How can I get a job when I have no experience?

What are the best ways to get people to notice you if you have not had a job? How do I even know what I should be doing for a job? I feel like there’s a rule book and no one gave it to me.

 

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  1. Penelope Trunk
    Penelope Trunk says:

    It’s sort of ridiculous that we go through eighteen years of school and no one gives us lessons on how to hunt for a job. Arguably, it’s the most important skill of adult life. So when you’re starting out, here are five things to remember.

    1. Job hunt is a lifestyle not an event.
    You will hunt for jobs many many times in your life, so it’s not a bad pill to swallow once but rather a skill to build so you get better and better. Also, you can’t spend all day every day looking for a job. So schedule your days to include a few hours of job hunting and leave time to do things you’re passionate about as well. The best way to make yourself employable is to live an interesting, engaged life and be able to talk about it.

    2. Your resume is a marketing document, not your life story.
    You don’t have to list every single thing you’ve done. List the things you’ve done that are relevant to the work you want to be doing for your future employer. The more accomplished we get the more impressive are the things we leave off our resume. A good way to measure if you are focused and efficient on your resume is if you are leaving things off that are difficult to leave off. Focused job hunters are people who look like they know what their good at and they know how to set goals.

    3. Your network is something you build after a job hunt.
    You can’t build a network when you need a job. Building a network is doing favors for people, not asking for favors. So start networking when you have that first job and then you’ll set yourself up for an easier job hunt the next time around. Remember that you never know who will be able to help you down the line, and you always benefit emotionally for doing good deeds, so help as many people as you can: that’s great networking.

    4. Be a closer in the interview.
    And interview is a sales job. You have to be good at selling yourself in order to convince someone to hire you. A good hiring manager only interviews people who are qualified for the job, so an interview is about how well you’ll fit into the company culture. Be sure to make a good connection by being your true, best self. And at the end, be sure to close. You can ask, “Do you have any reservations about hiring me?” The person will likely tell you, and it gives you one more chance to explain why you’re the best fit for the job.

    5. Know your strengths.
    So much of getting a job is self-confidence. At the beginning of your career it’s difficult to imagine that you bring value when you have so little work experience. But your value is in the way you think and your approach to solving problems. If you have a clear understanding of your strengths you’ll be able to convey them in the interview. Confident people get hired first. You can’t fake confidence, which is probably good for you – the first step you make into the work world will be teaching yourself to believe in yourself, even under the most difficult circumstances.

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