“Tell me about your experience in…”
Go on any job posting on a job search site like Indeed or ZipRecruter and you will see the same thing; minimum 5 years work experience, prior knowledge preferred. Finding a job when you don’t have any work experience can seem like a daunting task. Many people reading these questions assume no work means no experience. However, the reality is that this logic could not be further from the truth.
No matter the way it is worded, the common theme of most job postings is addressing what experience a person has for the job. While other paying jobs do in fact generate a great amount of experience, this is not the only source of relevant experience needed for most employment options. Here are some examples with descriptions of what you can add to a resume or touch on in a job interview when you do not have work experience. Even if you have not done any of these, you may want to consider participating in one or more of these to build even more experience:
Internships
- Temporary job at a company which can be paid or unpaid. Internships can be a great way to practice work skills, build stamina working an 8 hour day, get to know more about a company and work roles, and obtain references. There are some companies that open internships to those going for a certification or a licensure, such as those in the medical field.
Volunteering
- Many individuals hear volunteering and think soup kitchens working in unskilled tasks, but it can be much more. Many places look for volunteers to support the community. This can include registering people to vote, working for a faith based organization, facilitating activities for seniors, running a youth sports league, and many others. Besides the personal benefit of feeling connected with the community, volunteering documents skills such as leadership, customer service, problem solving, multitasking, and taking initiative. Volunteering can be found by doing a search for opportunities near you, or go to the website for your town/ city.
Education
- Discussing relevant coursework can be helpful as long as it is related to the occupation you are applying for. This is useful for those who recently completed a college or technical degree and do not have any other experience in the field. Think about some courses that you had taken, and describe instances of where you may have practiced or learned about the skills needed in the job posting.
References
- Having a solid reference can be the difference to get the job. Think about possible people who might be a reliable assessor of your abilities. It could be a supervisor from an internship/ volunteer experience, teacher or instructor, and even a coach. It may be best to limit references from potentially unreliable sources, such as family or friends.
Bottom line, it is important to be creative in how to approach the infamous experience question. What managers are looking for is whether you can relate your past experiences to the job being applied for. Be creative, and think about how you would approach this question. Feel free to leave a comment, and subscribe for more content!