Getting Experience without Experience

Has anyone ever told you to “ignore the experience requirement and apply anyway?” I agree (mainly because I’m a believer in ‘The Great Ones’ quote of missing 100% of shots you don’t take). But I do feel like it’s a bit lazy. Don’t blindly apply to positions and places, do something about it instead! Read on.

Yes, it is disgruntling looking at an application and seeing that the ideal candidate has been doing that job, in that company, for the past 3-5 years. It turns out, your first missed step was not being hired back in 2016. Ignoring the requirements and applying anyway still leaves you in the position of applying for something that you’re underqualified for.  However, you can deploy strategies to help you overcome that encumbrance and give you some great anecdotes in an interview.

Here’s the agenda:

• DIY
• Contribute
• Keep Learning

### DIY

If you can do the job yourself in some capacity, do it. It’s never been easier to become a solopreneur than today. Get yourself a free CRM (I use Zoho) and start reaching out to prospects. If you weren’t comfortable marketing yourself like that, sign up for an Upwork or Fiverr account and offer a service. It’s a start. 

For the intrapreneurs out there looking to be promoted within their own company, I suggest putting together a process and a presentation to go with it. For example, I’ve seen instances where an individual put together a training presentation tailored for new team members. That presentation went on to be adopted by the company, and the individual became the newly appointed trainer for all new hires.

### Contribute

The next suggestion is a personal favorite. Reach out to someone in the position you seek and ask them if any projects come to mind that they could see value in you contributing to. Again, this is an excellent way to add immediate value to your network, and in turn, you now have someone to endorse you.

Join a meetup group in your field. Then reach out to the organizer and see if you can be a speaker for one of their meetings. Do you hate the idea of speaking to people? Email someone. There are plenty of projects where additional support is welcomed with open arms. GitHub is a great resource for that. GitHub has countless open source projects that appreciate outside help. Start by going after the low-hanging fruit. 

###  Keep Learning

Very few people can hear something explained or watch someone do something and understand the action backward and forward. Most have to do that task several times to truly learn it. Learn, practice, train - that is how something becomes part of us. 

Level up. Get certifications. Enroll in courses. Research the company and find out their stack. If you know what products they use, check to see if they offer training on that product. Lab, find ways to get hands-on experience with a tool you’d be using if you were in that role. Learn, practice, train. 

## Final Thoughts

Don’t stop improving. An object in motion stays in motion. Put yourself in a position of power when the question “what makes you qualified for this position” comes up. You’re ready. 

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Is there anything I missed? Is there a topic you'd like me to cover? Feel free to shoot me a message or leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!