Career Advice

mattedgie

Hey Everyone!

I have been applying for jobs for a few months now having been out of work and not been succesfull as of yet. I have been applying for jobs as a pricing analyst in commercial departments and the last job i applied for i had two interviews but failed on a micrisoft excel test (test was done on excel 2003 but i was expecting 2007) Anyway i had some good feedback from the interviews which was pleasing and it was for a large multinational firm.

I'm at the position now where i'm not sure what to do...I'm currently studying Economics with Open University but feel my lack of experience and the fact i've not graduated means that current graduates will always be ahead of me for jobs. I was thinking of applying for internships for experience but i'm not quite sure if businesses would accept me as i'm with Open University and they only accept students who have finished their second year...i'm not there yet.

So this brings me to my point, i was thinking of just writing to businesses and offering my services as an unpaid internship for say 3-6 months. I would then gain the experience and hopefully develop my commercial acumen. I would obviously look for an evening job to support me. It's either that or i just got for say an admin job that would pay me but wouldn't really develop the skills needed for the positions i'm interested in.

Has anyone done this before?
Any thoughts on if this could actually work...would companies be interested in this?

Thanks

SueC_2

I've no real experience of it, but I'd say "what have you got to lose by trying"?

Certainly if a student contacted me with this type of request then I would seriously consider it. My concerns would be:

• Would having this student around make my life easier, harder, or have no impact? If easier, or no impact, then great. If it is going to require me to draw up training programmes, provide on-going support, or create additional workload, then possibly not so keen. This however would not necessarily be the case within some large companies with dedicated training functions.

• Would I genuinely be able to provide value to the student?

• Would I be exposing commercially sensitive information to someone who wouldn't necessarily be aware of the sensitivities, had no loyalty to my company, and no long-term future with us either?

If I received an application from someone addressing all the above points, and creating the impression that there really was something to gain by both parties, then I'd most probably bite their arm off!

Good luck!

David_Brent

What kind of jobs have you been applying for? You maybe need to broaden your search? I would take anything just to get back to work even if it is just Admin work etc.. once you are there and making a steady income, you can then try looking at vacancies which are more relevant to your degree? The main thing is you don't want any big gaps on your CV and even if the job is unrelated to what your studying it shows you can work and get up in the morning and be on time whilst building up your experience. In todays job market we really cant afford to be to picky otherwise we would all be sat around doing nothing.

In terms of writting to employers and asking for an internship this is a good idea - even better if you can..arrange to go and meet with them face to face as just receiving a CV and a letter is not the same as meeting in person.

Kate78

OP, have you visited https://www.prospects.ac.uk ?

Lots of useful advice and graduate job vacancies/intenships etc are posted on there.

mattedgie

Thankyou both for your replies!

You're right...there is nothing i've got to lose, if i email some companies enquire about internships the worst they can say is no! You have brought some information to my attention though Sue...i was ignorant to the implications of the company i would be interning for...it could cost them and provide more work for them etc. What would the best way to say address the issues....in a covering letter?

David...i have been applying for Pricing Analyst positions....the one i was interviewed for was analysing margins on tenders and price comparison with competitors and i was interviewed for another pricing analyst position for an utilities company analysing prices of SME contracts. The main interest in these sort of roles came from previous experience, i worked on a small project in a commercial team a few years ago and also from my studies in Economics. I could obviously apply for level entry positions, admin etc but it wouldn't really bolster my cv i doubt, i'd much rather show a proactive approach and say intern somewhere if possible and if practicle and gain much needed experience!

I have looked at other jobs but a lot of the other jobs that id say are trainee jobs are aimed pretty much at graduates which i'm not yet...

SueC_2

mattedgie wrote: »

Thankyou both for your replies!

What would the best way to say address the issues....in a covering letter?

I'm not sure if you're asking whether a covering letter is the best way to address the issues, or what is the best way to address the issues within a covering letter. A subtle difference, but nevertheless an important one - particularly if you are going to be working in a commercial environment where accuracy and attention to detail are critical.

If I were in your position, I would be assessing whether I thought I could sell myself, and my proposition, better in writing or verbally, then act accordingly.

And how you decide to address the issues really needs to be your decision not mine. You need to demonstrate that you are self-motivated, business aware and someone who can, and will, think for themselves. To be frank, turning to an internet forum for the answer on how to do that, isn't really the best start!

Another observation - your first post was far better constructed than your second. I know this is 'just' an internet forum and not a formal setting, but getting into the habit of not paying attention to grammar and spelling etc could really work against you. A potential employer will doubtlessly be put off by the prospect of having to proof read everything you produce.

Your idea is, essentially, a good one, but you really need to portray the fact that you are going to be an asset to the company, and not a liability in any way.

mattedgie

Thanks Kate, i checked the prospects website but unfortunately the internships advertised are more formal and for students who have either finished their degree or for placements in between years two and three at university. As i'm studying with Open University these wouldn't apply to me unfortunately.

Sorry Sue, my last post didn't really make any sense but thanks again for your input.

I geuss my main concern when applying for these positions are those problems you pointed out in your first post. It's all well and good selling yourself, but if the manager thinks it will make work harder (extra training, sensitive information, extra responsibility etc) then i won't get on any interns. I was trying to ask advice on how to overcome this. I have thought about it and i'm just going to write cover letters selling myself and and then if get to interview or informal meeting then manage their expectations that way.

SueC_2

mattedgie wrote: »

Thanks Kate, i checked the prospects website but unfortunately the internships advertised are more formal and for students who have either finished their degree or for placements in between years two and three at university. As i'm studying with Open University these wouldn't apply to me unfortunately.

Sorry Sue, my last post didn't really make any sense but thanks again for your input.

I geuss my main concern when applying for these positions are those problems you pointed out in your first post. It's all well and good selling yourself, but if the manager thinks it will make work harder (extra training, sensitive information, extra responsibility etc) then i won't get on any interns. I was trying to ask advice on how to overcome this. I have thought about it and i'm just going to write cover letters selling myself and and then if get to interview or informal meeting then manage their expectations that way.

Although I wouldn't advise going into chapter and verse in your covering letter, I would recommend that you at least acknowledge that you are aware of the reasons they might not want to do this, and that you think they can be overcome. By showing that you've thought through the issues and limitations in advance you are more likely to persuade them to meet with you and discuss the possibilities further.

Oldernotwiser

I'm assuming ( I know one shouldn't!) that you're claiming JSA whilst unemployed. You do know that you wouldn't be able to carry on claiming if you were doing a full time internship, don't you?

mattedgie

At the moment i'm not claiming JSA...i'm going to look into claiming if entitled to! If the internship is unpaid would i be able to still claim?

Oldernotwiser

mattedgie wrote: »

At the moment i'm not claiming JSA...i'm going to look into claiming if entitled to! If the internship is unpaid would i be able to still claim?

No, because you wouldn't be available for work.