Off the back of an event I helped to run two weeks ago, I was invited to accompany the director of the Business school a conference last Wednesday. The conference was run by Business South and the main theme of the event was to work on closing the gap between education and employers. It was great to attend, and I wanted to share my experiences of what I learnt.
1. Employers want to take a chance on young people
The main theme of the event was encouraging employers to recognise the talents young people have. As we have grown up with social media, it is second nature to most of us to know how to coordinate posts and target audiences. For me, I find it easy to know what content to publish as I have first-hand experience of it. A lot of the speakers made a point of speaking about the importance of apprenticeships. Though I didn’t do an apprenticeship, I can appreciate how valuable they are due to the amount of live client work I have had to do a part of my degree. I agree that real experience is far more valuable than exams.
2. The importance making connections
As we move into the digital era, it’s becoming more relevant to focus on growing your connections online. At the two events I have been to recently, I have made a conscious effort to network and put myself out there. I have learnt it is important to brand your own personal channels accurately and in a way which is appealing to organisations. By talking to people at events, as well as being present on LinkedIn I have significantly grown my connections. This will be valuable when I transition into working life.
3. Post covid working
Another thing which was spoken about a lot was the differences covid has made to working life in business. Many organisations offer flexible working, and many now encourage employees to be more open about their mental health. One speaker who worked at a HR organisation spoke about tailoring employee benefits to ensure each employee was gaining something which would positively impact their wellbeing. Typically, some organisations offer a free gym membership as a perk of working there. However, I never thought about the stress this may bring to an employee who doesn’t enjoy exercise. Instead, they may benefit more from something else such as an art class. I found this idea really interesting and I agree that covid has caused more awareness of mental health struggles in this country.
Overall, this was a valuable experience to attend this event and I was honoured to be invited. It taught me a lot about the world of work, and what I can expect from summer onwards when I gain employment. I hope you enjoyed reading my blog this week.
The process you're describing (connections, social media content and personal branding) may sound like common sense. But I'm increasingly of the view that common sense is an uncommon trait! Well done for pushing yourself, and for working this out.