Applying for Work Experience

Cakes.

I was just thinking of places to do work experience and was wondering how exactly do you apply for it. We were told to get working on it over the Summer and want to start applying for places.

So, how do you ask do you say, " I was wondering if it would be possible to do work experience in (wherever)?"

or

"Do you take students on for work experience? If so would it be possible for me to do work experience there?"

I don't want to come across cheeky or anything like.

So, what's your thoughts ?

IrishKnight

Phone up the company/whatever and say that you are interested in what they are doing and wondering if it would be possible to do work experience with them for however long it is you do it. Have a CV ready in the event they want one.

Cakes.

But what do you put on a CV, I've no exam results or stuff like that to put on it

IrishKnight

Any jobs you might have had, awards you got, clubs you are involved in, stuff like that.

Desire.

I've my CV made already. I was thinking of doing some work experience in a gym. Would be enjoyable and something I am interested in.

Cakesofrice wrote: »

But what do you put on a CV, I've no exam results or stuff like that to put on it

Your Pre results.

shadowninty

I didn't Want to put in my pre results so i just put down my JC results as "available Sept. 2011"

Hope i get what i applied for :L

Indiego

What are all of ye applying for?

I just put down alll of my interests/achievments/exam results/recomendations from teacher/extra curricular shizz
Im actuallly quite proud of mine

Ive done alot of my applications via email so far, its easier to find an email adress than a phone number for some reason
My school is being stupid, and we do one day a week for 10 weeks per placements, so its been harder for me to get places, but, so far i have 3 i can do one more if i want, because im doing a full week one because it was too good to deny haha

Jackobyte

Cakesofrice wrote: »

I was just thinking of places to do work experience and was wondering how exactly do you apply for it. We were told to get working on it over the Summer and want to start applying for places.

So, how do you ask do you say, " I was wondering if it would be possible to do work experience in (wherever)?"

or

"Do you take students on for work experience? If so would it be possible for me to do work experience there?"

I don't want to come across cheeky or anything like.

So, what's your thoughts ?

Put together a nice CV and cover-letter and then meeting them face-to-face, ask if they have any work experience placements available, that you'd love to get some experience in area X as you are considering going down that route after school. Dress up like a respectable member of society as well, don't turn up in tracksuit and tackys. If they don't immediately offer you a place, leave the CV with them and hope they get back to you. They are less likely to cast it aside if they have a face associated with it.

Cakesofrice wrote: »

But what do you put on a CV, I've no exam results or stuff like that to put on it

I've attached my CV and covernote with my TY details just edited in there so it is just a draft. I'd have to fix it up before giving it to anyone. It has specifics edited out. Just if you want to get an idea of what to put on it. This is my post-TY one. My pre-TY one was much sparser. They won't expect you to have much in it anyway, just contact details and a few skills, etc. That is why meeting them and making a good impression is so important. Everyone's CV's will blend together. Also, a picture included is handy as well, a face associated with a name helps.

Desire.

Nice results! :pac:

What is the DAT thing you have?

Jackobyte

Desire. wrote: »

Nice results! :pac:

What is the DAT thing you have?

Cheers.

Differential Aptitude Test. Most schools do them at some stage, usually TY or 5th Year. It says how good you are in each of those sectors. The results are given in percentiles meaning that each result means I did better than that percent of people my age in that sector. Highest percentile possible in them is 99.

shadowninty

Is the DAT the same thing you do for CTYI?

IrishKnight

Four pages! Get rid of all the white space and cut it down to two pages max!

As for the cover letter, that should be specific for each application, not a generic one like you have provided...

Desire.

Mine is only a page long. I was told to keep it short.

rorrissey

People are applying already? I don't even know what date my school does work experience in.. I was hoping to apply for a clothes store for one week and then maybe work for my uncle's office the second week.

Jackobyte

shadowninty wrote: »

Is the DAT the same thing you do for CTYI?

You do a DAT exam for CTYI but I was only told about CTYI when I got those results (verbal reasoning was high enough for me to apply) and by then, it was too late to apply. :mad:

IrishKnight wrote: »

Four pages! Get rid of all the white space and cut it down to two pages max!

