Getting Experience without Experience
Photo by Magnet.me on Unsplash.com

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. 

---

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!

Darin Onorati

obsession > talent

3 年

this is a great read and filled with a confidence booster! thank you!!!!

回复

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Thor Draper Jr的更多文章

  • Learning IaC

    Learning IaC

    I have a sneaking suspicion that Infrastructure as Code will become increasingly important as time goes on. So, while I…

  • Create an Azure Logic App connecting Twitter to Power BI

    Create an Azure Logic App connecting Twitter to Power BI

    Another tech tutorial! I've been on a productivity kick for forever! I've also been looking for an excuse to post…

  • Do you need to know how to code before getting into Cybersecurity?

    Do you need to know how to code before getting into Cybersecurity?

    I've been asked different variations of the question: Do I need to know how to code before going into cyber? If so…

    3 条评论
  • Azure vNet to AWS VPC

    Azure vNet to AWS VPC

    Alright! This was a little lab that I did to connect an Azure vNet to an AWS VPC. I'll walk you through doing a…

  • How to choose your cybersecurity career with Feedback Loops

    How to choose your cybersecurity career with Feedback Loops

    I’ve had a tough time answering the question - “How do I get into Cybersecurity?” My initial reaction is to suggest…

  • Learning techniques

    Learning techniques

    Learning a new trade can be extremely challenging. When I made the transition from Sales to Tech, I had to relearn how…

    2 条评论
  • How to use a hammer vs How to make a hammer

    How to use a hammer vs How to make a hammer

    I’m the type of person that enjoys taking aptitude tests. I remember a career aptitude test that once classified me as…

    11 条评论
  • How to get into the Game!

    How to get into the Game!

    I’m fortunate enough to find myself speaking to a lot of job-seekers and career changers. I love talking about…

    4 条评论
  • Building a Framework: Soft skills to help you dominate a career change

    Building a Framework: Soft skills to help you dominate a career change

    Changing careers is a daunting task. The most shell shocking realization I had was that I needed to relearn how I…

  • A beginners guide to standing out in a training program online

    A beginners guide to standing out in a training program online

    I’ve worked in the training space my entire career. With more training programs moving online, I’m often asked at the…

    4 条评论

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了