Got a degree, but no experience? Don’t worry! There are plenty of ways you can gain experience, revamp your resume, and market yourself so you can land your dream job. Volunteer projects, internships, and extracurricular activities can be used to beef up your resume and put you ahead of the pack. Based on the overwhelming response to The Best Entry-Level Healthcare Jobs, AllHealthcare has created a guide to using the experience you have to your advantage when it comes to finding a job. Resume Dilemma: Not Enough Experience by Kim Isaacs / Monster Resume Expert It’s a catch-22: You want a job to gain experience, but you can’t find a job because previous experience is required. Don’t be discouraged. You can still put your best foot forward and have a shot at the job. Follow these steps to create a winning resume: Select the Right Format The two most effective resume formats for entry-level workers are functional and combination. Steer clear of strictly chronological resumes, which place emphasis on your work history. Functional resumes emphasize your related skills while downplaying your work chronology. Rather than citing dates of employment, this format uses categories to highlight your aptitudes. For example, if you’re seeking a secretarial position but don’t have any related experience, you may create the following categories: “Computer Skills,” “Interpersonal Communications” and “Office Management Abilities.” The latter may refer to managing your own home office, for example. A combination resume is a chronological resume that leads with a Qualifications Summary, in which you emphasize the credentials that most qualify you for the job you’re trying to land. Strategically order the sections in your resume to best suit your qualifications, placing more relevant categories, such as Education, Key Skills, Volunteer Work, etc., before your work history. Assess What You Offer What you lack in real-world experience you may make up for in your motivation to excel. Put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes and ask, “Why should I hire this person when there are 100 other applicants with more experience?” Before you revamp your resume, research your target job on Monster and review the job descriptions. What skills, abilities and credentials are listed as desirable? Do you offer competencies, personal attributes or unpaid experience that compensate for your lack of work history? How would the employer benefit if you were hired? Think of the top five reasons you should be selected for an interview. These will help you differentiate yourself from your peers. Weave Your Unique Credentials into Your Resume Whether you’ve chosen a functional or combination resume, you need compelling content to convince hiring managers to give you a chance. Consider these areas when developing your resume: • Experience: Part-time positions, temporary employment, volunteer work and related hobbies are all valid forms of experience. Focus on your achievements and contributions to show you are a results-oriented worker. • Key Skills and Abilities: Incorporate the skills that would be valuable to employers, such as foreign languages, technical capabilities, organizational ability, interpersonal and written communication aptitude, creative problem solving, research ability, customer relations, the ability to rapidly master new concepts, the ability to work independently or as part of a team and leadership potential. • Students and New Graduates: Describe courses, school projects, internships and extracurricular activities that are relevant to your career goal. • Other Benefits: On your resume or cover letter, indicate whether you are willing to work the graveyard shift, accept a low salary or take classes at your own expense to get up to speed. Any of these benefits could tip the scales in your favor. Resume Dilemma: Unrelated Experience by Barbara Reinhold / Monster Contributing Writer So you want to move to a different field entirely. Your father says, “You’ll never be able to do it.” Your mother rails, “After we spent all that money on your degree?” Fortunately, your friends or significant other say, “Sure, why not?” If you do decide to go for it, don’t forget to give your resume a makeover. Here are three things to keep in mind: A Resume Is a Marketing Document Don’t tell your career history in your resume. Do your homework by researching the organizations to which you’re applying. In your resume, feature what you could do for them in the future, rather than what you’ve done in the past. This is a cold call, and you’re the product. Show How Your Experience Will Benefit Them Most people spend seven seconds scanning a resume before deciding whether to put it in the maybe pile or the circular file. Don’t ask this person to spend any of that precious time trying to figure out where you’d fit in the organization – that’s up to you! Because you’ve done your research, you’ll have some idea of where the company is going and the skills and competencies it will need. Pitch yourself as an expert in those areas, and don’t worry about downplaying or leaving out the rest. A Functional Resume May Be Better A functional resume offers you the best opportunity to showcase skills rather than job experience; it’s more of a forward-looking resume. The highlights or profile section at the top serves as a sort of editorial page where you can show the relationship between the kind of person you are and the jobs demands. It also offers a chance to show that your style will fit with the company culture. Changing fields is one of the best things you can do for your career and your mental health. Just don’t ever ask headhunters to help you do it; it doesn’t calculate for them, and they’ll tell you you’re not marketable. You should talk to your friends about it, particularly those in the fields you’d like to consider. Internships and Your Resume by