5 Ways to Turn Your Time in College Into Experience that Gets You Hired

Graduation is coming up for millions of college students, and if you are one of these students, the hunt is on to apply what you learned and make your mark on the world. But there is a catch, as you start looking at entry-level positions, you notice that right after the "Bachelor's degree in (insert field) required," they also require "1-2 years of relevant experience." It's the classic "chicken or the egg" dilemma. You can only get 1-2 years of relevant experience if you can get a job, but all the jobs in the field you are looking at require 1-2 years of experience. You may have had an internship or did some work over the summer, but it may not add up to a year, let alone two.

What do you do?

This dilemma is familiar, but only a few colleges prepare students for it. The good news is there is hope, and I wanted to provide five insights on how I've seen students overcome this.??

1) Ignore the Requirement?- Never let a requirement in a job description stop you from applying if you think you are qualified and would be successful in the role. "Experience" and "relevant" are all subjective and mean different things to different people.?Don't eliminate yourself.

Instead, define how your experience?is?relevant?and adds to what they seek. Ideas for this include:

• Volunteering you have done in the community.
• Projects you've led in or out of school.
• Times when you have taken on additional responsibilities in your job.
• Instances where you performed under stress or tight time constraints.
• Side hustles you have created or still run.
• Things you made or started (e.g., student groups, clubs, campaigns).

Once you have done this, tie what you did back to the qualifications for the job. For example, if you have been spending the summers working for a landscaping business and a job description talks about balancing multiple projects simultaneously, match the words from the job description to your work.??

Example "Landscaping Contractor - Balanced multiple daily bookings simultaneously across 30 square mile territory..."

2)?Measurably Define Your Results?- Every company wants someone who delivers results, not just activity. Once you've defined your accomplishments and experience, the next step is defining the results that the organization achieved by having you as part of the equation.??

It's easy to say, "I was a lifeguard for three years.." but it doesn't say much about what you accomplished. Results should be clearly defined and measurable. If you need to get these, contact previous organizations you have worked at and ask.

If you are struggling to define this, here are some questions to ask yourself:

• What did my contributions change within the place I worked?
• How much did the organization grow while I was there?
• Was I successful in preventing the thing I was hired to do??
• How many times did I have to do the thing I was hired to do?
• How did I help the business save money?

3)?Paid Internship Programs?- Internships are a great way to build your experience. If you haven't already done some, consider looking for one after graduation to build on your experience rather than jumping into a full-time role. You have a leg up over other students applying in that you have graduated, and some internship opportunities carry the opportunity for full-time employment should you wow your employer.

These programs give you a start in a corporate environment, providing you with some experience while providing your employer an opportunity to get additional resources. They will provide you with some experience and expose you to some of the standard systems businesses use (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Outlook, and Expense systems like Coupa) that you may have had limited exposure to in college. All this will help you bolster your resume and hit the ground running when you find your first full-time role.

You should never give your work away for free unless it is for charity. For-profit businesses should pay you for the work provided, and you should avoid any unpaid internships.?The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has strict rules around this , but the seven criteria are open to people's subjective interpretation, and the DOL typically only looks into problems if someone flags them. Therefore, limit your internship search to opportunities that expressly state they offer defined compensation and know the rules.??

4) Highlight Your Technical Skills -?What software, programs, or other platforms have you used? Your proficiency in these are your technical skills, and you should list them in your resume when applying, as they will flag to hiring managers.

Most students have used Microsoft Office, but be specific if you have expertise in M.S. Word, MS Excel, or M.S. PowerPoint, which are the big three often used in corporate environments. Here are some other common technical program areas to list if you have them:

• Video conferencing tools include M.S. Teams, Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet.
• Project management tools such as Monday, Jira, Basecamp, or M.S. Project.
• Email and calendar tools such as M.S. Outlook or Google Workspace.
• Database management tools such as those provided by SAP, Oracle, etc. These are often the foundation of data access at corporations, and knowing them will give you a leg up on being effective in your first role.
• Data visualization tools like Power B.I., Tableau, or Google Charts.
• ChatGPT and other A.I. tools that you are proficient in using.

Pro tip:?If you need to gain experience in any of these tools or there are key gaps, there are many free or low-cost training resources to build your proficiency. Spend your time between applications taking these, and you'll start building a portfolio of skills that set you apart from your peers.

5)?Consider Freelance or Side Gigs -?Finding your ideal role may take some time, and it should be a full-time job for the first few weeks. That said, after the first few weeks of getting your resume set and applying, you will start to have free time.??

While you look, consider taking on something part-time in the field or industry you are interested in. Temporary opportunities are still opportunities and will help you gain experience, earn some income, and leave you time to continue to search for a full-time role. Here are a few sites to check out if you are interested in this:

• Fiverr
• Upwork
• Toptal

Every project you do adds to your experience and will bolster your resume.