You may have the adequate knowledge and education for a post you want in your career and sufficient technical skills too, but when you glance over the job description you find out you’re inexperienced for the industry. The good grades and certificates may show how motivated, dedicated and passionate you are about the industry and work. But still only the outcome that you have been able to produce helps in marketing your skills. Keep a mindset that you need to portray and endorse yourself well, regardless of the lack of experience. With this change of perspective, start doing a little extra and spending more time in understanding the industry well so that you experience the real work and volunteer to start networks, eventually getting you close to the dream job. Specific steps to overcome the lack of experience and prop up well to look seasoned:
12 Tips to Overcome Lack of Industry Experience in Job Interview:
1. Determination and confidence:
You are aware of the disadvantage of inexperience in the industry but do not become demoralized due to it. When you glance at the job description be determined to grab hold the position with the help of your educational knowledge, technical skills and ability to learn more. Be confident that the requirement for experience which you lack doesn’t come in between your motivation to carry on with a job in the industry. Present these abilities in front of the employer too that you are determined to go ahead in the industry and you won’t quit. Express the confidence you feel even though your lack of experience. You will be able to solve the problems faced in the industry with the help of your professionalism, critical and practical thinking and aptitude.
2. Reflect enthusiasm and compatibility:
From your past experience in some other field, show that you have always been enthusiastic for this industry. If you have just graduated, with the help of examples of team work, share experiences where your compatibility brought the team together. Employers seek compatibility as a feature in the potential employee as no one would want someone who doesn’t show compatibility in the company with the team as the work has to be successful with the whole association and contribution of the team members.
3. Opt for internship in the industry:
The best way you can exhibit your enthusiasm for job in the industry is through opting for working for a short period of time on an unpaid tryout basis. It widens the chances of getting into an interview as you have at least experienced the job through one or two internships in the industry. It shows how determined you are to get into this field. It displays your willingness to forfeit time and vigor for the valuable experience to get into the industry. Starting from scratch and involving in this tedious practice will definitely increase the probability of landing to an interview.
4. Find a mentor:
Find an advisor who is in the field and experienced. A veteran can always fill the breach you have in experience. Collect feedbacks on your working skills through him and understand proficiency to do a task. Ask for his experiences and techniques in problem solving for difficulties in the industry. Engage in practicing skills that the advisor excels in.
5. Initiate something:
When you are not experienced for an industry it is often beneficial to initiate networking through blogs, memberships etc regarding the industry and gain enough knowledge on how things are in the industry. There have been cases where professionals have been blogged about the industry and acquired a job. It is essential to do enough research and put in sufficient time to produce something credible. Investing time to blog or volunteer in professional organization is a very clever step towards gaining professional growth. The more consistently extra time is given to involve in such activities the more of chances in landing an opportunity.
6. Researching and developing:
Read others blogs who are an employee or executive of the company you are planning to join. Get enough knowledge of the industry by checking websites and social networking sites. Understand their personality and what norms and values they share. The specific skills that they practice, the culture they follow and the technologies they use, all has to be contemplated to fill the hole of inexperience.
7. Brush your skills:
Develop the skills the position expects of you, focus on enhancing it. When writing resume elaborate on how well you adapt things. More than any experience quick adaptability is a good aspect a hiring manager hunts for. Skills that the position needs should be boosted at the same time augment expertise on supplementary works that are corresponding to the main work. The hiring manager would be impressed and employ someone who is capable of taking up extra works or innovative step rather than someone who is experienced in only one particular work in the industry.
8. Exert ideas through networking:
Through the networking blogs, sites or conversations in professional organizations instigate few ideas that you have estimated with thorough analysis of the industry. This will showcase the knowledge you own on the industry and the capability on initiating innovative ideas. It sets you different from others even from the employees of the company. Even though you are not as experienced the sense of understanding the industry will change the perspective of the employer who is blinded with experience factor. Demonstrate your thought process, problem solving and estimating skills.
9. Present a plan:
Experience wise you have been in a disadvantage however; you can overcome this by setting up a plan that will illustrate your critical thinking and competence. Lay down the plan you would work upon in the job. This will smoothly shift the attention to the aspect where competence will be measured for the job and how you would work once you got the job. Create a simple plan on 90days and illustrate what tasks you will target, objectives you will fulfill and make it part of your interview. It explains adequately the knowledge you hold on the industry and markets your competence with personal branding.
10. Alluring CV:
Mention the dedication to learn more things related to the industry; CV is the objects through which you can make the employer know your perfect skills and experience of studies that fits apt in alignment to the job description. It is necessary to explain your interest in the field from a long time, that you have been reading to get knowledge about the industry and the working on some hobbies that relates to the industry. Anything that you have been truly practicing with the help of others in the field and illustrate how you have engaged in few tasks that links the tasks in the job. Always convey willingness to grow learning.
11. Flexible soft skills:
The hard skills required to conduct a work in the job maybe known with experience but make your soft skills so flexible that really catches the eye of the employer. Soft skills have the utmost impression on a hiring manager’s observation of a potential employee. The soft skills are the ability to grasp hold on the employer’s attention and interact effectively convincing him out that you really look forward to becoming part of his company. The more flexibly you use soft skills, the more the chances of getting interest shifted from experience requirement. Communication skills should be geared up well, in all the years of one’s internship or education, communication remains consistent which people work on mastering; use it to the best of your benefits and let words play to get a placement.
12. Stay assertive and optimist:
It is the key to compel the employers to hire you. Do not look timid and display any way that inexperience is harming you. Come forward with a very confident professional profile that dictates to learn and encounter obstacles and solve those related to a field. Stay positive to the approach do not take any counter questions to deactivate any of your communication skills and let you down from the conversation with the employer. Believe in every word you say moreover study the industry so much that it builds a level of discreet confidence in front of the interviewer that he is smitten by your spark.
Your potential value is best exhibited by your willingness to learn, mind set, keenness, work ethic, interacting skills, quality of your questions and curiosity, and your knowledge of the company and post. Always determine the description for a job well prior to interviews so that you are not trapped off guard while answering any enquiry. You need to propose a package in front of the employer that endorses you qualitatively for the job. Package yourself and the resume cleverly so that you look seasoned that meets the type of the job, even though you lack it. Do not let the blinded perspective of people seeking for experience let you feel disarmed about your own potentials, your potentials are way higher than the mere number of experience one expects of you. .
