Job Experience - The Catch-22

Many prospective employers find that getting a jobspecific information you can about the position which
can be a Catch-22. You can't get a job withoutyou aspire to. After processing these vital nuggets of
experience, but you can't get experience without a job.knowledge, revamp your resume to highlight the
It's a frustrating position to be in; you may have theeducation, qualifications and skill sets that match the
smarts, the schooling and the potential to master theposition. After an audit of your background and
job, but without a break, you can never build up yourresearching the desired company, you will often find
experience. It doesn't matter if you are new grad in thethat you have more experience than you though. Role
job market or are switching careers midstream; thismodels and mentors also play an important role in
Catch-22 obstacle is the classic case of which comeshelping an inexperienced job applicant by sharing past
fist, the job or the experience.experiences, providing successful tips for succeeding in
Wendy N. Powell, author of "Management Experiencethe industry and helping to practice interview
Acquired", notes that a reoccurring question she getstechniques.
from job candidates is "How can I get experienceVolunteer & Free Trials: Tap into your volunteer work
when jobs require experience?" It's a conundrum thatas a legitimate source of experience when applying
many folks in the job market grapple with, but if youfor jobs you might think is out of your league. Just
follow a few simple tips on how to land a job withoutbecause you have worked for free in a volunteer
experience, you may be able to leap right over theposition in no way diminishes the value of your
hurdles.contributions and the experiences learned along the
Evaluate and Update: Step back from the emotions ofway. Charity and non-profit organizations always have
finding a job and honestly evaluate your qualifications.plenty of professional-type opportunities to fill that can
Make a list of areas where you could useinclude managing staffs of other volunteers, working
improvement before obtaining your dream job andwith budgets, fundraising and other skills that can be
focus on updating your skill set in these areas. If youdirectly relatable to a paid position. Also, you can also
already hold a degree in a certain field, but it wastarget a specific company that you'd like to work for
received quite a few years ago, consider taking a laand offer your services for free on a trial basis. While
cart college coursework in your particular area ofyou might loose a few bucks up front, in the end you
interest. This is a vital step in staying current in yourwill have a decent chunk of experience to put on your
chosen career because many new techniques andresume that is indisputable. Also, if you've done a great
ways of doing business evolve over time. Evenjob for the company, they will see your determination
current computer software skills can be self-taught atand potential and be more likely to offer you one of
home.their new jobs that might usually require more
Research and Role Models: Before applying to a job,experience.
thoroughly research the company, ferreting out any