So you are ready to jump into the workplace? Great! But do you have experience?
Getting a job without experience can seem like a daunting task. Almost every employer is asking for experience, but how can you get experience without experience?
Today I’m going to give you some simple steps on how to get your first job, even if you don’t have experience.
Resume
The most important part of your resume is highlighting your applicable skills. You want to include anything that could be treated as experience.
If you want to become a cook, talk about how you have prepared elaborate meals for you and your family.
If you are applying to be an office admin, talk about how you’ve done administrative tasks for your uncle’s business.
The goal is to sell your self!
It might be helpful to ask a close friend or relative to list some their favorite qualities about you.
Finding the Right Job
Before you jump into the job market, you have to ask yourself a few questions:
What job would you enjoy doing?
If you enjoy ice skating, it might make sense to work at an ice skating rink. Animal lovers would probably be fulfilled working at a veterinarian clinic, or animal grooming salon.
Will this job help me grow into the person I want to become?
I know what you are thinking at this point. Beggars can’t be choosers. But believe it or not, you do have options, and before you trade your time for money, you have to be sure the job is a right fit.
If you are applying for a job as a garbage man, and you don’t want to move up in the sanitation industry, you should probably reconsider.
Do I enjoy interacting with people?
If you enjoy interacting with people, than most jobs in the service industry will work out great for you.
If you prefer to be alone, and you don’t plan on changing that anytime soon, theres other options.
Theres plenty of jobs that require very little human interaction, such as, inventory specialists, mail men and women, ride-sharing services like Uber.
The goal is to find a job you know you’ll enjoy. If you enjoy your job, it will be just as easy to keep as it was to land.
Hunting for the Job
Now that you have given your job choice some thought, its time to go hunting.
While sites like indeed.com, monster.com, SnagaJob.com, and craigslist.com are decent places to find jobs, your top prospects are referrals.
If any of your friends, family, or acquaintances work at a place you’d be interested in, talk to them about helping you land a job there.
Bribe them if you have to, because that’s your “in”. If they put in the good word for you, and they are a good employee. Your chances of getting the job is high, even if you don’t have solid experience.
Look out for help wanted signs
If you see a help wanted sign at a desirable spot, go inside and ask to speak to the hiring manager.
Usually these places aren’t on sites like Indeed or Monster, so you aren’t competing with too many people.
Landing a job online
So we have sites like indeed.com, monster.com, SnagaJob.com, glassdoor.com, LinkedIn.com, dice.com, etc..
If you do decide to apply for jobs online, you are going to have to hustle.
To them, you are just a resume, so you are going to have to make you resume stand out as much as possible. Refer back to the resume section and see if you resume is tuned for top performance.
The goal with finding jobs online is applying to as many as possible. That shouldn’t be a problem considering that you can apply for jobs from anywhere that you have access to the internet.
Interview
So you’ve landed an interview? Great! Now its time to show them how amazing you are.
The first thing you want to do is dress appropriately. If you are going to be in an office where people wear suits and ties, remember to dress the part. When you are talking to the hiring manger, always display confidence. Be excited. Your enthusiasm will rub off on them. Employers love it. People love it.
Make sure to sell all of your good qualities. Tell them about how you like to go the extra mile for people.
Ask questions. Find out what they need and convince them that you are the solution. At the end of the day, they are just trying to solve a problem.
When you feel like you’ve discussed everything that needs to be discussed, ask them when you are going to start.
People like hiring people they like. They are willing to overlook your lack of experience if you are a pleasant person to work with.
Rinse and Repeat
If you are going to find a job without experience, you are going to have to be persistent. Finding a job is a full time job. You are going to have to make it your goal to talk as many hiring managers as you can.
The more hands you shake the more money you make.
Try to land at least 5 interviews so you have choices at the end of the day. Life is a numbers game and the more opportunities you have, the more likely you are to land the job of your choice.
Remember, you got this.
Conclusion
Its definitely possible to land a job without experience. If you treat finding a job, as if it was a job, you can acquire any position of your choosing.
Remember to remain confident, do what you love, and to never give up.
Feel free to comment below to share your experiences and/or any tips you might have!
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