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Sometimes, landing your very first job is quite demanding. Job hunting without work experience or skills can be stressful. As a newbie, this article will help you take the proper steps to build the potential to land your first job.
Whether you just got out of college or looking to change careers, getting a job with no experience means getting an entry-level job. The work history of several industry professionals today started at an entry-level position without expertise; and how they groomed themselves to the top of their careers.
What is an entry-level job?
An entry-level job is the starter position in an organization. It is the lowest level of a career path that requires little or no work experience. However, it is the point where you build real work experience and skills.
There are several entry-level jobs with good pay, especially in the tech industry. Here are a few tips to get that dream job without experience in your desired industry.
Tips to get entry-level jobs
Pen down the skills required in the job description
Each job has the necessary skills needed for practical functionality and productivity. Mastery of these skills as time goes on provides valuable experience. Look out for both soft skills and technical or hard skills for your job of interest and write them down.
Soft skills are people skills that help build relationships. It is necessary to have skills that help you interact with colleagues and build working relationships. Technical skills are proficiencies and knowledge needed to perform a task.
Take note of the soft and hard skills you need to get your desired job.
Evaluate and write out your skills
It is possible to acquire or build skills in college or current job, such as communication, team playing, collaboration, presentation, word processing, spreadsheeting, and emailing.
Write down your skills and rate your proficiency; be honest! Combine these skills with the skills from the job description. This way, you have a clear view of your skill gap and improvement areas.
Build Soft skills
Although you may not be required to have much work experience, soft skills are essential to get an entry-level role.
Soft skills, which are also transferable skills, are essential skills that will contribute to your performance, learning on the job, productivity, and overall success in your career path.
Some essential transferable skills are problem-solving, critical thinking, time management, feedback, emotional intelligence, flexibility, team playing, work ethic, and communication skills.
Are you wondering how or where to learn these skills? An online course is enough to learn soft skills. You can check out platforms like edX, IITTI, Coursera, and KnowledgeHut.
Get real-world experience
The job market is extremely competitive. Real-world experience is a big push to your chances of getting the attention of employers over other candidates. A real-world experience proves to employers that you are determined to build a career in your interested niche.
Learning platforms are one way to get real-world experience for your first entry-level job. Learning platforms teach and help people build work skills and engage in real-life projects that center on real-life problems, professional execution strategies, and business standard delivery.
Another way is through volunteer experience. Volunteer experience also goes a long way in getting the attention of prospective employers. Volunteer work is an opportunity to get direct experience in your interested niche from any company near you.
Start networking
Nobody is an Island. Sometimes jobs are gotten through personal connections. Job search is competitive. To get a job in the job market, you need to build a network that can give you relevant tips and updates and recommend you to a hiring manager.
One of the easiest ways to level up in the job market is through a few tips and recommendations from personal connections.
Join professional job sites and boards
Today, job hunting is made easy with AI, the internet, and job sites. Job sites are presently the go-to platform for employers.
Employers utilize job sites as a cost-effective tool to enhance company and job opening visibility to job seekers with relevant skills. And communicate their brand and values to prospective job seekers online.
Hence, signing up on job sites should be on your priority list. There are several websites you can consider. You can access jobs in various niches, salary trajectories, skill requirements, job postings, new job trends, and other relevant news reports.
Build your resume
Build your resume to show off your potential for a job posting. A resume indicates your personal and professional experiences, skills, training, certifications, and educational background.
Make sure to tailor your resume to fit the job postings constantly. For example, the transferable skills required for a content writer are different from those of human resources. Also, provide technical skills that are relevant to the position.
You also want to structure your summary to show you're relatable, enthusiastic, coachable, honest, and hard-working. Beyond extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and a part-time job on your resume, hiring managers look out for something outstanding such as problem-solving achievements or projects.
Carry out background research
Before applying to any job posting, do well to research the company in your free time.
What is the website of the company?
What is their purpose, vision, and mission?
What qualities or soft skills of entry-level candidates align with their values?
What might some entry-level candidates be doing that's a turn-off concerning resumes or personality-wise?
What skills and relevant experience can get the employer's attention?
Those are questions that should guide your research. Your findings will help you build your cover letter and resume and boost your confidence in an interview.
Write an Outstanding cover letter
A cover letter is an opportunity to sell yourself to potential employers. With a cover letter, you can fully express yourself to impress the hiring manager and demonstrate your personal qualities and qualification, outstanding fit, and enthusiasm for the job.
It is essential to read and understand the job description and other requirements before applying for a job to ensure that you are suitable for the job position. Also, research cover letter best practices to get a suitable format to write an outstanding cover letter.
Prepare for Interview
Job interviews put a face to the resume and cover letter. It is the point where you meet and interact with your potential employers. It is essential to take your time to prepare for an interview.
The interview with the hiring managers is a critical stage that determines if you are suitable enough to get a job. As an entry-level candidate, you need to have some selling points that demonstrate how certain you are of your chosen career path. And your determination to a career with their company.
When preparing for job interviews, your primary focus should be making your selling point unique and precise. Your selling points are your prior job experience (probably as an intern in college), technical and transferable skills, problem-solving projects, and other abilities. While you prepare for an interview, research what hiring managers want, and be sure of the knowledge, skills, and level of experience they expect from recent graduates. Then build your pitch around them.
It is essential to express a positive attitude in an interview session. It is okay to be nervous but stay optimistic. Your interviewers will evaluate your attitude, so learn the proper behavioral patterns expected from job seekers. For example, timeliness, body language, gestures, and confidence are behavioral patterns you want to build.
Go beyond and above; write a letter of interest
Sometimes to land your first job or an entry-level job, you need to go the extra mile in your job search. Not all companies post job openings on the internet. When you have a dream company, you wish to work for, and there is no job posting of a job with no experience during your job search. There is nothing wrong with reaching out to the company yourself through a letter of interest.
A letter of interest tells your prospective employers that you are interested in building a career in their company. You can connect with a company hiring manager you are interested in and show interest in working for them. One way to do this is to build a personal connection with the hiring manager and mail a letter of interest.
Where to find companies that can hire new graduates without work experience
Here are websites to check out job opportunities to get your first job or build a career.
Closing Thoughts
The best way to increase your chances of getting hired is through valuable experience.
As a recent graduate, you should focus on developing yourself with real-world experience through internships, training, boot camps, and online courses.
Whether you are a recent graduate or looking to change your career path, leverage our boot camp courses today to get valuable experience.
See Also
Future of Work: why up-skilling is important for career success
5 Reasons to Consider an Online Bootcamp
Common UX Portfolio Mistakes to Avoid as a Newbie