Reprinted
with permission by You are staring at the headline on the ad and it's staring back at you. "Help Wanted." If you have no substantial paid work experience or you haven't had a job in years, you may feel it's futile to read on. You anticipate what's coming: "Experience required." The part where they ask for a résumé can turn an already queasy feeling into something like terror. How can you get a job without experience? What can you possibly put on a résumé? Who in their right mind would grant you an interview? Concern about your prospects is valid, employment specialists say, but don't write yourself off before you begin. Lack of experience in these days of business cost-cutting can be a good thing. You just need to know how to sell yourself with a good attitude and a well-crafted résumé. Recent college graduates and homemakers re-entering the work force most commonly face the résumé dilemma. "Everyone has experience at something, no matter who they are," said Terry Wall, owner of a Washington Township-based management consulting firm. "The whole idea is to tailor that experience to whatever jobs there are. Even if you're just the oldest in the family and you take care of your siblings, that displays leadership. Package yourself and tailor yourself to the requirements of the job to sell yourself as someone perfect for the job." Wall argues that a college degree, no matter how long ago it was earned, still means something. "There are people who say you don't need a degree because today there's a different mind set," he said. "Today there is so much competition -- there are people who believe, 'What does a degree tell you about what I've done?' There are so many entrepreneurs out there." If nothing else, a degree, Wall argues, "says you had enough drive to devote yourself to a task for four years." Homemakers, too, have selling points they may overlook. Homemakers "have to be good at setting goals, determining priorities, scheduling and delegating -- getting other people to help out," Wall said. The inexperienced candidate's prospects are particularly good because of current trends in the workplace, Wall said. "People are moving around from job to job instead of staying for 20 and 30 years. People moving around is to your advantage. When people aren't moving around, you're up against a stacked deck." Sheer self-marketing, however, won't get you a job that is really beyond your grasp. What you want, the job specialists say, is a foot in the door of work. Toward that end, you can only be so picky. |
Member Institute of Management Consultants |
 |
Member National Speakers Association |
| The CMC designation (Certified Management Consultant) is awarded by the Institute of Management Consultants, and represents evidence of the highest standards of consulting and adherence to the ethical canons of the profession. Fewer than 1% of all consultants have achieved this level of performance. | ||
6 Emerson Lane, Washington Township, NJ 08080
856-218-7200 · terry@tgwall.com
All Rights Reserved