The minimum experience for some vacancies is from 1 to 3 years. But where can you get it if you have just completed your studies or have radically changed your profession? Let’s figure out how to get a job without experience.
Decide what kind of job you are looking for
When looking for a job, you need to decide what you are looking for, because not all vacancies are suitable and you are not ready to agree to all conditions. Perhaps you have secondary vocational or higher education, completed online courses or professional retraining courses. Think about what salary and schedule will be optimal for you, what is the importance of career growth in the company, corporate culture, benefits and other aspects.
It is important that the job brings you closer to your long-term career goals: if in 20 years you imagine yourself as the head of an advertising agency, then think about whether a barista vacancy would suit you now. Of course, there are situations when you need a job urgently, but if you are more or less free financially, for example, your parents help you, then start with an assistant or assistant in your field. Keep in mind that junior positions often have the lowest rates, since the level of responsibility and complexity of tasks is lower than that of middle and senior specialists.
The employer has the right to train you before starting work. On average, the internship lasts from two weeks to three months, the exact period is specified in the employment contract. The number of working hours per week should not exceed 40, and the salary during the internship cannot be less than the minimum wage.
Take the first steps
Prepare your resume
Writing a resume is a big deal, as it is your first contact with an employer. Don’t skip this step, even if you have little or no work experience. Many online job platforms simply ask you to fill out a questionnaire about your experience and education in your profile, but a well-written resume can attract attention and make a candidate stand out from the crowd. If you are looking for a job in a creative field, a creative and eye-catching resume is especially important.
List your key skills
Show what skills you have and how they resonate with the job requirements. Try to formulate your thoughts specifically: if you are applying for a web designer position, instead of saying “I know graphic editors well,” indicate that you are proficient in Figma and Photoshop, describe what types of interfaces you can develop using these tools. Mention any experience, even if it seems insignificant: portfolio projects, internships, freelance orders — all this will help the employer form a more complete picture of you.
“I wrote to companies that I liked and looked for freelance work. One company responded, after the internship everyone was happy with my work, and I stayed on the team. Now I mainly help with the creation of outdoor advertising, develop designs and send them for approval.”
Write a cover letter
To get a response, it is worth writing a cover letter , even if it is not requested in the job description. It will allow you to build a more personalized communication with the employer and stand out from the crowd of applicants. In the letter, you can clarify points that are not obvious from the resume. For example, explain why you are looking for a job now, what attracted you to the company, why you decided to change your field of activity and what you did before.
Make the most of interviews and tests
Going to interviews and doing test tasks for the first time is exciting and scary because you don’t know how everything will go and what questions you will be asked. But there is good news: interviewing is a skill that can be developed, thus upgrading yourself. Only with experience will you understand how to best answer questions and what strategy to follow.
The same applies to test tasks. Firstly, you will receive feedback after completing the task, and it does not matter whether you completed it successfully or not. Remember that this experience can be packed into a case, so ask the recruiter as many questions as possible and ask for comments from a senior specialist if he or she also looked at your test. Secondly, this is a simulation of a real work task, and even before you start working for the company, you will be able to assess how comfortable it is to work and whether you can handle it.
Compensate for lack of experience
Sell your potential
Perhaps the employer is actually looking for a motivated employee who is ready to learn and interact normally, rather than an experienced one. It is important to show at all stages of hiring that you are ready to invest a little more in projects at first in order to fit into the company.
Use networking
You can start making professional connections while still a student. Maintaining good relationships with people is not that difficult, but some of them may help you in the future when looking for a job: a classmate will tell you that there is a vacancy in his company, and a teacher will remember you and offer you as a candidate for an internship from the university.
“I entered the university to study GMU, made good contact with one teacher, and he helped me get my first internship at the city mayor’s office. In general, if you show yourself in extracurricular activities, help organize student events or be a presenter at them, then the chances of being noticed are much higher.”
Networking is possible without meeting in person. For example, you can run your telegram channel on a professional topic and pin it to your account, potential employers will see it and be able to learn more about your projects. Many online education schools have chats where they send out vacancies and ask questions about the topic of work. If you have completed a course at such a school, then add to the chat. It is not necessary to communicate 24/7, you can periodically maintain a dialogue, ask questions or answer other people.
Develop your portfolio
A portfolio gives the employer a general idea of your skills, style, and ability to create different projects. It requires constant improvement and development. It is not necessary to fill it with real tasks, educational projects will do too. You can create several versions of your portfolio. For example, one version for a response to the position of UX copywriter, another for a copywriter for landing pages.
“Portfolio is very important, and it’s better to collect as many of your works there as possible. I have only 5 posts on Behance, but in fact, I have about 20 finished works in Figma. I’m currently an intern as a web designer, although it’s unofficial.”
How to turn a project into a case
A case is a detailed description of a specific project. It focuses on how you solved the problem, what role you played in the project, which allows you to assess specific professional skills. Numbers are the basis of a case, so write:
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about the problem and the goal of the project;
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the time period in which you managed to achieve your goal;
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your role and task in the project;
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stages of work, hypotheses, tools and research;
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result with metrics.
Attach anything that will make the story more visual: screenshots, diagrams, graphs. If you have any, add a review of your work.
It is enough to pay attention to one or two projects that you consider the most successful, and do them in this format.
Look for work in different ways
With the help of job services . On Hh.ru , Superjob , Career Space , Changellenge you can select vacancies by criteria: no experience, part-time, remote work, flexible start of the working day and many others.
On personal pages of people known in your field . For example, if you are looking for a job in IT, you can subscribe to recruiters who work in bigtech companies.
“A few years ago, I decided to change my field of activity. I was looking for a job in the field of writing from scratch. A friend’s advice helped me – to subscribe to the editors-in-chief of all the publications that I liked. As a result, I was one of the first to see information about an open vacancy in one young publication – the editor posted it on her page. Moreover, I knew exactly how to attract attention. After all, I carefully read her blog and understood what kind of person they were looking for.”
Telegram channels: Young & Junior , Avoska , SETI , Job for Junior publish vacancies specifically for entry-level specialists in various fields. In each of them, you can go to the “Similar Channels” section and see even more vacancies.
On the websites of the employer companies themselves: there is a section with vacancies on almost all websites, from city museums to furniture companies.
On your university’s website: Most universities have a special section for students and graduates where they post job openings, internships, and events. On a university’s website, it may be called “Career Center” or “Student Jobs.” The university’s website may also announce career events: online or offline meetings with employers, webinars, and master classes on employment.