If you are a recent graduate yourself, you already know about how difficult the job market can be. If you are still in high school or college, you will find out soon. The situation is the same around the world, with thousands of students graduating every year, but oftentimes there are not enough jobs for them – or, in the case of Cambodia, many of the graduates are not prepared to jump into the work force.

To give you some ideas about how to get a leg up on the competition, we decided to focus this issue of Lift on how to get a job. Many of the things you might already know, but we believe that if you follow the advice in these pages from your peers and people who have succeeded in the job market in the past, you will be able to find a job that you love.

One of the greatest challenges that students face in Cambodia, largely due to a lack of money and resources at high schools and universities, is a lack of opportunity to get hands-on, real-world experience. There are many great teachers in Cambodia, but they are often relegated to teaching theory and do not have the supplies, space or class size to challenge each student to generate innovative ideas.

There are a number of organisations in Cambodia working to boost the critical thinking and practical skills of Cambodian students, as well as many companies that offer internships for students, graduates and young professionals. Internships are the best way to gain practical skills, since interns have no choice but to learn how to operate and succeed within a professional environment.

But even if you can’t find an internship, you can prepare yourself for the work force by challenging yourself to work within student groups and organisations, many of which you can learn more about by searching the Lift archives at phnompenhpost.com. You can get a great job, you just have to prepare for it.