A good period of work experience will greatly increase the knowledge, personal attributes and skills that will make employers want to employ you, including:

Team working – you may have had the experience of working in groups on assignments, but most workplaces are built on teams and you need to learn to work well with other people and value each others’ strengths and contribution.

Communication – you will have to learn to communicate clearly and succinctly both in writing and orally, often making quick points in the cut and thrust of meetings.

Interpersonal skills – working with people at all levels.

Planning, organising and time management – not only do you have to get to and leave work at set times but you will also have to learn to juggle different priorities and work on several projects simultaneously.

Problem-solving and decision-making – you won’t always be able to rely on other people to tell you what to do! It is important to be able to act on your own initiative.

Numeracy and IT literacy – both are important skills, along with oral and written communication.

Ability to appear self confident – students may appear diffident at college, and their tutors take this as a sign of humility, or not notice if they produce good work. However, in the business world diffidence may be misinterpreted as failure to engage.

Negotiation skills – for example, over conflicting priorities, or if there is a particular way in which you want the organisation to help you achieve a learning objective.

Ability to understand, and adapt to, the workplace culture, as well as the particular demands it places upon you.

Increase in commercial awareness by understanding management practices and the way organisations work. In particular, how are decisions made and who holds the power? What are the main factors in the company’s external environment, e.g. clients, competitors, that affect its products and performance? What is the company culture, and how can you fit in? Are there specific cultural differences which you need to be aware of?