My work experience diary

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My heart pounded against my chest when I received the email I’d been waiting for the last several weeks: "Your work experience has been confirmed!"

It makes you feel like you’ve basically graduated, been offered a job and you’re now a successful human being. OK, I got ahead of myself a little… in reality I am panicking and I don’t know what to expect.

So, here’s what I gathered from my work experience journey at Whatuni, be prepared to take some notes!

Preparation

First things first, Whatuni is located in London and I am not. So early planning was essential.

The first thing I learned was that having a 16-25 rail card was going to be crucial. It took me almost two hours by train to get to the office, so without the rail card I’d have to pay £70 per day return ticket. Happily (I guess) I paid £45, which for students yes it is pretty expensive but then again you gotta do what you gotta do.

I left early in the morning, departing with a tea in my hand ready for my day. It was all going well until I was late on my first day because of a ‘train incident’ at Basingstoke station. Great…

How I coped

Despite the fact I was late, I was excited to meet the team and get the day started.  Luckily I didn’t trip, fall over, or do anything else embarrassing and my time there went a lot smoother than the train incident.

Throughout the week I was responsible for pitching ideas for both video and written content. As I like to be organised, I shared my ideas that I came up with in advance and started writing straight away.

Being in the office surrounded by about 100 people gives you a real understanding of the industry. You get an exclusive insight into the way it all works, the understanding of the teamwork and being treated like an actual adult. Also, having all these people around me, it made me more motivated to get things done. I must say that when it came to my last day, I felt a little bit sad. I didn’t want to leave.

What I’ve learnt

Most importantly, expanding your network should not be taken for granted, as it will always give you further opportunities. One of the main reasons that I received this placement is because I’ve been freelancing for Whatuni, and in order to graduate I had to have hours within the office.

Even though work experience can be seen nerve racking, be yourself! Not only does it look good on your CV but it’s also something more exciting than another day at the university.

Oh, and when you’re stressed, have deadlines and lots of work to do, it’s ok to take a five minute break to pet the office’s inflatable dinosaur.

Checklist: five things you need to do before you go on your placement

1. Plan your journey early

2. If the placement is unpaid, check with your university if they will refund travelling expenses.

3. Know the background of the company, including names within the team if possible.

4. Don’t do work experience in a company or industry that you have no interest in

5. Put on your best attitude and be yourself!