When you finish your college education and try to land your first real job, you may run into a number of positions that, despite being entry level, simply require too much experience to get your foot in the door. This obstacle is becoming more common, due partly to the overall workforce being deluged with experienced candidates and partly due to employers having unrealistic expectations for lower-level jobs. Instead of just throwing your hands up at the whole process, there are a few things you can do to make employers consider you even with little to no experience:
The reality of experience:
Look on almost any job posting, and you’ll see some kind of experience requirement, which is usually several years or more. It’s unrealistic for employers to expect recent college graduates to have this kind of work experience, and most employers recognize this despite still putting the requirement on the posting. The reality is that many employers will fully consider a candidate who only has schooling, and will often translate years of education into years of experience. If you feel the job requires your exact skill set, as long as the position doesn’t require something like ten years of experience, feel free to apply. Just be ready to address your lack of experience in the interview.
How can you gain experience?
There are a number of ways you can gain the experience you will need to land a job. First, consider volunteer work, which not only provides work experience but will look attractive on a resume. Also, consider an internship in your field. It may not pay very much, or at all, but it is a great way to get a little experience to flesh out your resume. Websites designed to help graduates and students find volunteer and internship opportunities are becoming popular: try Monster’s internship site to find opportunities near you.
