6 Steps To Get A Job With No Experience!

Step 1: Prune your social pages

You might be surprised to find out just how much of your information is available online — and not all of it is necessarily flattering.

Part of any modern job search involves taking some time to clean up your accounts on social media, and taking stock of what your Google-able online image says about you.

Just like painters need to choose their palette, you need to make your online presence more palatable if you want it to paint you in a better light! Try becoming more active about things that line up with your new career path, and privatize or delete everything that doesn’t.

Step 2: Revisit your resume

Switching career paths means switching up your resume more than you normally would.

Start by reading the job description of every position you’re applying for. You’re likely going to find some new keywords and jargon that you may not have had on your resume before.

You’re going to want to update the language on your resume to reflect the language in the job posting. Which means you might have to focus on different aspects of your past jobs, or even completely swap out which jobs and experiences you talk about on your resume.

Remember to keep it relevant. If a past work or work-related experience in no way shaped you into someone who will be a great candidate for the job you’re applying to, then consider removing it from your resume to make space for things that did.

And if you’re struggling to find any experience worth talking about, consider going more granular. Look at the little things you had to do at school or at work, such as a certain project or specific task. Something will line up, even if your overall experience might not.

Step 3: Get references

Whether you’ve never worked before, or you just have no experience in your new chosen profession, who you choose to speak up for you says a lot about you.

References help you get a foot in the door. They can be people who already work in the industry or company you have your eye on, or else anyone who has worked with you or mentored you in the past.

In any case, they can speak to your ability to do things like pick up new skills, follow instructions, keep yourself motivated, etc. Just be sure to prep your references in advance!

Not only should they know to expect to be contacted by potential employers, they should have a rough idea of what it is you’re applying for and how their perspective of you is relevant. Prime them on why you chose them as a reference for this particular job, and which of your skills they can talk about that would transfer well to this new position.

Step 4: Research the industry

Stepping into a new professional world isn’t always as easy as following a helpful online article 😉

Sometimes you will legitimately need to take a course or get a special license in order to make the transition.

Find out first by talking to professionals who already work in that field, or looking at job requirements for positions you’re interested in. This should give you some insight into what you’ll need under your belt before you can move forward.

It’s also worth researching your chosen industry because of the fallacy that the grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence. If you haven’t experienced it for yourself, you may have a skewed idea of what the sort of job you’re interested in actually entails.

In many cases, you may find that you’re more interested in a similar but different role, or that there are different jobs in the same field that are better suited for your personality or skills. For example, being an Occupational Therapist is quite different from being an Occupational Therapist Assistant, but both have their own appeal to different people.

Step 5: Research the company

Knowing what the company wants is key to making the company want you.

By understanding their values and culture, as well as the specifics of the products and services they offer, you can craft your cover letter, resume, and interview answers to make you seem like you know what you’re talking about — even if you have no experience to speak of!

Make sure you understand what sets them apart from the rest of the industry. You should be able to explain why you chose them as your employer of choice.

And, while you should never ask questions at an interview that you could have simply looked up online in advance, it’s more than okay to ask questions that show you are seriously interested in their business. Always have something to add when your interviewer goes, “do you have any questions for us?”

Step 6: Don’t burn that bridge

Making a significant shift in your career by breaking into a new industry is not always without turbulence. You may receive rejections, and it’s perfectly fine to feel a little down when that happens.

But the most important part of any job search is to keep up your positivity by balancing your mental wellness with your search for work. Your positivity and bright outlook affect every aspect of your job search, from how much effort you put into finding job posts, to how you come across to recruiters — even over the phone!

And being negative to others only breeds more negativity in your life. So if you face rejection, or you feel that a peer or mentor just isn’t able to provide you with the support you need right now, it’s absolutely important that you don’t respond with anger or frustration.

This could mean things like sending an angry email, or constantly calling a company you haven’t heard back from yet. Or it could even be as subtle as no longer keeping in touch with someone in your social network who might one day help you land your dream job!

Instead of letting your emotions control your behaviour for the worse, you should actively try to learn and grow from each new obstacle.

Consider politely asking your recruiter for feedback about why they didn’t hire you. Or sending a thank you message to someone who said they couldn’t help, letting them know you still appreciate them and to keep you in mind!

Listen and keep an open mind. If you are genuinely enthusiastic about making this change in your career, then keep up that enthusiasm every step of the way — because that’s the best way!

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