Working Strategies: Breaking the no-experience-no-job cycle – part 2

Amy Lindgren In last week s column I described a common and frustrating job search phenomenon The no-experience-no-job cycle That s where a lack of experience seems to be the block to getting a job which is where you would get the very experience employers are requesting Argh Luckily there s a loophole in this equation It s not really the lack of experience that blocks opportunities but the lack of relevant ability That is employers don t care what your last job title was they care about your work-related skills and knowledge Job seekers who identify the skills needed in a targeted role and then fill the gaps in their own skill set are going to be viable candidates at least at the entry level As noted last week that can happen through any variety of immersive experiences such as volunteering internships apprenticeships part-time jobs side hustles certificate programs and even self-training self-employment That s where we pick up the trail Choosing what to learn learning it and communicating that What to learn This one is easy learn anything needed in your targeted job Sticking with last week s example of a nonprofit communications wannabe and using information gleaned from postings for these roles we can build a list of what to learn social media newsletter and blog writing grant writing website management and building external relationships How to learn what you ve chosen In addition to ideas listed earlier volunteering etc don t forget about DIY options Even a concentrated day spent with a college textbook or perusing online YouTube videos can expand your skills and knowledge in surprising means You still need to prove and communicate your abilities but any starting point is better than none Communicating what you ve learned Not counting interviews there are only a insufficient avenues to communicate skills in job search In your online media specifically LinkedIn in your application materials r sum letter application and with a portfolio or demonstration Starting with LinkedIn our nonprofit communications hopeful would create a headline that includes the words Nonprofit Communications while also adding key skills to the summary announcement and crafting sentences for past jobs to ensure they feature communications For example a summer restaurant job can be described as Building relationships with diners to encourage repeat business helping non-English speakers understand the menu training new co-workers in effective means to communicate with customers As long as it doesn t go overboard this level of directed description is reliably better than Served customers and trained new staff The same concept applies to r sum s The point of choosing a job target nonprofit communications is that you can build as strong a r sum as achievable and not just alter a scarce words In this scenario the r sum would feature a headline a profile message a skills section and possibly a section for Notable Achievements or Representative Communications Projects all on page one ahead of the job experience The strategy is to frontload as a multitude of relevant items as workable rather than leading with whatever non-relevant job experience would otherwise open the r sum As for the skills section this is a key piece of real estate on a targeted r sum Based on the related job postings our nonprofit communications candidate might use bold left-margin subheads for these categories Writing Editing Social Media Websites Following each of the subheads would be a list of items in plain text For example Writing Editing Newsletter articles blog posts reports correspondence press releases Even if your experience in these areas is DIY remember that the section is called Skills not Experience You re not claiming years of background you re only saying you can do these things It s up to employers to decide how well To get them hooked consider a final subhead to describe yourself For example Personal Outgoing deadline-oriented accurate and thorough quick on project turnaround Once you ve revised your r sum and drafted a letter that can be templated you ll want to ensure your portfolio is in order For the bulk work an inexpensive or free website can be used to showcase relevant samples In the scenario of non-experienced workers the samples could come from classes volunteering or DIY efforts The point is to demonstrate your skill level and to generate conversation about what you can do for the employer Nothing is guaranteed but if you follow at least specific of the strategies above you have a decent chance of emerging the no-experience-no-job cycle Related Articles Working Strategies Latest the no-experience-no-job cycle Working Strategies tips for getting unstuck in your job search Working Strategies Making the event for real human writers Working Strategies Communicating more powerfully at work Working Strategies The Power of Yes in job search Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St Paul She can be reached at alindgren 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