When searching for a job, you may find that you do not have the necessary experience to meet many of the qualifications. Alternatively, you may find that no matter what your experience, employers are still not hiring you. Whatever your experience level, it is vital that you present your skills in a way that will demonstrate to the potential employer that you have what it takes to do the job. So how do you take your experience and put in on paper or talk it up so that it really counts?
Focus on Your Skills
This is especially true if you feel that you do not have much experience. You would be surprised at what you have learned in areas outside of the work place. Think about volunteer opportunities, family work, hobbies, school, and even jobs that seem to have no bearing on your current field. The skills you learned in all areas of your life are transferable to other areas. For instance, you may have been the accountant for a parenting organization or fundraiser. These accounting skills are transferable to the workplace. So, make a list of your skills. Some examples might be:
Writing
Editing
Accounting
Bookkeeping
Multi-line phone
Event planning
Marketing strategy
Sales
Customer Service
Focus on Your Skills
This is especially true if you feel that you do not have much experience. You would be surprised at what you have learned in areas outside of the work place. Think about volunteer opportunities, family work, hobbies, school, and even jobs that seem to have no bearing on your current field. The skills you learned in all areas of your life are transferable to other areas. For instance, you may have been the accountant for a parenting organization or fundraiser. These accounting skills are transferable to the workplace. So, make a list of your skills. Some examples might be:
Writing
Editing
Accounting
Bookkeeping
Multi-line phone
Event planning
Marketing strategy
Sales
Customer Service
Along with this list, make a list of your personal qualities. For example, if you are good at customer service, then you are patient, dependable, and professional. After you have prepared your lists, see how you can incorporate these into your resume. If you have very little experience, try writing a functional resume rather than a chronological one. This will emphasize your skills rather than your job history. Become familiar with these attributes and emphasize them at your interview.
Demonstrate Your Abilities
Ask your potential employer for an opportunity to demonstrate your skills. If you have very little experience, ask for a working interview or an audition where you can prove to your interviewer that your skills are transferable.
Play to Your Strengths
If you have plenty of experience but it is in the wrong field or it doesn't seem to be getting the attention you think it deserves, draw out the skills you learned in each setting and emphasize those rather than the previous jobs. By creating a picture of yourself as a candidate with all the necessary skills, your experience will work for you instead of against you.
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