As a student, you’ll eventually find yourself in the position of trying to secure your first job. While your first foray into the professional world is an exciting time, it can also be stressful. After all, who hasn’t heard countless horror stories of how difficult it is to find a job? In this economy?
Among the most common pieces of advice students or recent graduates entering the job market hear is that experience matters. Most employers want new hires to provide immediate value to their company, and past work experience is the best way of demonstrating an ability to do so.
However, this can lead to a vicious cycle: while you need experience to find a job, you also need a job to gain experience. Thankfully, this isn’t an insurmountable problem. If you’re wondering how to add experience to your CV without necessarily having held a full-time job, this article is for you.
Emphasise Experiences in University
If you don’t have much work experience, presenting your CV effectively becomes especially important. Use a resume maker to structure your CV in such a way that any relevant experience you’ve gained at university is near the top. As a recent graduate, hiring managers don’t expect you to have vast amounts of work experience. What they want to see, however, is that you were proactive during college and that you went out of your way to build your skills and seek new experiences.
There are countless school-related experiences you can add. For instance, you might have started a mock-up small business as part of a group project. Another example would be holding a position as a teacher’s assistant. Make sure to include all relevant experiences in your CV and expand on them in your cover letter.
Seeking out these experiences can help you stand out from your classmates. Given that you’re all studying the same degree, you can make yourself more attractive to employers than your peers by pointing out what you’ve done that others haven’t.
Find an Internship
If you’re studying full-time, it might be hard to secure a full-time job, especially if you don’t have much work experience. This is where an internship can help: businesses are often much more willing to take a risk on an intern than on a permanent employee. When working as an intern, you won’t be expected to be an expert on everything, so you’ll have space to learn and make mistakes. If your internship goes well, you might even be offered a position when it’s over.
While there’s tremendous value to working on-site, internships can also be done on a work-from-home basis. Although you won’t have the chance to soak up the office culture and speak with your colleagues in person, working remotely still equips you with plenty of hard skills you’ll need for similar roles. A remote job also fosters the ability to work independently, which many companies value in their employees.
A relevant internship looks great on your CV as it demonstrates a level of familiarity with your chosen industry that not many fresh graduates will have. Working while studying in university also demonstrates that you’re proactive and committed, which hiring managers will appreciate.
Volunteer at a Not-For-Profit
Not everything you put in your CV needs to be directly related to the position you’re applying for. A great way to beef up your application is to volunteer at a non-profit organisation you care about. For example, you can consider food banks, animal shelters and religious organisations.
There are plenty of benefits to volunteering experience when applying for a job. First, most humanitarian roles equip you with soft skills transferable to the workplace. Volunteering is a great way to cultivate characteristics like patience, diligence and creative thinking. You might also find yourself in a role that teaches you hard skills like video editing and creating spreadsheets.
Another major benefit of working as a volunteer is showing employers that you’re passionate about things outside of school and work. As a whole, spending time at a non-profit is a fantastic way to make yourself a more well-rounded candidate when applying for jobs.
Hold a Position in a Club or Society
Besides giving you something to talk about on your CV, joining a club or society is an invaluable way to make connections. The other students in your club share at least one common interest with you, and they might even seek out a similar career field. Networking with your peers allows you to share job opportunities, review each other’s CVs and support each other through the triumphs and challenges of job searching.
When you contribute to a club, you’ll likely have more contact with professors and tutors, as well as people you’ve asked to attend or speak at your event. These more experienced professionals can give you the best advice on your job search and, while you can’t count on this, might even know someone who can offer you a job directly.
Studying at a university opens many doors for you. This includes being able to join clubs or societies that interest you on a personal or professional level. Being part of clubs will boost your resume and improve your chances of landing your first professional job.
It’s no secret that entering the job market today is challenging. If you’re a student without professional experience, it’s even more true, unfortunately. However, you can rest assured that there are ways of adding experience to your CV, even if you’ve never had a full-time position. Don’t miss out on job offers just because you’re new to the professional world – sit down and consider which pathways presented in this piece will have the most impact on your applications.
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