Applying for Professional Placements

Some of you will be in university others may be still in school, but a lot of courses and programs now require you to complete a set amount of professional development, business placement or work experience. There are a number of skills and qualities that you should be aiming to develop when doing a placement to improve your employability. Some of the major skills are communication, writing, public speaking and computer or technical skills.

It is important to get some industry experience or professional development experience. This shows to employers that you are dedicated to succeeding in your chosen industry and are willing to work for career progression.

When applying for an internship or requesting work experience from an employer there are some things that you should be researching before sending off your application, including:

• Who the recruiting manager or business owner (for small businesses) is; name, contact details and address.
• The full name of the business and why you are interested in applying there.
• What are the requirements of the course for your work placement, e.g. 70 hours of placement, need to work on a project or required to gain office experience.
• The dates that you are available for the placement.
• The insurance costs; who covers insurance, does the employer need to pay for insurance and OH&S requirements.

In your application you should include:

• Covering letter: Outlining who you are, why you are requesting work experience with their firm, the requirements of the placement and available dates. This letter should be addressed to the recruiting manager of business manager, addressed correctly and with correct titles and departments (if applicable).
• Insurance information: If you are at a university, college or high school the insurance is covered by the institute. Talk to the career or course coordinator to get these details before you send the application off.
• Resume: Let the employer know that although this a course requirement that you are willing to work well for the firm and that you have skills that will benefit the firm whilst you are there.
• Current transcript or report card: This is not essential but it does help to let the employer see what you are capable off and it will act as a sort of reference to your application. Remember to only include this if you feel that it will help your application.

Referees are not required when applying for professional placement, but have them ready in case the employer asks for them in reviewing your application. You can see some sample covering letters and how to write a good covering letter here. The key to these covering letters is being clear and concise and outlining key skills that will benefit the employer whilst you are completing your placement.