Their manifesto calls for careers education at an earlier stage and a new qualification which assesses numeracy, literacy, ICT and foreign languages.  They are basically proposing a shift whereby education is as much about preparing for the workplace as it is about academic achievement.

You can download the BCC Skills and Employment Manifesto here:
http://www.britishchambers.org.uk/policy-maker/policy-reports-and-publications/the-bcc-skills-and-employment-manifesto.html

Last year, when my daughter was still at university, she took on 2 weeks unpaid work experience in digital marketing.  It wasn't the most exciting of jobs but she did it to the best of her ability.  Consequently, the company paid her to stay on longer.  (Incidentally, this work experience was obtained via a post on LinkedIn - a powerful platform for job seekers.)

This year, following completion of her degree, the same company offered her a permanent employment contract.  The work this year is more interesting, carries more responsibility and is giving her a good grounding in digital marketing, PPC and SEO.

Clear evidence that unpaid work experience can lead to paid employment!

All forms of work experience have value but it helps if you can gain "relevant" experience in the field that you ultimately wish to work in.  If you want to work in marketing, then try to get work experience in marketing.  Likewise, accounting and so forth.  Relevant experience will count for more. - not always but usually.

I'm not saying that car washing, leaflet dropping and other forms of casual work are worthless... they're not.  They demonstrate a sound work ethic which is highly sought after in the job market.  But if you can combine your work ethic with relevant experience, you will likely gain more relevant skills and knowledge and enjoy greater success.

Work experience can also include volunteering.  Whilst the latter is generally perceived as supporting worthwhile causes, most charities have accounting, marketing and administration functions so can still provide you with "relevant" skills.

Good luck!
 
Email me if you need help with your CV or any other aspect of your job search.

So you've graduated in the class of 2013... Well done!

What next?

If you don't have a job, an internship or work experience lined up, what should you do next?

Perhaps take a gap year?

If you didn't take a gap year before you started college or university, now might be a good time to do this.  However, it's crucial that you plan what you're going to do and that as well as being a great experience it will add value to your CV.   Here are just a few options:

Volunteering can be highly beneficial - not just as a worthwhile experience but also in terms of adding skills and experience to your CV.  Just Google "work experience" to find a host of possibilities both at home and abroad.  You could work in a remote support or teaching role, or perhaps work for a charity - volunteering your time to help the needy or less privileged, or just helping the wheels of their office run smoothly - possibly helping with bookkeeping, running charity events, raising awareness.

Whatever volunteering you opt for, it's best to ensure that it's relevant or that you'll gain valuable transferable skills.

If you find yourself twiddling your thumbs, what about learning some new skills - ideally vocational skills such as IT or copywriting?  Or you could apply for a full-blown vocational course such as a Marketing Diploma and perhaps combine this with part time or full time work too.

Notice I "independent travel".  Anyone can book package tours but it takes careful planning, research and self belief to travel independently.  You'll generally go off the beaten track and out of your comfort zone, all of which can add to your soft skills - initiative, research, adaptability, self-sufficiency, resilience, problem solving, team leadership, project management, risk analysis, etc.  You'll also meet with people of all cultures and enjoy diverse and memorable experiences.

Many years ago I travelled solo to Australia and New Zealand.  I obtained a "Working Holiday Visa" and was able to take temporary office and bar work to subsidise my travel costs.  I can still say today that it was the best year of my life and it made me much more confident than I'd previously been.

Who wants to work for free?  No-one I suspect - including me!  But work experience helps you acquire new skills and adds value to your CV and it often leads to paid work.  Do take care that you're not simply unpaid labour.  Choose your work experience carefully and try to agree a plan with the employer so you're sure of working with or shadowing different managers and growing your knowledge.

Or you could register with an employment agency and take on a succession of temporary roles that will give you some vocational experience and transferable skills for your CV.  Temporary jobs often transition into permanent roles.  If a company likes what they see, they'll likely make you an offer.  So, again, target the type of company or market that you'd like to work in.

Many students obtain a TEFL qualification to enable them to work overseas AND earn money at the same time.  Unlike independent travel, you'll probably spend most of your time in one location but you'll still have a fantastic experience while acquiring transferable skills such as team leadership, planning, motivating.

• Don't get off the roundabout - you might never get back on
• Don't waste your time taking "well-deserved R&R" - you'll miss the boat
• Don't chill out watching TV or catching up on 3 years' worth of missed sleep

Life's not a rehearsal  - you're future starts now.

And remember that learning is lifelong - it doesn't stop after your graduation ceremony.

I tweeted recently that if you play to your strengths, your weaknesses should pale into insignificance.  Someone responded that if you build on your weaknesses they will support your strengths.  So what should you do?  Play to your strengths or build on your weaknesses?

By "playing to your strengths" I mean that if you've never been good with numbers, that's unlikely to change.  Yes, you can (and should) work on your numeracy because it's a useful work and life skill.  But if numeracy is not your strength, then it probably never will be, so you should avoid jobs where strong numeracy skills are required.

Conversely, if you're great with numbers, then numeracy is a strength and it should feature highly in the type of job or career you are seeking.  You'd perhaps do well as an accountant, bookkeeper, investor or analyst.

If you're a people person who loves meeting new people, chatting with them and helping them, then people skills or interpersonal skills is one of your strengths.  If you aim for a job or career that centres around interacting with people, you'll likely do very well.

Are you passionate about travel?  Then something in the tourist or travel industry might suit you and your lack of numeracy skills will become less significant.

What I'm really saying is that you'll enjoy more success and probably be happier in your work if you play to your strengths.  Yes, work on your weaknesses but don't let them consume you.  Decide what you're really good at and then explore the type of jobs that would embrace your strengths.

When I consult with new clients I ask what they enjoy doing and what they're good at.  Successful people love what they do.  People who do what they enjoy doing, generally achieve more success.

No-one is great at everything but everyone is good at something. 

If you're not meeting with success in your career or job search, you perhaps ought to be asking... 

What are YOUR strengths?

There was a big hullabaloo a while ago about the big supermarket chains exploiting work experience to create a pool of "slave labour".  Whether the criticisms were right or wrong, there is absolutely no doubt that work experience is a great opportunity for the young unemployed to acquire some new skills, gain self confidence and add to their employability.  OK, so shelf stacking may not be mentally taxing and it may not involve great skill, but is it really so bad?

There is a relatively new phenomenon in the UK... Not only are the unskilled and uneducated struggling to find work, but there is a massive pool of skilled, educated and experienced people out of work - many of them for the first time in their lives. Competition for jobs is fierce and even perfectly-matched candidates are either failing to secure interviews at all, or attending 1st, 2nd, even 3rd interviews and assessments, only to fall at the last hurdle.

Where there used to be one or two front runners in any recruitment campaign, employers are now faced with so many quality applicants that they can afford to be highly selective.

So, if you find yourself unemployed, how do you cope with this and how on earth can you remain positive?

Searching for a job is a full-time job in itself. Here's how to go about it: