I’ve had a few people ask where I’ve found my work experience placements, jobs and volunteer roles. It’s not always the easiest thing to do, so I thought I’d share my tips in this post.

Use the university resources

One of my paid social media roles was found via uni. A local company wanted to take on a student and I found the job through Sunderland futures – easy! 

I also signed up for the Professional Mentoring scheme through university too, which later lead to a placement with the company in question. I don’t know so much about other universities, but Sunderland has some great opportunities for students if you know where to look! 

Apply everywhere

Not necessarily PR related, but maybe still useful – when I was looking for a summer job (which has ended up going on a lot longer!) I applied everywhere and anywhere. Handing CV’s into local shops, asking your friends if they know of any vacancies and looking on job search websites will mean you’re bound to find the right job eventually. Keep working at it! 

Use social media

Blogging, Twitter & LinkedIn have been very useful tools for making contacts to find work. In fact, one of my current PR roles happened because of my blog! Social media can be used to demonstrate some essential PR skills, so use it to your advantage.

Look for volunteering roles

Charities and other organisations are often crying out for volunteers! With some spare time at university and your skills constantly being developed, see if you can find a voluntary role to suit your course. It will look great on your CV and benefit the organisation too! 

Take all the opportunities you can get

Events organised by university, networking events for your sector, extra-curricular activities at university – anything along these lines could be the pathway to a potential job, so give all of these opportunities a go! 

And there you have it! That’s how I’ve found my work experience, paid jobs and volunteering roles. Good luck in your experience search!

Until next time…