It seems that all jobs these days are expecting you to have work experience before they’ll give you work experience – which is super helpful when you’re brand spanking new to the workforce. Instead of pulling your hair out, here are a few ways to get your foot in the door.
Volunteer / Intern
I have a buttload of internships under my belt. Yes, they were all unpaid, bar one. Yes, some were bloody useless, but others taught me so much and even led to my first ‘real’ job. Make sure it’s relevant to you, and make sure they’re actually teaching you (seems obvious, but not all of them do) and then they’re totally worth your time.
Study Something
Find a course that actually includes a work experience component or a hands-on course. That way your uni or TAFE will usually have industry hookups to get you in the door and you’ll know what your doing is relevant to your study and your future worklife.
Take Entry Level
Whether you study after high school or not, a fact of life that no-one walks straight into the job of their dreams. Not all entry-level jobs require work experience, so if it’s in a field or business you’re interested in seriously consider where career progress may take you.
Don’t Annoy People
Just a quick ‘don’t’ for you – don’t cold contact people on LinkedIn. They don’t know you, they can’t vouch for you and therefore you’re just going to be kind of annoying. Obviously, this is different if you do know the person and have connected with them before in real life.
