Build your confidence with working for free

Sometimes looking for work is like a full-time job. Looking through ads (even if online) takes at least several hours. Then filling the applications, moderating CV and covering letter and puff - seven hours gone from your day. That’s what I was doing recently, applying for jobs, or maybe I should say internships. 
Taking a new career path isn’t easy. Often you have to start from the scratch and do the least exciting job for free. I actually don’t mind working for free as long as it leads me somewhere. I would feel more confident if I knew that the work I’m doing is actually good and professional, and I wouldn’t stress about making a gaff. And that’s what internships are for – gaining that confidence.

On the other hand, it’s a huge sacrifice. Most companies now require several months commitment for 8-9 hours a day with only travel expenses covered, if at all. It’s understandable that interning is often the only way for young people to get into the industry and actually have their hands on experience. I’ve had so many different roles as an intern – intern writer and reporter, intern PR assistant, intern Marketing assistant, social media intern, etc – anything that could bust my qualifications with actual work experience (if I added this all up, I would have a year of unpaid job). There are many companies which take in students or graduates to actually help them develop their skills, they take time to explain and lend a helpful hand when the intern gets stuck on something. But, and here comes the nasty part, there are also businesses where the role of an intern is just a free labor and where half of the stuff is made of working for free students desperate to do anything to get that job experience.

Although internships and placements can bust your qualifications and give you the confidence in your own abilities and skills, it is very important to know when to say ‘enough’. Too much of temporary unpaid work can negatively impact your CV. It can also deprive you of the confidence and independence you’re supposed to gain. Voluntary full-time job is only for people who can afford it, which means for those who live with (I assume) parents? And how many graduates live with their parents nowadays?

Really, tell me. I have no clue.

Someone I once knew would have said about present job market: It’s tough out there; and I would add to it: Sadly, it also suck. 

*If you haven’t seen BBC documentary about unpaid job market that seems to have grown significantly in the recent years, read PR week article “Leading fashion PR agency Modus Publicity targeted in BBC expose”. There’s also interesting read on how public relations peers condemned the practice of unpaid internships in PR.