黃文君

Whether you are looking for an entry-level position right out of college or pivoting to a new industry， landing a new job without relevant industry experience can be a challenge. Often， employers will hire candidates with relevant work experience over those without， and this might leave you wondering， “How do I get experience if no one will hire me？”

There is a difference between qualifications and experience. Qualifications are the formal education requirements necessary to perform a job， like a college degree， professional license or certification. Experience， on the other hand， is your set of transferable skills， like effective communication and leadership skills.

To get a job in a new industry， you will need the required education qualifications， but experience is something you can transfer from your previous positions. If you have no industry-specific experience， here are six tips to help you land the job.

1. Highlight your transferable experiences.

Something every job seeker should do is analyze their past activities and highlight transferable experiences. This can be done regardless of what your job history looks like， although it is especially important for those looking to transition industries or start a new career.

If you lack experience in your desired industry， chances are you have some work experience that is transferable that fits the job description. Dave Owens， director of recruiting at Addison Group， said the transferable experiences you highlight should relate to the new job listing or career path.

“If I had a background in IT sales but was looking to move into recruiting， I would talk about my project management background and my ability to manage expectations from the client side and the product （or candidate） side，” Owens said. “This shows that the amount of ramp-up time for a new manager or supervisor would be significantly shorter， because my past experiences are relevant compared to someone coming from an entirely separate background.”

2. Gain experience through multiple channels.

Dr. Andrew Lancaster， director at UniCurve， recommended doing whatever it takes to strengthen the weakest part of your resume， even if that means taking on a casual minimum wage job just to gain some work experience. Consider gaining additional experience through other sources like extracurricular activities， clubs， professional associations and volunteer opportunities. It can be especially beneficial to take on a leadership role within these opportunities to showcase your ability to take initiative.

For college graduates， Lancaster recommended pursuing additional studies， which will make you a very competitive applicant. This isnt to say you need to pursue a new major; instead， look for short， hands-on courses that will give you more experience in your field and help you gain a leg up on the competition.

“You dont want to come across as a professional student，” Lancaster said. “A graduate certificate course with a university can be a better choice than free programs. You gain a recognized qualification and are more likely to finish. Nonaccredited courses and self-training are good for building skills. But outside of technical fields such as information technology， they tend to carry little weight with recruiters.”

3. Take advantage of hands-on learning opportunities.

Another way to gain experience is pursuing hands-on learning opportunities. These allow you to expand your knowledge past basic book learning and give you real-world experience in the industry you are trying to break into. Even taking on one small project can be beneficial in learning more about a given field and can give you interesting talking points to discuss during an interview.

“Some examples are work placements and practicums， applied research projects， field work and simulations，” said Lancaster. “They allow you to give recruiters examples of where you demonstrated job-relevant qualities and skills.”

If you take on an industry-specific role like an apprenticeship or an internship， you also have the advantage of gaining internal connections within a company that you may want to later pursue. These experiences can sometimes turn into job offers， but dont assume that will be the outcome.

4. Start at the bottom—work for free.

If you cant find a paid internship or apprenticeship， consider gaining professional experience by working for free. If there isnt currently an available position advertised at the company you want to work with， pursue it anyway by offering your services for free. This can be a great way to gain experience and make professional connections. Lancaster has seen firsthand success using this strategy.

“I helped a public health graduate start a significant research career after she offered to write health-related articles for my company as an unpaid intern，” said Lancaster. “By doing this， she was able to demonstrate her research and writing skills and had a referee （me） to vouch for her initiative and work ethic.”

Certain industries offer the luxury of letting you launch your career starting with individual， at-home projects. For example， workers in industries like graphic design and content writing can use freelance job websites to connect with employers seeking their talents.

5. Network， network， network.

Owens said the most important strategy that job seekers can take advantage of is networking. Rather than blindly applying to any job that piques your interest， seek out connections1 that can teach you about a position or company.

“What better way to get your foot in the door with an employer than by networking and reaching out to individuals at that current employer， gaining insight around how they started working at that company and allowing them to share their insights into their own professional background，” said Owens.

Although networking can happen via social media， an in-person event， or an online networking website， networking is an ongoing， long-term process. Dont be brash2 and ask for a job recommendation; this will turn most people off. Instead， perform informational interviews to learn about the company， industry or position you are seeking， and foster continual connections with industry professionals.

6. Emphasize your soft skills.

When advertising yourself to an employer， there are many non-industry-specific skills you can highlight on your application and resume—these are your soft skills. Soft skills can be gained and demonstrated through any type of work experience， regardless of the industry. Owens said these noncoachable skills， or leadership intangibles， are important， as they can help dictate a potential employees success.

Owens listed the five core candidate competencies as follows：

Intellectual curiosity

Ambition or resilience

Communication

Professionalism

Collaboration and competitiveness

Owens said that these competencies arent ingrained， but they be gained through a variety of avenues， like sports teams and student groups， not just industry-specific experience.

Highlighting all of your experience and skills and demonstrating their relevance to the position you are applying for is a good step forward in the right direction.

