3 Tips for Getting a Job with NO Experience

Breaking into the job market is hard. Even with a stellar education and obvious inborn talent, finding even an entry-level position presents a challenge. Most companies want some form of professional background. As such, how can you land a decent position with no experience?

There are steps you can take. After all, everyone starts out with no experience. Every CEO and every seasoned industry veteran had to secure their first job somewhere. The trick is to know how to get the most out of your other qualities, land that initial position, and then build your career from there.

Partnering with a recruiter can help. A top staffing firm, like SmartTalent, can direct you to amazing entry-level opportunities. Connect with SmartTalent to get your career off to the right start.

Beyond finding a staffing partner, there are other steps you can take to optimize your chances of finding the right position. Here are three tips for getting a job with no experience:

Make the Most of Your Strengths

Even without professional experience, you have value you can offer an employer. Your job is to find ways to demonstrate these selling points. Identify your biggest strengths as a candidate and look for methods to highlight them as you search for a good place to jump into the job market.

Here are a few steps you can take to stress your most marketable attributes:

• Remain Realistic: As you go into a job search with limited experience, your dream job might be outside of your grasp at this point. Get the best position you can score now and build experience for your next move.
• Customize Your Resume: Tailor your sales pitch to individual companies. You might have a short work history, but you can shape your resume to best match each opportunity
• Stress Your Soft Skills: While you might sport thin qualifications, there are abilities that carry over to almost any job. As such, emphasize skills like leadership, communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and organization.

Find Points of Differentiation

When you have a limited work history, your resume ends up looking similar to most other candidates. After all, all of you are going into the job search process with virtually no experience. As a result, an employer has little information to consider when making a hiring decision.

One strategy involves grabbing as much experience as you can find. A staffing firm can help in that approach, letting you build your resume quickly. Partnering with SmartTalent will let you accelerate your professional development, quickly ending the no-experience stage of your career.

Even as you add those initial bullet points to your resume, it’s important to take steps to stand out. When most of your competition also has little experience, small areas of differentiation can shine the spotlight in your direction.

To initiate this strategy, look for other items to include on your resume. Gravitate towards anything that will highlight those marketable soft skills, like organization, leadership, or teamwork. Consider things like:

• Internships
• Volunteer Positions
• Academic Achievements
• Awards/Certifications
• School Extracurricular Activities

Get Creative About Your Job Search

It can be difficult to find a strong opportunity with no previous experience. To avoid falling into dead-end positions, you need to think outside the box. Here are a few creative ways to find the best job possible:

Leverage Your Network

Talk to people you know about your job search. They might be able to connect you to surprising opportunities. These connections can include people like friends, relatives, and teachers. Even social media contacts can provide help.

Target Specific Companies

Seek out companies you admire. Building a relationship with a great organization can help develop your career long-term. You might not land the position now. But you might foster a connection that will pay off down the line.

Consider Freelance, Part-Time, and Intern Positions

Gain experience any way you can. As part of this, stay flexible about the positions you’re willing to take. For instance, consider part-time and unpaid positions (if you can afford it.) Following this path will provide as broad a selection as possible as you look for that first job. Meanwhile, this strategy lets you build out your resume for later.

Use a Staffing Firm

As we mentioned, a recruiter has the ability to steer you toward exciting entry-level positions. These gigs offer you the chance to build your career. A top staffing firm, like SmartTalent, will help you start your professional journey on the right foot. You’ll get the guidance and expertise you need to maximize your opportunities.

Contact SmartTalent today to get started.