Kim Isaacs / Monster Resume Expert Looking for a proven way to jump-start your postcollege job search, pursue a career change or just get an edge? Internships could be the answer. Here’s how to use your resume to get an internship as well as portray your experience once you’ve completed one. The Internship Advantage Recent graduates and career changers have something in common: Minimal real-world work experience in their targeted career fields. “By securing an internship and then leveraging this fully on your resume, you will increase your chances of winning a full-time employment offer,” says Howard Polskin, senior vice president of communication and events for Magazine Publishers of America. “When you are hiring for an entry-level job, you are looking for something that stands out in the field, and nothing says it louder than an internship,” says Polskin, who has hired interns both at CNN and in his current position. “Internships say to an employer that you were willing to work for little or no money in your desired career field, because you have an intense interest in it.” Beyond giving you hands-on, applicable work experience, internships can result in a full-time employment offer. “The majority of our entry-level positions are filled by previous interns,” says Shira Roman, manager of the San Francisco office of Human Rights Watch. “We see how they work, they get to know the job, and when an entry-level position opens, we look to fill it with an experienced intern.” Resume Strategies to Get Your First Internship If you are writing your resume to secure your first internship, you must clearly communicate your intentions and demonstrate your value. Follow these tips: • State Your Goal: Create a succinct headline or objective that communicates your internship goal, such as: Accounting Major Seeking Finance Internship • Write a Compelling Opening Summary: Instead of focusing on your interest in learning and gaining practical experience, emphasize how you would contribute to the team. Highlight any work experience, as well as education, key skills and passion for your career goal. • Showcase Your Education: Students with minimal work history should highlight the education section. To indicate that your degree is in progress, state “Pursuing (degree) in (major),” and indicate when you expect to graduate. Include a list of classes and special projects relevant to your internship goal. • Highlight Volunteerism or Any Work Experience: Even if it’s unrelated to your internship, you can still demonstrate you have transferable skills valued by any employer. Focus on ways you demonstrated dedication, dependability, creativity, outstanding service, enthusiasm and work ethic. If You Completed Internships Polskin sees many resumes for entry-level positions, but the ones that consistently stand out include internship experience. “I’ve hired people on the basis of one quality internship, and it resulted in recruitment of an outstanding star,” he says. Follow these tips for getting your internships on your resume: • Use Your Internship as a Stand-in for Professional Experience: Students, recent graduates or career changers with little or no relevant work experience may use internships to substitute for professional experience. But be sure you clearly label this work as internship experience to avoid misleading employers and looking like a job-hopper, since internships generally are relatively short. • Highlight Accomplishments: Even if you weren’t single-handedly responsible for a project or initiative, you can include your accomplishments. Here’s one example of such a statement: Contributed to efforts that resolved a six-month work backlog. Used analytical strengths to assist finance team with research and reconciliation of 150 problematic accounts. • Add Testimonials: If you received a favorable performance review, you can include excerpts in your internship section. For example: “…Robert proved himself to be a very diligent and hard-working intern…a true team player…I highly recommend him…” – M. Jones, Intern Supervisor, Acme Inc. • Keep It Brief: “I’m a big fan of short and to-the-point communication,” says Polskin, who cautions job seekers not to exaggerate their internships. “Most employers realize people aren’t going to be given an extreme level of responsibility during an internship. A few bullets will suffice, but six or seven bullets will look foolish.” Don’t Forget the Cover Letter Whether you’re applying for an internship or a paid position, always accompany your resume with a customized cover letter. “I will not continue reading an internship letter if it feels like a template,” Roman says. “It’s a good opportunity to show that you understand the organization’s mission, and you can make an excellent impression if you do some research.” Leverage Volunteer Work on Your Resume by Kim Isaacs / Monster Resume Expert You may have altruistic reasons for volunteering, but giving your time has career-enhancing power, too. “Volunteer work, whether in addition to a current job or an activity in between jobs, shows an employer that you are willing to try new experiences, be involved in your community and generally demonstrates a willingness to take initiative and make things happen,” says Kara Montermoso, content manager at Idealist.org, a site that connects people and nonprofit organizations and has partnered with Monster on Monster Volunteering. So how do you leverage these positive traits on your resume? The best way to format your volunteer work depends on your career level and track. Follow these tips: New Grads Entry-level workers with minimal or no work experience should emphasize their volunteer work – even make volunteerism a central part of the resume. “Many recent college grads do not have that much work experience, so highlighting – in a skills-oriented way – their volunteer experiences is a great way to go,” Montermoso says. "They can highlight communication, leadership and planning skills while showing that they are adaptable and self-motivated. You can incorporate volunteer work in the regular experience section if you have little or no paid work history. Treat the experience as if it were a paid job – list the organization’s name, location, your functional title, dates and accomplishments. Be sure to indicate your volunteer status in the description or next to the title. Will You Have a Successful Healthcare Career Change? 