Many people, especially new graduates, find themselves in a catch-22 situation: you need experience to get experience. It’s especially difficult to start your career in a recession, where you’re competing against job seekers with years of experience for a limited number of jobs. However, you can adjust your job search to find a job even if you don’t have much, or any, experience.
First, you might have more experience than you might think. Look back on anything you’ve done that relates to the positions you’re interested in – this could be coursework, volunteer opportunities and even summer jobs held in the past. Then, call out this past experience from classes or in previous part-time jobs on your resume.
Next, adjust your resume to highlight your strengths and downplay your limited experience. Consider your resume format: a functional resume that organizes your experience by skill may be more appropriate than a chronological resume that lists your work history by position. In addition, rather than a “Work History” section, consider renaming it “Professional and Academic Experience.”
After performing your initial job search on SimplyHired.com, you can set the Experience Filter to 0-2 years. This will target jobs that require little, if any, experience. In addition, you can search for “entry level” along with your choice of supplementary keywords to find entry level jobs in your field or company of interest.
Consider volunteering or taking an internship in the field you want to break into. Not only will you gain experience doing real work in that field, but you might be able to turn that internship or volunteer opportunity into a full-time job – either at that organization or through a contact you meet there. Utilize Simply Hired’s Job Type Filter to find volunteer jobs and internships that will help you break into a field.
Finally, you might be able to better communicate your relevant professional and academic experience verbally. Therefore, you’ll maximize the results of your job search by networking, rather than becoming another name in a database by applying online. In addition, since many companies prefer referrals, your chances of being hired increases. Simply Hired’s integrations with Facebook and LinkedIn bring job search together with online networking, and help you discover your connections at companies of interest.
There are many ways you have acquired experience through volunteering, part-time jobs during school or over summers, and through your coursework, all of which is applicable when applying to a job. By using Simply Hired’s job filters to hone in on jobs that fit your background, you will soon find a job, even without work experience.
