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It’s no BS. You can find your dream job by using these six tactics – even if you’ve got ZERO experience. Corrie Alexander explains.
There suddenly came a day when you realized exactly what you wanted to do from now until retirement. Unfortunately, you are working in a totally different line of work and have absolutely no experience in your desired field. You’ve got bills to pay and it feels like you’re going to be stuck in your dead-end job forever.
If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. you’re not alone. A recent survey indicates that nearly half of Canadians are unhappy in their current job.
But there’s no reason for you to be a statistic. Here’s how to score that perfect job while bypassing that pesky little thing called experience.
Become a sponge
The first step is to learn as much as you can about your dream job. Read all the books you can on it. Check the internet for seminars, or online courses that can fast track your learning.
While education is not a replacement for experience, listing any workshops you’ve participated in shows prospective employers that you have knowledge and are eager to learn and grow. Sometimes it pays to be keen.
Find a mentor
Finding a mentor is a proven method for getting a leg up on your new career path. Preferably, you should choose someone you already know who has seen success in your dream role, whether that be someone you met through work, friends, or family.
It’s also worth investigating if any companies in your desired field offer a mentorship program. If all else fails, find a mentor by making new connections through social media. Build a relationship with them first by showing your support.
Follow their work, share their posts, and be as helpful as you can; They need to know you and what you’re about before you ask them to mentor you.
Cultivate your skill set
In order to break into your desired field, you may need to take an entry level or junior role and start working your way up. If you’re not financially able to take a pay cut in order to follow your dreams, try part time volunteer work, or be an assistant to your mentor. The idea is to accrue enough skills to spin into a killer resume.
The single biggest favour you can do for yourself is to simply go for it and never give up.
In some cases, offering your services for free might even turn into a paying gig, as it did for Ryan Niessan when he offered three months of unpaid internship and ended up getting paid for it!
Demonstrate quality over quantity
Years of required experience and other “must-haves” listed on a job ad are more guidelines than hard rules. What’s really important to employers is that you have what it takes to get the job done.
Regardless of how little experience you may have, you can seriously pique an employer’s interest if you show them you’re a results-driven individual. Make a case study out of your existing accomplishments to show how you’ve excelled in a short period of time.
For example, in just three months of interning at XYZ Inc., you improved company cost savings by 15 per cent. Dude, that’s impressive!
Make unrelated experience relevant
Taylor your accomplishments to complement the role you’re applying for. For example, if your dream job is in journalism, hype up the fact that you wrote for or edited the internal newsletter at your school or company.
Showcase your transferrable skills, including personal attributes like your dependability and enthusiasm – these soft skills are very attractive to employers. Back up your claims with examples. And now because you organized and led a charity event at work, you’ve got proven leadership skills. See? Easy.
Go for it!
It’s true that getting your dream job isn’t likely to happen over night. It takes time, persistence, and a positive attitude. But there are so many people who give up on their dreams before they even get started. The single biggest favour you can do for yourself is to simply go for it and never give up.
What things have you done to help you land a job that you weren’t quite qualified for? We’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment in the section below.