Make it Count. 5 ways to gain work-experience while you’re still in...

Make it Count. 5 ways to gain work-experience while you’re still in college.


College students who also maintain Part or Full-time employment are becoming a common part of today’s academic climate. 80% of the employers around the world prefer hiring graduates who have had valid work-experience on their hands through jobs they held through college. These students who have already had the corporate exposure report higher level of confidence, better interpersonal skills, employ-ability rate and tend to adapt faster to the professional work environment of any industry.

Following are the top 5 ways in which students can gain valuable skills and experience, vital to their prospective career, while they still have a book in one hand.

1. Internships:

lnternships are highly coveted among college students for several reasons. First, they enable students to experience first hand the working environment they plan to enter once they have obtained a degree. Additionally, these positions allow students to network with professionals in their field, learn practical skills not taught in the classroom, and collaborate with other interns to hone their teamwork skills. And in many cases, internships lead to entry-level positions for students once they graduate as some companies seek interns with the genuine desire to train  and expose them to working conditions in their future field.

According to Forbes contributor Frances Bridges,  “The key to landing a desirable internship is through thorough research of the industry as a whole. Students should look into hiring practices and business philosophies of all the major companies and organizations in their field, as well as stock market performance, popular products, and other constantly changing variables. Students who can intelligently discuss the current state of their prospective profession fare best during intern interviews.
Students can learn about different internship opportunities by reaching out to their colleges or nationally acclaimed websites like Letsintern.

2. Freelancing:

There may be opportunities to earn experience ― as well as a little supplemental income ― by pursuing gigs as a freelancer . Fields where freelancing is common include writing and journalism, web development and marketing, computer programming, business consulting, and design, as well as burgeoning industries like medical billing and coding and project management. Freelancing allows students to demonstrate their skills and passion for their field of study outside the classroom. This option is particularly attractive to students with part- or full-time jobs, since they often get to decide how many (or few) freelance assignments to take on at once. Students can reach out to established sites that cater to freelancers or to local businesses and organizations. to score a freelancing opportunity. Oftentimes companies don’t have the budget for a full time employee but do have the money to pay on a project by project basis.

3. Tutoring:

Many online students opt to tutor children and adults in their local community, as well as their collegiate peers; some specialize in group classes, while others tutor clients one-on-one. Like freelancers, tutors pursue independent gigs (based on the demands of their individual schedule) that allow them to gain experience in their field and earn a little money on the side. Most tutors focus on core subjects like mathematics and literacy, while others teach skills like personal finance, computer programming, or foreign languages. Regardless of the subject, the key components to being a successful tutor are identifying the educational demands within one’s local community, creating a viable lesson plan, and delivering satisfactory services that generate positive word-of-mouth.
Apart from home-based tutoring, online and digital tutoring is eventually gaining popularity.

4. Voluteering:

Volunteering is especially useful for students in any major and are hoping to bolster their resume. While most of the organizations require volunteers to assist during an event, conference or workshops, they are also widely accepted for work in non-profit organizations and NGO’s. Quite a lot of times, volunteers are employed without a pay and hence, while all volunteer work is inherently rewarding on a karmic level, students need to prioritize opportunities that help them build the skills they need to succeed and gain insight into the industry they’ll enter upon graduation.

5. Brand Ambassadors:
Brand Ambassadors are students that can be hired by an employer to promote its services or products amongst their peer groups on campus through in-class demonstrations of the product, recording their friends’ experiences upon usage, conducting workshops to explore the purpose of the product, reaching out to people through social media. This type of marketing is considered very effective as word-of-mouth from someone you know is generally regarded as reliable and trustworthy. More people are inclined towards giving one chance to something they see their friends making use of and recommending rather.  Brand Ambassadors are paid in either in cash or are gifted free samples of products, services, free recharge and sale vouchers at times and more.

The above article has been adapted from Online Colleges
Find the latest Internships, Brand Ambassadors, Freelancing & Volunteering projects across India on Letsintern




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