You want to go into a new career field, but you know nothing about it. Rather than let that be a barrier to entry, having no experience can be your in.
Really.
No experience in a new field is intimidating, and you may feel like you're not worthy of the opportunity to work in the field that you want to.
Related:How To Change Jobs With Little To No Experience
Don't look at that as an excuse.
If you want to go into this new career, pursue it. Make your lack of experience an asset by focusing on the value of the perspective you can bring the company - the fact that you aren't conditioned by years of exposure to the field - and your drive to learn and grow along with the industry.
The “sure thing" sometimes isn't always the best thing for you or the people hiring you; the person with no experience but with passion and drive can be just as valuable.
It may be scary to jump ship from what is expected of you to what you want to do with no experience and in a world where “things have always been done this way," you come in with a fresh perspective and look at the industry from a different angle.
3 Reasons No Experience Will Land You That Dream Job
Here are the three reasons why inexperience is an asset:
1. You See Things Differently From The Bottom
We all have to start from the bottom, at some point or another in time.
When you take that step and recognize what you're currently doing isn't how you want to spend the rest of your life, you're starting from a blank slate again, and when it's a step you want to take you look at “the bottom" a bit differently and approach it differently.
It is another - and just as valuable – perspective. Nothing more, nothing less.
Starting from scratch in the field you want to pursue may be exactly what you need. We all have fears of failing at our passions if it's too drastic of a change. But sometimes it's that drastic change that we need and the new perspective that the industry (or your employer) wants.
Don't limit yourself and your opportunities before you've even seen the landscape. Don't doubt your opportunities before you've even pursued them.
2. Innovative Thinking Is More Important Than Ever
It is that ability to innovate that is going to be incredibly important to your career moving forward, regardless of whether or not you change fields.
We're moving to a creative age, where those repetitive tasks and tactics will be outsourced or computerized.
The way you think can't be replicated.
The jumps that you take based on experience and education are what sets you apart. You're already behind and set to lose your job if you're content doing what's been done before, if you don't challenge beliefs and push to move forward.
As a newcomer into an industry you are in the best position to capitalize upon that creative skill set and set yourself apart for the rest of your career in that industry because you dared to go against the norm.
3. Because Others Have Done It - And It Worked!
In a former life I was a boxing promoter and publicist, so I knew how to make an athlete stand out. But I wanted to get into the racing world and had no direct experience there.
My first client hired me because he knew I'd bring new angles to his promotion.
I pitched a driver's column to ESPN that had nothing to do with the actual race and everything to do with what racers did in their lives outside of the race. ESPN loved the idea and I was soon writing columns for their website talking about my client's life off the track.
If I had been entrenched in the racing world well before working with this client, I probably wouldn't have thought of that particular angle.
I relied on my experience and knowledge of a parallel field to inform my choices.
If you don't know what's impossible or even implausible, it's easier to do; you don't have that conditioned fear of difference that some cultivate after years in a particular industry.
It's that drawing on different experiences that makes coming into a completely new field so valuable.
You're not inexperienced and uniformed, but bring a different perspective in the way you think.
As a new set of eyes, your assets are your soft skills - your critical thinking, understanding of strategy and people, and your creativity.
Use them and make them work for you in ways that the industry probably hasn't seen before.
Constantly be open to innovation and new views and you will always find a way to succeed.
Alex Simon is a career reinvention coach and speaker. Often referred to as “a master at breaking into sexy and exciting careers", he has promoted world title fights, managed Indy 500 race car drivers, worked for a Wall Street giant, and is the subject of Starsuckers, an award-winning documentary on the pursuit of fame. Check out his website, follow him on Twitter, find him on YouTube, or add him on LinkedIn!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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