1. How often do you make a "To Do" list? Every day Once a week Once a month Never Career Changers and Workers Reentering the Workforce According to Jason Willett, director of communications at VolunteerMatch, volunteering is one of the best ways to develop and showcase new career skills. “Just because you weren’t financially compensated for a skill doesn’t mean that you don’t have a talent for it,” he says. “Mentioning volunteerism-related skills that are relevant to the professional world is one of the best ways to position yourself for a new career field.” Quinn Sidon, director of recruiting and alumni development at Cross-Cultural Solutions, a leader in the field of international volunteering, spreads the word about the benefits of volunteering. “If you’re between careers, including your volunteer work may help to offset the professional path your resume outlines and facilitate a discussion toward explaining your career change,” says Sidon. Willett emphasizes it should be clear you’re listing volunteer experience and not paid employment. “It doesn’t minimize your skills in any way, but it does indicate that you value good communication and are not in any way trying to misrepresent yourself,” he says. Those on a Steady Career Track “When seeking new employment, you shouldn’t overemphasize volunteer experience at the sake of directly relevant career experience,” says Willett. “Simply stating volunteer organization name and date may be entirely appropriate.” He advises against listing every organization you have volunteered with for the past 15 years – rather, focus on the most recent ones. Sidon suggests most volunteer work is best placed in a separate section. “Your volunteer work should supplement your professional accomplishments and talents, not distract from them,” he says. The Affiliations section of Monster’s Resume Builder is the perfect spot to mention volunteer activities. Too Much Information? If you’ve volunteered with organizations that would reveal information you wouldn’t want a prospective employer to know, consider leaving them off your resume. “It’s a personal choice to include your volunteer work, and your decision may vary depending on what you want to highlight about yourself and where you are applying,” says Sidon. “Consider that it’s more helpful to include the skills you learn instead of emphasizing the affiliations the organization had.” Target the Employer Willett recommends researching the employer to discover how much emphasis it places on community and philanthropy. “Your volunteer section should mirror the results of your research and be modified to suit the background of the company you are interested in,” he says. Adds Montermoso, “If the place that you are applying to works within a specific issue or cause, it could be beneficial to highlight similar organizations you have volunteered with to show that you are familiar with the issue area or to display a long-term/growing interest for a particular cause.” The New Reality for Entry-Level Jobs by Peter Vogt / MonsterTRAK Career Coach If you graduated from college in 1984, this might have been your mind-set as you looked for a typical entry-level job: A bachelor’s degree in hand means an entry-level position is virtually assured. Look for extensive on-the-job training to make up for your lack of professional work experience, and expect to stay with your new employer for five to 10 years or more. Those days are gone, and if you think the same scenario exists in today’s work world, think again. Here’s why: Your Degree Is Helpful But Not a Ticket to a Job While jobs have never been guaranteed, not long ago, a college degree alone could set you up for some kind of entry-level position. Today, most bachelor’s degree holders will be taken seriously by entry-level employers, but the degree won’t land you a job by itself. Experience Is Not Optional “Twenty years ago, employers were a little more patient about the profitability of new hires,” says Colleen Kay Watson, CEO of Edina, Minnesota-based Career Professionals, a firm specializing in placing recent college graduates into entry-level jobs. “Today, employers aren’t as patient.” “In the past, 3M, for example, would hire someone and expect to lose money on them for 18 months while they trained them, knowing they’d get another 20 years out of them as an employee,” says Watson, who has worked with entry-level candidates since 1974. “Today, employers know that a person who stays five years is a long-term employee. So new college grads need to be up and running faster – and need to have more real-world experience to bring to the table if they want to get hired.” Of course, this raises an old and often-cited dilemma: How do you get experience if you need experience to land a job in the first place? Answer: Through internship or co-op programs, even unpaid. Clarity Is Critical “Today’s entry-level job market is looking for extremely focused individuals,” says Randy Miller, founder and CEO of Ready Minds, a company that offers distance career counseling services. “The pool of applicants is larger, thus the talent level is higher. And due to the shortage of jobs at higher levels, there is a surplus of overqualified candidates.” Job seekers should start “planning far ahead, talking to career counselors and other experts to ascertain ways to leverage the experience and