The ‘tension headache’ of most graduates is
getting a job. It becomes a ‘migraine headache’ when all the jobs you see
require certain years of experience because “you actually need to work to get
the experience”. How do you get a job without experience or how do you get the
experience
without a job?
Here are 8 tips for getting that job of your
dream with little or no experience for it:
1. Find
your passions in life – Open up a spreadsheet on your computer (Google
Docs, Excel, whatever), and start making a list of anything that you are
passionate about. Mine would be something like: Entrepreneurship, Start-ups,
Video Games, Cooking, Web apps, Hip Hop, etc. We are trying to give ourselves
some leads on where to take our research.
2. Start
to research companies that are in an industry associated with your passion
– Don’t worry about what your position would be OR if they have openings listed
on their website just yet! Let’s just look for the companies that interest you.
A good place to look is industry blogs, Google, or even curated lists like the
Inc. 500 or 5000. Once you have your list of 10 to 12 companies, feel free to
jot down the different types of jobs you might like to have at these companies.
This next part is CRITICAL, write down what you like about the company. Even
simple things that you notice can play a big part.
3. Create
a LinkedIn account to research your potential boss – Go to Linkedin.com and
open an account. When prompted, import that contacts that you feel you could
connect with, from your email. There is a powerful network effect on LinkedIn
that allows you to see more users/employees from companies through your
connections. After that, start looking at the people that work for the
companies you are researching. Look for your potential boss, co-workers,
executives, and just the overall feel for the people that make up the culture of
the company. From this research, you should be able to tell how you are
connected, what similarities you have from work experience in the past, and
other clues about recent changes at the company. Add the contacts that you find
on LinkedIn, to the spreadsheet.
4. Prepare
for and carry out a call to your future boss – With the information that
you have collected; you are going to call your future boss to get this process
started. This is best to do, before you send in your resume. The first thing to
note is that this is a great way to set yourself apart from every other joker
that submits a resume. Grab the information you got from your research and call
the company. Mention who you are, why you like/are interested in the company,
why you are calling that specific person, that you are thinking about your next
career move, and ask what they look for in a team member. Use the information
that you get and let them know that you are very interested in joining the
team, if that is the case.
5. Ask
for the next steps and push forward through the hiring process – When you
end the conversation, ask if you can come into the office to chat about
opportunities. This is a great time to share your resume if that is what they
want next. So if they ask for the resume upfront, tell them you can come in to
drop it off. From here, it’s business as usual when it comes to interviewing
and hired. After that interaction, assuming it went well, you have separated
yourself from the rest of the applicants. In the case of a company without a
job posting, you probably don’t have any competition and despite what you might
think, this is a highly successful way to look for jobs/network with companies
you like. In some cases, they will create a job for you. Can you imagine
telling your friends and family that your next job was created just for you?
6. Know
your professional skills- Know what makes you different from the other
person, what you like doing and what you do not like doing. Know the skills you
possess which must have been reflected in your academic or extracurricular
activities. They could be marketing, negotiating or leadership skills. If there
is need to develop them, this is an opportunity to do just that.
7. Reflect
your skills in your resume in a way that enhances them, not diminishes them- You have acquired
a number of excellent skills. It is important you package them well in your CV.
The content might be superb and the packaging not attractive. Make your content
and packaging catchy. Put your skills, activities and achievements in an
attractive way in your CV.
8. Acquire
experience through internship programs and volunteer activities- Most
graduates see their first few years in the labour market as the money making
period. As such, they think of the salary rather than the experience. This is a
faulty perception. See your first few years as the time to gain experience and
improve on your skills. Take up voluntary jobs and internship programs paid or
not. These would help you sharpen your skills.
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