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Mentorship May 8, 2020
A look at how to gain experience and land your dream job.
Image via Unsplash/@corinnekutzNo matter what kind of career you’re interested in, there’s no avoiding the dreaded prior-experience paradox. Anyone who has searched for an entry-level position is familiar with the frustrating question: how do you gain experience when every job asks for prior experience?
This is one of the questions ENTITY Mag and Marketing and Branding Specialist Chelsea Krost answered during the #MillennialTalk, a Twitter thread answering some of the toughest questions when beginning a career. Here are some tips on how to gain experience the easy way.
So you’ve found the perfect job posting. You have almost everything it takes, besides the one or two years experience it requires. Making sure your other assets are strong could be your saving grace. If the only thing you’re missing is the official experience, you’ll likely be able to score an interview. From there, stress the skills you have and prove yourself through those. If they’re strong enough, the company may be willing to take a chance on you.
Now that you’ve checked out some job boards, assess your options, and be realistic. A large established company has the funds and reputation to be picky, but a smaller company might be willing to be more lenient with their pre-requisites to cut costs. Make sure to mention that you’re a quick learner and feel confident that you could learn on the job.
While you might not be able to gain job experience, nothing is stopping you from building skills and experience on your own. This is especially true for creatives, like writers and graphic designers. Take time to build your portfolio. Try blogging, freelancing, or creating your own design Instagram account. If you feel confident in your skills, the company probably will, too.
Even though you feel like your resume might be lacking in experience, make sure it’s the best that it can be otherwise. Make your resume stand out from the crowd in other ways and avoid the common CV mistakes that recruiters hate.
If you’re feeling like you still aren’t the best candidate on-paper, then do everything in your power to be the best off-paper. This is when interpersonal skills come into play. Take the necessary steps to stand out by doing things like sending follow-up emails and acing any kind of interview.
Rather than avoiding the topic of prior experience altogether, use any experience you do have to your advantage. Just because you don’t have three years of PR experience doesn’t mean you’re coming in blind. If you’re a great writer or you’ve worked in sales, stress the ways those experiences could easily translate to PR. It’s all about taking initiative and making what you have work for them.
Ultimately, think about why companies ask for experience in the first place: they are looking for someone who is skilled and confident. Rather than considering how you can find experience, think about what you need to do to feel confident in your abilities. As always, confidence is the key here. We wish you luck and a future full of meaningful experience.
