colleges need to register learners details on computer. 

Organising/ helping at events –there are PR companies that run events, retailers that have special promotions, educational institutions that have open days; sports events and personal events such as weddings. Helping out at events teaches how to deal with people,  how to order products (food, beverages etc) and how to manage a project. 

Volunteering – help with answering phone calls, taking care of correspondence, dealing with queries, welcoming visitors, doing filing, helping people to fill in forms correctly. You can offer your services to Community Policing Forums, charity organisations, educational institutions and government departments, for example. 

Studying at a college that helps students get practical skills – Boston City Campus & Business College runs the Experience IT programme for its final year students.

blog comments powered by Disqus