How to Gain Work Experience
4/20/2022
Have you ever seen an entry-level job posting that reads “need experience” because the VERY definition of entry-level means “a type of job that requires minimal education, training, and experience.” Reading this can feel defeating. When you are excited to find employment; you open your laptop, type in “entry-level positions,” and BOOM! NEED EXPERIENCE!! How does one get experience if they have never worked before or have minimal experience in that field? There are absolutely ways to get experience when you have never had a job before.
Job Shadowing:
Job shadowing allows you to follow someone in the field you might be interested in for a few hours, days, weeks, whatever you want/they will let. If you are unsure where to start, you can type in the job you are going for, see what companies are nearby (radius search), call, and ask if they allow job shadowing. You can also ask someone you know, family, and neighbors nearby. If you are not sure what field you want to job shadow, Career One Stop has many videos about different careers, industries, and related topics.
Volunteer Work:
While you won’t get paid for volunteering, it is still an excellent opportunity to gain the experience and skills that you need in the workforce. We mentioned finding a volunteer place through one of our latest blogs. Check it out. This will help you get an idea of where to start searching for places to volunteer. You can also ask if they offer individuals to volunteer to learn more about their business and the skills required for that position.
Internships/Mentorships:
Internships are often unpaid, but there are opportunities that are paid. Internships give you the experience in an actual workplace through a company, school, government, nonprofit, or whatever might be interesting to you. You can contact these places and ask if they offer internships. Another excellent resource to find internships is an internship finder.
Apprenticeship:
Apprenticeships are a fantastic resource! Apprenticeships are on-the-job-training experience with related (classroom) instruction. To help get you started, check out apprenticeship.gov, and if you are in Arizona, check out Arizona’s Apprenticeship Program. When you complete Apprenticeships, you typically get a certificate to show your completion and skills. This is an outstanding achievement to put on your resume.
Working for Others Through your Network:
We often think we need paid positions to call a task a skill. However, if you have worked on it a lot, allow yourself to call it your skill. Maybe you mowed lawns all summer for your neighbors; customer service or yard work might be a skill you gained from that. When you do small jobs for friends, family, or neighbors, you have a right to list these in the skills section on your resume or application. If you have not done any of these, list your services in your neighborhood community app (Nextdoor.com), bulletin boards, pass out flyers, and ask to babysit, walk animals, and help others with their chores are valuable work skills. For example, many of those side jobs help you develop people skills, customer service skills, multi-tasking, etc.
Having any of these on your resume may get you the leg up you deserve and need!!