So you’ve been looking for a job in a particular field. You think you have the skills and the determination to be a great worker but every position you want to apply for requires you to have experience. So how does one get experience if there is no company to hire you so you can earn it? If you are currently in a bind and want to get hired even if you have next to no experience, here are some tips that can help you during your employment search.
Make sure you have an excellent cover letter. You may not have experience. It doesn’t you can’t get the hiring managers attention and still score an interview. In order to write an awesome cover letter, you need to make sure you aren’t copying and pasting whatever skills you already have on your resume. Make sure to personalize your cover letter to whatever company you are applying to. Companies take note if there is no personality and if a letter is generic, so spend the extra time to make sure you put some pizazz into your application.
You don’t need to be a perfect match. While companies are hopeful that potential candidates have all the qualifications listed in the ad they’ve posted, it doesn’t mean they aren’t realistic. Ideally you should have most of the qualifications. Let’s say for example, the company is asking for a person to have five years of experience and you have three. If you can impress them with your cover letter and list all your achievements within those three years, you should apply.
Find other alternatives to get the experience you need. This means you should look for other ways to get as much experience as possible. Your experience doesn’t have to be paid. You can for example, work as an unpaid intern, volunteer, or even freelance for a period of time. It shows potential employers you think out of the box and this can possibly make you a stronger candidate.
Don’t get your hopes up too high. You can be hopeful, but also be realistic about your search as well. When looking for jobs, make sure to apply to jobs you can be considered for. If an ad is asking for 10 years of experience and you only have two, you should keep looking. You never want to be bogged by negativity, but don’t be too unrealistic and apply for jobs that are currently out of your reach.
Think about what makes you stand out. If you were a hiring manager, what would you look for in a candidate? What would they need to stand out? These are the things you need to consider when it comes to making a compelling and selling case when it comes to yourself. Even little things, such as non-obvious experience or other unique talents should be highlighted in your cover letter and resume. Again, you should just take your to put out the best version of you there is. Good luck!
