Thinking of taking a placement year during your business degree? While it isn’t a necessity, spending a year in the workforce is an excellent opportunity to improve your professional skills and knowledge, and will only aid you in your job search once you’ve completed your business studies.
To help you to take the leap, here are three benefits of doing a placement year during your business degree.
Gain industry experience
While you’ll learn a lot through study, there are parts of any job that simply can’t be replicated in an educational setting. To get a good grasp of these concepts, work experience in the industry is crucial, and will offer you the unique opportunity to expand on your skills and knowledge in a professional, hands-on environment.
Besides this, work experience can help you to get a better understanding of the opportunities available to you once you’ve completed your studies, as well as the career path you would be most suited to. Essentially, it’s a great way to fast track your career search, and ensure that you get your ideal role once you’ve graduated.
Develop your professional network
Along with the great experience that you get when you take a placement year comes the opportunity to develop your professional network. Building industry relationships is crucial to succeeding in business, and could aid you later down the line when it comes to securing your first job role.
Before you take your placement year, it’s a good idea to think about potential employers that you would be interested in working with once your studies are complete. If you happen to secure a placement at the company you want to work for, you’ll already be a few steps ahead of the competition when it comes to interviewing for your permanent position later on.
Improve employability
Once you’ve finally graduated, it’s time to get started on the job hunt. Each year, potential employers are flooded with applications from recent business graduates – so, it’s important to get in there early, and ensure that your application stands out from the crowd.
Amongst all the applications received, plenty of candidates won’t have taken a placement year, while some will. Ultimately, those who have the additional experience of a placement year on their CV are much more likely to be selected for an interview with all else being equal. Those who have worked a placement year that is closely related to the role that they’re applying for are more likely still to secure the job that they want by the end of the recruitment process.
Why choose a placement year?
By opting to do a placement year during your studies, you’ll be immediately putting yourself ahead of the game. While it may take you a year longer to graduate from your studies, the payout at the end is ultimately worth it, as you will be better equipped than the majority to head off into the workforce straight away. Universities and employers alike encourage students and potential employees to take on an industry placement, proving that this is a sought-after opportunity not to be passed up.