As for the cover letter, that should be specific for each application, not a generic one like you have provided...

The white on page 3 is just because I added some details from TY into it and was too lazy to try shorten it to the 3 pages (removing the white of 3rd page). I would remove the space before handing it in anywhere, as I did say, it's a draft. I wouldn't go any shorter than that though tbh. 3 pages isn't unreasonable. The informationn might only take up 2 pages but to present that information clearly, formatting of some sort is required.

shadowninty

Jackobyte wrote: »

You do a DAT exam for CTYI but I was only told about CTYI when I got those results (verbal reasoning was high enough for me to apply) and by then, it was too late to apply. :mad:

But could I put my CTYI results down? I got the verbal reasoning and maths

Jackobyte

shadowninty wrote: »

But could I put my CTYI results down? I got the verbal reasoning and maths

I would anyway. It would separate you from the crowd showing you as being above average intelligence.

shadowninty

If i can find it. I usually throw that crap out.

IrishKnight

Jackobyte wrote: »

3 pages isn't unreasonable. The informationn might only take up 2 pages but to present that information clearly, formatting of some sort is required.

You may not think it unreasonable, but it shows that you are unable to condense information! I didn't read over it all, employers don't have time to read pages of stuff, so when it comes to CVs, less is more. But hey, what do I know, I'm just a research scientist :rolleyes:

Jackobyte

IrishKnight wrote: »

You may not think it unreasonable, but it shows that you are unable to condense information! I didn't read over it all, employers don't have time to read pages of stuff, so when it comes to CVs, less is more. But hey, what do I know, I'm just a research scientist :rolleyes:

I don't know many research scientist's involved in the hiring of employees. What difference does your occupation make to this conversation unless you are a HR manager or a guidance teacher?

The point of a CV is to show what you have achieved in life. The length of the CV should only be limited by the length of your achievements/qualifications. (to a reasonable degree).

Desire.

Just sorted out work experience with the FAI.

Delighted! :pac:

Charco2006

Just sit at home watching Tv for the summer....Good work experience for a life on the scratcher!!:D

alleystar

Jackobyte wrote: »

I don't know many research scientist's involved in the hiring of employees. What difference does your occupation make to this conversation unless you are a HR manager or a guidance teacher?

The point of a CV is to show what you have achieved in life. The length of the CV should only be limited by the length of your achievements/qualifications. (to a reasonable degree).

You haven't achieved much so! Ha!

You're doing too much waffling on your C.V., use bullet points instead of paragraphs. The employer would be half asleep by the time they got to the end of the second page.

And.... do you have no other referees other than teachers? How about the people you did work experience for? Employers would appreciate their views aswell as your teachers.

Jackobyte

alleystar wrote: »

You haven't achieved much so! Ha!

You're doing too much waffling on your C.V., use bullet points instead of paragraphs. The employer would be half asleep by the time they got to the end of the second page.

And.... do you have no other referees other than teachers? How about the people you did work experience for? Employers would appreciate their views aswell as your teachers.

As I said, that is a blend of pre-TY and after TY stuff, I never bothered tidying it up, and won't until I need to use it again. I know a good part of it is completely irrelevant (all the quiz stuff and most of the sports and the likes). Just we were given a template at the start of TY to fill out and that was the length of it, so I had to try fill it out when applying for work-experience and haven't bothered getting rid of the waffle yet.

Lollipop95

I'm thinking of probably at Microsoft or perhaps Boots

Jackobyte

Lollipop95 wrote: »

I'm thinking of probably at Microsoft or perhaps Boots

Get going now so... Microsoft is hard to get. Also, large chains such as Boots may or may not take people on. Smaller chemists would be a better bet IMO.

Doublechinlolz

How possible would it be to get work experience in the newspapers like Irish times, Irish independent etc?

woodyman

Its hard enough. you have to write an essay for the irish times. try a local newspaper if possible, it would be much easier to get in.

danwhite88

Cakesofrice wrote: »

" I was wondering if it would be possible to do work experience in (wherever)?

That should be grand, also say its free and your fully insured.