Different types of work experience
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Work placement or practicum required for registration with a professional body
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Work placement within your program, but not required for professional registration
The term ‘work experience’ includes any paid or unpaid work, from your casual weekend position to paid summer internships. While most employers value all work experience, they will be especially interested in experience that is relevant to your degree. Work experience can take many different forms.
Work placement or practicum required for registration with a professional body
To enter professions such as engineering, nursing and social work, you are required to undertake a specified period of work experience during your degree. In most cases you will not be paid for this kind of placement or practicum, but you will gain invaluable experience. Your School will help you organise your placement and provide you with support materials. You should also check out the sections on this website about the aims and benefits of work experience and how to get the most out of work experience.
Work placement within your program, but not required for professional registration
Many programs at UniSA provide the opportunity for students to undertake work experience as part of the program. This form of placement will usually involve you working on a specified project for a host organisation, for an agreed period of time. You will not be paid for your work, but you will receive credit towards your degree. If you are deciding whether or not to take an elective that involves work experience, you may want to consider the aims and benefits of work experience. Depending on how your School organises work experience, you could also check out the section on how to find work experience opportunities.
Work experience outside of your program
If your program does not offer opportunities for work experience, you may decide it’s worth organising your own. Look at the aims and benefits of work experience section to help you make your decision, then check out how to find work experience opportunities.
Vacation positions or internships
Many organisations offer vacation positions or internships for penultimate or final year students studying in particular discipline areas. These roles are almost always paid, and frequently lead to full-time graduate employment with the organisation. As a result, competition for places is high, and you need to be aware of when employers advertise these opportunities. If you are interested in undertaking a vacation role or internship, find out how to locate positions under how to find work experience opportunities.
Volunteering
Volunteering is work undertaken for a not-for-profit organisation. It’s great if you can find a role that relates to your career aspirations, but employers are likely to look favourably upon any volunteering activities. Volunteering can help you demonstrate your commitment to a particular kind of role, such as teaching or marketing, or a particular cause, such as environmentalism or reconciliation. It also shows that you have a sense of social responsibility and a willingness to contribute to your local community.
Part-time or casual work not related to your degree
While work experience relevant to your degree is of greatest value when applying for positions, your weekend job in a supermarket or bar can still be very useful ‘work experience’. If this is the only experience you’ve had, then you can use it to demonstrate a range of transferable skills. For example, you could talk about how your casual job has taught you how to communicate with a diverse range of people and the capacity to juggle several tasks simultaneously.
You can check out part-time and casual positions in MyCareerPlan jobs database.
Extra-curricular activities
You may be involved in recreational, creative or political groups or activities that provide you with experience that will be of interest to employers. For example, writing grant applications for a local group will develop your writing skills, organising fundraisers is a great way of getting event management experience and being Chair of a committee will give you the opportunity to enhance your communication and leadership skills. Many organisations are looking to recruit ‘well-rounded’ employees, and your involvement in extra-curricular activities can demonstrate that you have a variety of interests.