Blog 28: How to Gain Work Experience when You have No Work Experience

 Hello Readers! 

There are currently a lot of people looking for jobs, and if you're one of those people, I want to give you some hands-on tips for making yourself stand out and get hired. Getting a job can be difficult because you need work experience, and you don't get work experience (usually) without getting a job. It's a total catch-22. The hardest hit by this catch-22 are young people, specifically college graduates. You've learned everything, but now what? The other group of people hardest hit are those making a career change. You want to work in a different field, but have no experience in that field. Now what? 

I want to give you some pointers to help make you stand out better to a hiring manager, whether you're a young person or a career change person, or just someone looking for work. People often get overwhelmed that they don't have enough experience for a job that they don't apply in the first place. I don't think the lack of experience should stop you from trying to find your dream job, and I hope this blog encourages you to keep moving forward. I hope you find help in my pointers below on how to gain work experience when you have no work experience. 

1. Show that you're motivated and willing to gain any experience 

Many hiring managers assume that you have no work experience because you didn't chase after any. Prove them wrong by showing that you are capable of working in any situation and are motivated to chase after any opportunity to show you're worth hiring. 

2. Volunteering is work experience 

Many people write off volunteering as work experience because you don't get paid. Volunteering can still give you a lot of experience and translate the skills you learned into a job. Did you volunteer at a homeless shelter serving food? You probably gained people skills/customer service skills from doing that, even though you weren't paid and didn't sell anything. Use your previous volunteer history to your advantage. If you haven't volunteered before, I recommend starting now to gain some experience, that you can show to a hiring manager. 

Volunteering isn't the most glamorous thing to do, and it works against people who desperately need an income. Note that there are great paid volunteering positions out there as well, you just have to look carefully for them. 

3. If you went to school, use your classes as experience 

I've seen a lot of successful resumes from young people where their main source of work experience comes from their classes. Whether they're a biology major who uses their laboratory classes gave them measurement, communication, and written skills; or an English major who uses their poetry writing class to show that they've gained written and oral communication skills. All classes will give you an experience of some sort, and writing that experience in your resume will make you look like a better candidate with more work experience. 

4. You can use relevant hobbies as work experience 

I saw this with one of my employees, Kenna, who had no background in life coaching or insurance selling. In my interview process with her, she talked about how she loved marketing and podcasting. As I wanted to do a podcast for Katie Anderson Coaching, I was curious to learn more about her hobby of podcasting, and in the end, actually hired her. If your hobbies are relevant to the job you want to get, don't be shy about showcasing them. If you love drawing in your free time and are interviewing for a job that requires content creation or graphic design, bring it up! It'll make you look more well-rounded, and show your hiring manager you have a healthy work-life balance. 

There are many other ways to show experience on your resumes and cover letters, even if you have no work experience. Remember that your experience shouldn't hold you back from applying to your dream job. Shoot high and you just might make it! Feel free to reach out on my social media and website for any questions you might have. 

Until next time, 

Katie