What to expect from virtual work experience
Actually going into a workplace for your work experience is a great way to see what it is really like but there are also now a lot of opportunities being offered as a virtual experience - that is online, with no actual visits to work places.
Not quite the same experience perhaps but there is still a lot you can get out of a virtual opportunity.
In fact, going virtual could mean your work experience opportunities are world wide!
What might be involved?
- You might have to have an online interview or chat to get the placement - so prepare your online self by practicing.
- You might have to send in a CV outlining your skills, interests, why you want the placements, etc.
- Employers offering a virtual work experience should be clear about what's involved and what you will get from the experience.
- The placement might involve a virtual tour of the workplace, looking at videos of people talking about their jobs or having an online chat with people from the company.
- You might be asked to complete a task with a time limit.
How do I find one?
- If you know a company you want to do work experience with have a look at their website to see what they are offering - they might not have many experiences in the workplace but they might offer a lot of virtual work experiences, as they sometimes find these easier to offer to more people.
- Explore the virtual work experiences we have found out about in Careerpilot, by job sector
- Ask teachers, parents, friends if they have ideas of companies that might offer you an in work or virtual opportunity.
Preparing for Virtual Work Experience:
- Before you start looking for virtual work experience start to think about what you have to offer and what job sector you would like to work in. Careerpilot's 'Start with you' section would be a good place to begin, do the Skills Profile to find out your skills and the Job Sector Quiz to find a sector that might suit you.
- You might want to put together a CV that you can attach to any email request you make to an employer. Use the simple Careerpilot CV Builder to create your CV. There are lots of other CV templates available online - but be aware many charge - just at the end when you have done all the work!
- You might well have to make contact with employers by email to ask if they will offer you a placement, see an easy template you can use.
- The employer might then want to have an online chat/interview with you using meeting software such as Teams or Zoom. Make sure your parents or teachers are in the room or nearby if you do have to do this and consider just doing audio and not video. It is important to ensure this is done safely and that an adult is aware of this meeting. Talk to someone in school who is responsible for work experience about the best ways to do this.
Here are a few links to examples of online work experiences and related videos:
- Virtual Tours - Virtual tours of businesses and different types of employers
- Barclays Life Skills is providing some virtual work experiences