internships you get while you’re in school so that you’ll stand out from a sea of applicants,” says Nancy Murnin, senior vice president and general manager of the St. Louis office of Lee Hecht Harrison, a career services firm. Technology Skills Matter You won’t be able to fake your way through most of today’s entry-level jobs if you don’t have at least average computer skills. “In 1984, employers sought a candidate with a solid liberal arts education,” says Eli Spanier, director of career development services at Westwood College in Denver. “Today, employers are seeking candidates who have technical skills that complement their liberal arts education.” This includes technology skills you may take for granted, such as Microsoft Office applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access, says John Challenger, CEO of global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas in Chicago. “Be careful not to overlook these attributes,” he stresses. Soft Skills Matter Too Soft skills, such as working effectively with others and knowing how to solve complex problems, are essential to landing and succeeding in most of today’s entry-level jobs. In addition, your written and oral communication skills need to be not just acceptable or even good, but “superb,” according to Nancy Stamp, vice provost and dean of the Graduate School at Binghamton University in New York. “Senior staff at an environmental consulting firm told me that if a job candidate has an advanced degree in science, [the firm] will assume science competency, but it cannot assume good communication skills,” Stamp says. “Yet good communication skills are just as critical to the job as the science expertise.” Don’t expect the employers of 2004 to treat entry-level job candidates the way the employers of yesteryear did. If you do, you’ll likely end up angry, frustrated and unemployed. How to Sell Yourself When You Don’t Have Much to Sell by Paul W. Barada / Monster Salary and Negotiation Expert How do people new to the job market land that first job with little or no real-world work experience? What can you do to jump-start your career if all you have is a brand new diploma and a couple of unrelated summer jobs? Understand this: What you have to sell is job performance potential, and that’s what you need to highlight. Here are some useful tips on how to do just that: Attitude “A positive, upbeat, eager, self-confident attitude is the best place to start,” says Ed Stoner, regional human resource manager for REXAM Beverage Can Americas. However, self-confidence should never be confused with arrogance or smugness. “A can-do attitude is fine; that’s what you want to radiate during the entire search process, especially during face-to-face interviews,” he says. Are You Ready for a Career in Health Care? 1. We say �school,� you think: Bring it on! Eek! What will I wear on the first day? My dog ate my homework. Willingness to Take an Entry-Level Position Even with a degree, a lack of job experience normally indicates an entry-level position is all you should expect. In fact, an entry-level position is the ideal place to demonstrate your ability to learn quickly, pay your dues and exceed your employer’s expectations. “Occasionally, job seekers will ask if they can negotiate a higher starting salary for an entry-level job,” says Stoner. “The chances of doing that are usually pretty slim, because until you learn the job, which is what entry-level positions are for, you really aren’t worth much to a new employer. So the quicker you can help the employer do what he or she is in business to do, the quicker you can expect to move up within the organization.” Desire to Learn This may seem like a slight variation on the last tip, but it’s not. Far too many people fail to make the clear distinction between classroom theory and real-world practice. Realize there is still much you don’t know, not just about the job but also the corporate culture, company politics and the day-to-day reality of how things work. Reasonable Salary Expectations Too many new job seekers think there’s a correlation between industry-average salaries and their own salary expectations. Every company is different, and each has different compensation philosophies and policies. For that matter, every job seeker brings a different set of skills, training, experience and ability to the job. “It’s one thing to know the ballpark salary range for a position, but it’s quite another to make it to first base with a particular company,” says Stoner. Highlight Soft Skills When employers are asked to rank the three most important skills they look for in new hires, they consistently identify the following: problem-solving skills, interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with others in a team setting. “None of [these skills] has anything to do with the technical or hard skills required to do whatever the job happens to be,” Stoner says. So make a point to highlight those soft skills, including others such as leadership, team-building or communication – all of which are transferable from one job to another. Don’t Rely on Your Degree A degree is often used to screen job candidates in or out of the prospect pool. “The degree, advanced or not, merely signifies the completion of the coursework required to get it,” says Stoner. “In and of itself, a degree isn’t a free pass on the road to career success.” “Some job seekers see their degree as an entitlement, not as an opportunity generator,” adds Stoner. “The degree just opens the door.” With limited work experience, all you really should expect is the chance to prove what you can do. Your job performance potential is the product you have to sell. In return, you can expect the chance to fulfill that potential. To expect more is to invite frustration and failure. Once your career is underway, your past job performance will speak for itself. Source
