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What can i offer a potential employer?

  • 06-06-2009 09:00PM
    #1
    lisajane
    Closed Accounts Posts: 585 ✭✭✭


    What can i offer a potential employer?

    Im hoping to do a career change and going back to college (in sept 2010) where i need work experience as part of the course, but i would like to get my application in early cause of all the other students as well. Im thinking of making a start looking for work in september or october, but would this be too early, a year in advance? I have started volunteer work and i have also done a distance learning course. But with alot of people looking for work, how can i get my foot in the door? Would it be mad if i offer employers a week's free work experience? Il do anything.


Comments

  • #2
    Thoie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,344 ✭✭✭Thoie


    I'm afraid a year in advance is probably too early for most companies to consider - they're unlikely to know their needs/budget for specific roles at that stage. I'd suggest writing approx 6 months in advance to say you'd be interested in work experience there and take it from there.

    Offering to work for free for a week isn't totally mad, but you have to consider a few things from the employer's perspective.

    1. You're unlikely to do anything beneficial for them in a week - it takes many people that long to figure out where the toilets are.
    2. Some companies won't want the hassle of providing you with a mentor/buddy for that short a time - instead of adding value, all you'd be doing is distracting someone else from their work.
    3. Unions don't react well to people providing services for free.
    4. Some places may have security/safety/insurance concerns about having a "non-employee" wandering around the place.

    What area are you interested in? People might find it easier to help you if we knew the field you're aiming for.


  • #3
    lisajane
    Closed Accounts Posts: 585 ✭✭✭lisajane


    Thanks for that. I would like to do veterinary nursing. What's the best way to get my foot in the door? As you can tell from the thought of applying a year in advance. im really interested. I'l do anything.


  • #4
    Thoie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,344 ✭✭✭Thoie


    I don't know anything about veterinary nursing specifically, but it might be one of the easier jobs to give some free work experience to. A lot of vet's practises are one-man jobs, and (I'm assuming) patient confidentiality wouldn't be huge. For example a doctor and his human patients wouldn't let you hang around while he gives Mrs. Murphy a breast check, but I can't imagine too many people being offended if you're present while Mrs. Murphy's puppy gets his worming tablets/nails clipped.

    I presume your current volunteering is at an animal rescue place or something similar. If that's the case, there'll probably be a local vet that they work with. You could approach the vet in the first instance, tell them you're interested in nursing, and ask if there's anything you could do to help, and if it would be possible for you to observe. Offer to stay completely out of the way unless specifically asked for something.

    From there you could ask about observing/helping out in their surgery from time to time. I'm assuming most vets have a place to keep animals overnight, in which case there'd be cage cleaning/feeding/watering to be done and that might help familiarise you with "Kitty X isn't to be fed today"/"Puppy Y is on limited liquids" or whatever goes on in a vets :)


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