Work experience vital for today's graduates, says Milkround.com

Graduates cannot expect to walk into jobs with only their degree.

When students look to enter the workplace they must have previous work experience, preferably in the industry they are applying for, according to research by graduate recruitment website Milkround.com.

It asked users who had some form of work experience before applying for graduate jobs whether the knowledge and skills gained was useful for securing a position.

Of nearly 200 users questioned, more than half said work experience was vital. A total of 21 percent claimed the only way into their chosen industry is through paid or unpaid work experience, while another 39 percent said they wouldn't be able to get a job without some form of relevant experience.

Just 10 percent stated work experience had little benefit and 17 percent thought their industry would take on graduates with no relevant experience.

Comments from students and graduates echoed a positive attitude towards work experience. One said: Good work experience shows an interest in your chosen industry and sets you apart from other candidates who have similar academic records. Employers have looked at my degree qualification, but have also looked at my work experience from placement. The job areas people have contacted me for are related to my placement work experience.

Another revealed the clear difference having work experience made to their prospects. They said: I graduated with a 2.1 in Business Studies and aimed to work in marketing. Every job vacancy required that candidates have at least 1yrs experience, so I volunteered and landed a marketing assistant position in the city after eight months.



One graduate who now recruits also believes work experience is important. They added: I would not recruit anyone who had not taken the trouble to get some kind of work experience as I do not believe they could honestly justify why they wanted to follow one line of work over another.

However, there was some suggestion that the right work experience must be found. One respondent said: I feel that having work experience in a business function I no longer want to work in is actually hindering my opportunities in areas I do want to work in. It's hard to get a good balance.

Milkround.com spokesman Mike Barnard commented: It's hard to break into any industry, but these results show if you make the effort to find work experience while you are at university, it makes getting that first graduate role much easier. Although it is not possible for all students to work when they are studying, applying for internships or even volunteering when they finish can be the best way to find full time employment in their favoured industry.