“What have you learned from your past job?” This is a very common interview question and it is considered important despite its straightforward nature. It lets potential employers tune into how well you learn from your past experiences – mistakes and other situations that arise in your life.
I, for instance, learned a great deal about dealing with people while working on a social project as a research assistant, and how to handle difficult requests from those who might be a bit irritated when approaching me. I learned that staying calm during confrontation is a must, and that arguing back with anyone in a professional setting does not help solve anything. Ultimately, it is just a matter of keeping a professional demeanor and helping your clients to the best of your ability – despite the mood they might be in. This is what I learned.
While I was there I got the opportunity to interview many people and hand in filled-in surveys with sensitive information. I was incredibly nervous in the days leading up to it, despite the fact that I knew the people I was interviewing were most likely perfectly pleasant and not scary in the least. However, this apprehension surrounding the interview motivated me to do my research and prepare myself for every possibility. Sequentially, the interviews were very enjoyable. I found out lots of interesting facts about my interviewees and had all the needed material to submit to the researchers.
What is more, during my internship as a content writer, I learned a great deal about prioritizing. Up until that point, I had never had to deal with so much paperwork in my life – and it came as a bit of a shock at first how much had to be done in such a short period of time, on top of my other duties. However, I was able to sort through the massive stack of work to be done and select what information was needed right away and what could wait a little longer. In the end, prioritizing my workload became second nature, and is now something I do out of habit.
Another valuable skill I learned is to adhere to deadlines. For example, as I am writing this article, I am working on a deadline. Most young people are used to working to deadlines of some sort – homework being the obvious one, but the turnabout in the workplace is often much tighter. Prioritization and minimizing procrastination are key points that I have found useful when trying to complete tasks by lunchtime or by the end of the day. This is a really important skill to have in any workplace, or even at school. Revision, essays, university applications and personal statements all have deadlines, and the more practice you have at working quickly while maintaining standards, the better.
In the end, work experience is an opportunity that gives you the chance to explore your potential in a way that you otherwise would not be able to access. You might have gained more from it than you realize. A piece of advice is to think about what skills you have developed and what you have learned when you are putting your work experience on your CV. Do not be afraid to talk about your placement or to bring it up in interviews. Even if your placement is not directly related to the career path you want to follow, the skills you have learned are transferable. Keep looking for places to further develop your skills – the more confident you are in them, the more employable you will be in the future.
Nesrin Nazlieva