{"id":3139,"date":"2022-04-29T14:57:55","date_gmt":"2022-04-29T14:57:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetalentcycle.co.uk\/?p=3139"},"modified":"2022-10-07T08:11:52","modified_gmt":"2022-10-07T08:11:52","slug":"how-to-sell-your-lack-of-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetalentcycle.co.uk\/uncategorized\/how-to-sell-your-lack-of-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"How to sell your lack of experience"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chatting recently with a friend over dinner, she updated me on how her son was doing.\u00a0 In short, not very well.\u00a0 Despite gaining a (very expensive) degree and having worked for a few years in a great job, he was growing bored of a role that had no future and he wanted to move on to another career.\u00a0 \u201cBut with no experience it is impossible\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n

Wrong.\u00a0 It\u2019s difficult, sure.\u00a0 But not impossible.\u00a0 As this lovely testimonial from a client shows, it is all about understanding where you are now, where you want to be and how you get there, taking into account your current experience.<\/p>\n

So how can you gain your first foot in the door when you have no experience?<\/p>\n

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  1. Sell what you do have\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    With buckets of energy and enthusiasm, you\u2019ll be able to make things happen with fresh ideas and innovative approaches.\u00a0 Never underestimate that people like doing business with people and how well you gel with others is just as important as ay knowledge or experience you may or may not have.\u00a0 Knowledge and experience can be learnt\u2026personality, not so much.<\/p>\n

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    1. You have more experience than you think<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Experience gained from other industries, studies and clubs will all count as ways to evidence what an amazing employee you\u2019ll be.\u00a0 And if you don\u2019t feel like you have enough, then make it happen!\u00a0 Finding great work experience, internships or even delivering on your own (think online portfolio of your work), are all ways to show you can make it in their industry.\u00a0 Using websites like https:\/\/www.prospects.ac.uk\/<\/a>, https:\/\/www.milkround.com\/<\/a> and https:\/\/www.studentladder.co.uk\/<\/a> are all great starting points as well as contacting companies directly.<\/p>\n

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      1. When you apply for a job, it\u2019s not about you, it\u2019s about them<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Odd though it might sound, in order to sell yourself you don\u2019t want to just talk about you the whole time.\u00a0 And by that I mean don\u2019t just do a brain dump of everything you\u2019ve ever done, only pick things you can make sound relevant, either directly or by talking about your transferable skills.\u00a0 Always match your application to the job, going through the JD piece by piece, and explaining how you can match the criteria.\u00a0 For example, if they want an event manager who can build relationships with multi stakeholders, don\u2019t worry if you\u2019ve never worked on events before but do talk about other ways in much you have supported and built relationships with stakeholders.<\/p>\n

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        1. Network, network, network!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Nothing makes a hiring manager forget about the \u2018on paper\u2019 you and focus on the real you, like when you\u2019ve been recommended by someone.\u00a0 Or when you personally know the hiring manager.\u00a0 There is a good reason so many (80%) of jobs are secured via networking and if you fell like you\u2019re lacking in experience, proactively building your network can be a way of levelling the playing field.\u00a0 Go to industry events, networking activities and get yourself on LinkedIn along with the millions of other users.<\/p>\n

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          1. Luck be a lady<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Never underestimate the importance of luck and being in the right place, at the right time.\u00a0 Very few professionals out there have never experienced this at some point in their career.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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