How to gain work experience

I have written a lot of posts about my work experience in the media but never about how I actually got it or how you can get it too.

So with that in mind, I thought I would just do that.

If you are wanting experience with a newspaper or marketing agency then, first of all, do your research.  Look for companies/newspapers that you engage with and do some research about them, not just the content but the staff, social media pages and what they stand for.

When you go to contact them try to find more than a generic email, try and look for an email that is addressed to the staff member that way you know it will have gone or been going to the right person.

When writing the email explain who you are and what you would like to gain from getting work experience with the company. Perhaps you want to know more about coding, digital marketing,  social media strategies etc  All to benefit from your skills, portfolio and of course your CV. 

I would also advise that you perhaps pitch an idea maybe you have looked through the content and you can see some space for improvements and you have ideas for content.

Appear professional and show that you are keen to learn and develop what you are learning/have learnt.

Now if they don’t reply to an email, I’d say wait a couple of weeks and then give them a ring or write a letter.  I think people forget you can pick the phone up or write on a piece of paper as sometimes emailing comes across as the easier option. So try that if your email is unresponsive. But don’t be disinterested if you don’t get a reply straight away remember these guys are very busy and may not always have the time to reply so do give them time.

Once they do reply, you can arrange your work experience in terms of how long you would like it for and find out what they can offer you.   And then you are off- good luck 😉