Heres how you get a graduate job with no experience

Heres how you get a graduate job with no experience Experience is the golden key to the job market. It can feel like youre fighting a losing a battle without it; you dont have any experience, but to get experience you need experience. Its a frustrating catch 22. And under normal circumstances I would say there is no excuse for not building up at least some experience in the sector you want to get into. But lets just say this isnt normal circumstances. Maybe youve only just decided what it is you want to do. Or maybe youve tried hard to get work experience but to no avail. Maybe youve had health problems, work commitments or have been constrained by location. If this is the case then top tip: dont panic. Having a lack of experience does not mean you wont find a job. You might have more odds stacked against you but if you follow our handy guide, youll still have a strong chance of securing that all important graduate employment. If youre missing the advantage of experience, youll need to bolster your other assets and heres how. Its never too late to start Okay so you dont currently have any experience under your belt, but that doesnt mean you cant start right away. If youve graduated and youve got some spare time on your hands while applying for jobs, maybe use the time to do a short work experience placement, volunteer or get a part time job. As long as youre doing something  with your time,  youll be able to link it back to the job youre applying for somehow (more on that later). Think outside the box. So youre looking for a career in media but you cant get your foot in the door anywhere? Scout around for smaller online publications or websites, or see if you can contribute to some blogs. If you want to get into publishing, try your local library. Health and social work? Try your local community centre to see if they have any sessions you can help at. Your experience doesnt necessarily have to be somewhere impressive or fancy, its all about what you make of it. How to emphasise your assets Sit down and make a list of everything you have achieved over the past few years be creative and remember the little things. Whether it was a piece of coursework where you went the extra mile and got higher grades accordingly, or a club or society youve been a part of, think about the skills you can demonstrate through these examples. Youre bound to have done some sort of public speaking, or have a social media account that you manage. It might seem like nothing to you, but if you phrase it in the right way, you can make it sounds really impressive. Transferable skills are your lifeline Even if you dont have experience directly relevant to the role youre applying for, youll still have lots of skills that you can bring to the job. You just need to identify these and think about how you can demonstrate them effectively. Lets just say youve been a part of a society at university you were one of those people on the Quidditch team that are always talked about but you never seem to meet in real life. Think about how being part of a team shows you have strong communication skills, are able to work effectively with others to achieve a common goal, and to recognise your own strengths and weaknesses to use them to your best advantage. Turning up to training sessions every week shows your commitment to a role, and if you organised team transport to a match youve showed your organisation and management skills. If you suggested improvements to the team strategy, youre showing yourself capable of analysis, pinpointing areas for improvement and suggesting ideas. Try not to rely on buzz words too heavily; make sure youre genuine but dont underestimate your achievements. Remember that your lack of experience doesnt mean you dont have a lot of skills to bring to the table. Target the right roles The bad news: Unfortunately that are a number of jobs out there where a lack of experience or necessary qualifications will place you in the no pile instantly. Specialist industries like engineering or healthcare, require very strict levels of experience and qualifications. Other industries like media and journalism normally also require a high level of experience and a portfolio. The good news: There are plenty of jobs out there where specific experience isnt so important. Internships (paid ones of course) are a great route into a business where you probably wont be expected to have the same level of experience as someone applying for a full time graduate job. Then you can either gain the experience you need from the internship, or turn that internship into a full time job its a win-win. Reading on a phone? Head over to the Debut app to apply for roles like this Vodafone Explore Internship which requires no previous experience.   Master the job description Having a strong grasp of the job description, and being able to tailor your application and interview towards that will be your lifeline in this situation. Remember that a company has a specific role that they need you to fill if you can demonstrate exactly how you would successfully do that theyll be impressed. Spend a serious amount of time (Im talking at least an hour here) reading the job description through, breaking it down into individual role requirements and think of a skill or piece of experience you have that shows how youll be able to achieve each. The job description will also give you a good idea of the company culture and what they want from their employees, so tailor everything to this as much as possible and youre really increasing your chances of getting through. Let your personality shine The single most underrated aspect of a job application is your personality. This is the thing thats going to help you stand out from the crowd and form a strong connection with your employer. Your recruiters are much more likely to warm to you if you bring an upbeat and friendly personality with you, and its the thing most likely to make them overlook your lack of experience. Obviously there are limits to this; its probably not a good idea to use that time you managed to drag your drunk friend home from the club as an example of your responsibility. Just show them youre human, youre humble and youre happy to take direction, and youll be flying. Dont lie Ok Pinocchio, it might be tempting, but definitely do not try and pretend you have more experience than you do. Any recruiter worth their salt will sniff this out in no time, and youll be heading for the door. Your employer will appreciate it much more if you just hold your hands up, and admit that you dont have much experience but youre keen to learn and youll pick things up quickly as you along. Remember, the people hiring you are human too and had to start somewhere, and theyre probably not expecting a polished gem. Theyre looking for someone with potential who will be a valuable asset to the company, all you have to do is show them how you can be that. Its no easy task, but if you use the resources you have to the best advantage, a lack of experience doesnt necessarily have to be a major barrier to your first graduate job. Up your game, bring your sass and show them what youve got. Connect with Debut on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for more careers insights.