As someone that has spent a lot of time searching for jobs over the years, it’s very disheartening to always see the same feedback. You studied hard at school and college, you earned a very impressive degree, and you’ve submitted a fantastic application. But, you’re never selected for the role – and rarely get selected for follow-up interviews – and the feedback is always the same.
You simply don’t have the desired level of experience that the employer is looking for.
It’s super frustrating, especially if you are fresh out of college, looking for your first job. Clearly, you can’t have any experience as you are young and spent your whole life studying to gain the qualifications that you thought would help you get a job. You feel stuck in some sort of paradox where employers demand experience but won’t hire you…so…you never actually gain any experience at all.
There’s good and bad news for you here.
The good news is that you can gain experience and make yourself more qualified for any job. The bad news is that you’ll probably have to forget about gaining your dream job for some time, while you generate enough experience. So, you have to think about the long-term benefits, which is why it is helpful to pursue different ways of getting experience as soon as you can.
Below, you are going to see some of the most common and easiest ways of doing just that:
Find internships
Internships are growing in popularity because they benefit both businesses and job seekers. Effectively, you get to gain experience working in a certain industry. It’s a fantastic way of seeing how roles work and getting used to working as part of a team. The only downside is that a lot of internships are unpaid. Businesses don’t legally need to pay you to be an intern, which is why many companies are actively looking for interns. It can seem a bit shady, but they know they get some extra hands on deck without having to pay for them. In many cases, interns can also be on a sort of trial period. You’re gaining experience while showcasing your abilities, meaning the company might choose to hire you eventually.
You can search for internships online, but one smart idea is to contact any companies after you’ve had a job application rejected. Speak to them about the possibility of working as an unpaid intern, so you can gain more experience. Some companies may be open to the idea, while others won’t – but, you’ll never know unless you ask!
Look for apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are great as they kind of give you the best of both worlds. On the one hand, you are going to receive training and on-the-job experience. At the same time, this is one of the few ways in which you can get paid while gaining work experience. Loads of companies, like ABC Heart of America, run apprenticeship programs that pay you a wage while you work. It won’t be as much as you’d get doing a full-time job, but it can be enough to help you pay for little things here and there.
The best way to find apprenticeships is to search for them online. You’ll be amazed at how many are available, particularly in highly-skilled roles. Companies are keen to take on apprenticeships as they can cover their training and mold them into full-time workers for the company.
Search for work experience sessions
When you’re in high school, it’s fairly common to spend a couple of weeks having work experience sessions. You usually have to set this up when you’re 15/16, and the whole idea is to let you experience the working world. A lot of companies will happily bring someone aboard for a couple of weeks – and they actually don’t care about your age. Even if you’re in your twenties or thirties, many businesses are happy to offer work experience sessions.
Again, the best course of action is to speak to companies about this. You can Google work experience sessions and see if there are any results in your local area, but this doesn’t always work. The best advice is to contact different businesses and speak about the possibility of work experience. Essentially, this is similar to an internship but you’re only going to be there for a week or two. So, it can be useful if you want to try and gain experience at as many different companies as possible. Certainly, this is beneficial on two accounts. For one, it looks impressive on your resume to have experience at multiple companies. Secondly, the more companies you have work experience at, the more likely it is that one of them likes the cut of your jib and considers actually hiring you!
Take up volunteering
Volunteering is an interesting idea as you can definitely gain loads of experience. Typically, you’ll volunteer at local non-profit organizations or charities. But, you can also find local establishments in your community to volunteer at as well. One of the benefits of volunteering is that you can develop a range of soft skills. This includes things like working within a team, communicating, time management, and so on. As such, it’s a good idea if you need to develop your general skillset to make you a more viable candidate for most jobs.
Plus, volunteering helps you fill any gaps in your career. If you finish college, then spend months looking for a job, employers might wonder what you were doing during this time. Why didn’t you do anything? If you fill this time with volunteer work, it fleshes out your resume and makes you seem more eager and experienced. Also, you can still gain vital experience when volunteering. You might volunteer for a local charity, but you run the social media for them. If you’re trying to get a job in marketing, this is clearly going to be a massive tick when employers are looking at your skills/experience.
The downside of volunteering is that it is hard to find experience in your ideal industry. Of course, you also don’t get paid for your work. But, it is definitely a great way to keep gaining experience as you search for a job.
Start freelancing
Sometimes, a great way to gain experience is by taking things into your own hands. Freelancing allows you to do this by offering your services to other people. As a newbie, you can potentially start by offering services for free, then gradually increase your price. Making money isn’t necessarily your main aim here, especially if you are actively looking for full-time employment. But, one advantage of freelancing is that it might become so beneficial that you do pursue it as your career. So, in the act of looking for experience, you accidentally establish your full-time job!
Freelancing will always help you as you can showcase your skills and gradually build up experience by working with a range of clients. Think about the job you recently tried to apply for but didn’t get because you had no viable experience. Now, think about applying for that same job after you’ve worked on dozens of projects as a freelancer. Suddenly, you’re a way more attractive candidate to employers!
Furthermore, freelancing gives you a chance to strike up relationships with different people or businesses. You might complete a project for one client that works at a company that loves what you’ve done so much they offer to put in a word for you. From here, you get hired by the company! So, it’s not just about gaining work experience; you can also establish a network.
Start networking
Speaking of which, the final way to gain experience is by building your own network of contacts. As seen above, freelancing is a great way to kick this off. But, another idea is to attend industry events and conferences. This puts you in rooms with professionals, giving you opportunities to talk to people and learn more about the industry. Social media – particularly LinkedIn – can also be a useful way to establish and build a network.
How does networking help you gain experience? Well, you might be able to get your foot in the door because of your relationship with a contact. You speak to someone regularly, you often talk about work, and then you ask them about a possible internship or work experience role. They now trust you because you’ve networked for ages and proven your skills/knowledge, so they can help you get one of these roles to grow your experience.
All in all, there are plenty of ways you can start gaining work experience as a job seeker. It is frustrating to constantly hear that you don’t have enough on-the-job experience, despite your amazing educational qualifications. Thus, you need to try any or all of these ideas to gain as much experience as possible. Soon, you will have a more complete resume that supports your job applications. It’s clear that you have experience working in your chosen field, meaning you’re more likely to get invited to interviews or offered jobs!