不管你剛從大學(xué)畢業(yè)，要找一份入門級職位，還是錨定了一個(gè)新行業(yè)，要在沒有相關(guān)從業(yè)經(jīng)驗(yàn)的情況下找到新工作，都可以說是一個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)。通常來說，雇主們都傾向于選擇那些有相關(guān)經(jīng)驗(yàn)而不是一張白紙的候選人，這也許讓你疑惑：“如果都沒有人愿意雇我的話，我又怎么獲得工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)?zāi)?？?/p>

任職資格和工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)之間是有區(qū)別的。任職資格通常是從事一份工作所需的正規(guī)教育，例如大學(xué)學(xué)位、專業(yè)執(zhí)照或證書。經(jīng)驗(yàn)則是一系列可遷移技能，比如說有效的溝通或領(lǐng)導(dǎo)能力。

想要在一個(gè)新行業(yè)找到工作，學(xué)歷是你的敲門磚，經(jīng)驗(yàn)卻可以從你之前的工作崗位遷移過來。如果你沒有特定行業(yè)的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，這里有六個(gè)小貼士能助你找到工作。

1.突出你的可遷移經(jīng)驗(yàn)。

每一個(gè)求職者都要做的功課就是分析他們過往的經(jīng)歷并且突出那些可以遷移的經(jīng)驗(yàn)。無論你的工作經(jīng)歷如何，都可以做到這一點(diǎn)，當(dāng)然，對于那些想要轉(zhuǎn)換行業(yè)或者開辟一個(gè)新領(lǐng)域的求職者來說，這一點(diǎn)尤為重要。

若你缺乏目標(biāo)行業(yè)的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，也可能有某種符合工作描述的可遷移經(jīng)驗(yàn)。艾迪生集團(tuán)的招聘主管戴夫·歐文斯表示，你強(qiáng)調(diào)的可遷移經(jīng)驗(yàn)務(wù)必和新工作內(nèi)容或者職業(yè)路徑有關(guān)。

“如果我有IT銷售的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，但是想要轉(zhuǎn)入人力資源行業(yè)，我會(huì)談?wù)勎业捻?xiàng)目管理背景以及我管理顧客和產(chǎn)品（或叫候選人）期望值的能力。”歐文斯說，“這表明我成為一個(gè)新經(jīng)理或者主管的適應(yīng)期會(huì)顯著縮短，因?yàn)槲疫^去的經(jīng)驗(yàn)比從完全不同的行業(yè)轉(zhuǎn)過來的人關(guān)聯(lián)性要強(qiáng)得多。”

2.多渠道獲取經(jīng)驗(yàn)。

UniCurve公司的主管安德魯·蘭卡斯特博士建議求職者千萬要設(shè)法補(bǔ)足簡歷上最弱的短板，即便這意味著先找一份最低收入的臨時(shí)工作，以便獲取一些工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)。你還可以考慮通過諸如業(yè)余活動(dòng)、俱樂部、行業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)、志愿者機(jī)會(huì)等渠道獲得額外經(jīng)驗(yàn)。如果你能在這些活動(dòng)中擔(dān)任領(lǐng)導(dǎo)職務(wù)，有機(jī)會(huì)展現(xiàn)積極主動(dòng)的辦事能力，那么你將獲益匪淺。

對于大學(xué)畢業(yè)生來說，蘭卡斯特建議去尋求額外的學(xué)習(xí)機(jī)會(huì)，這會(huì)讓你成為一個(gè)極具競爭力的求職者。這并不意味著你一定要去再修一個(gè)新專業(yè);相反，你要找的是一些短期的實(shí)踐類課程，這些課程會(huì)給你更多的行業(yè)經(jīng)驗(yàn)，并讓你在競爭中占據(jù)優(yōu)勢。

“不要讓人覺得你就是個(gè)一直埋頭讀書從未參與實(shí)踐的人?！碧m卡斯特說，“在大學(xué)里正經(jīng)修個(gè)學(xué)位可能是比自由學(xué)習(xí)更好的選擇。你獲得的是受認(rèn)可的證書，也更有可能修完課程。非認(rèn)證課程或自學(xué)有助于培養(yǎng)技能。但在信息科技等技術(shù)領(lǐng)域之外，這些經(jīng)歷在招聘者看來無關(guān)緊要?！?/p>

3.利用實(shí)踐學(xué)習(xí)機(jī)會(huì)。

獲得經(jīng)驗(yàn)的另一種方式就是尋找實(shí)踐學(xué)習(xí)的機(jī)會(huì)。這些機(jī)會(huì)將使你在基本的課堂學(xué)習(xí)外拓展自己的知識，并在你想進(jìn)入的行業(yè)中賦予你真實(shí)經(jīng)驗(yàn)。即便是接手一次小項(xiàng)目也有益于你更加了解某一特定行業(yè)，并且在面試中給你提供有意思的談資。

“可以舉例說說你的實(shí)習(xí)經(jīng)歷，參加過的應(yīng)用研究項(xiàng)目，做過的現(xiàn)場工作和模擬練習(xí)?！碧m卡斯特說，“向招聘者展示相關(guān)工作能力和技能，這些經(jīng)歷都是佐證?！?/p>

如果你可以獲得特定行業(yè)的學(xué)徒或?qū)嵙?xí)機(jī)會(huì)，這也將有利于你提前搭建目標(biāo)公司的內(nèi)部人脈。這些經(jīng)驗(yàn)有時(shí)候可以幫你贏得一份錄用通知，但是不要認(rèn)為這是順理成章的。

4.從底層開始——免費(fèi)打工。

如果你找不到一份帶薪實(shí)習(xí)或者學(xué)徒工作，可以考慮通過免費(fèi)打工的方式獲得行業(yè)經(jīng)驗(yàn)。如果你的目標(biāo)公司現(xiàn)在沒有開放任何職位，你仍然可以通過提供免費(fèi)勞務(wù)的方式爭取職位。這是一個(gè)獲取經(jīng)驗(yàn)和行業(yè)人脈的絕佳辦法。蘭卡斯特親眼見過使用這種策略獲得成功的例子。

“我曾經(jīng)幫助一個(gè)公共衛(wèi)生專業(yè)的畢業(yè)生開啟了絕佳的研究職業(yè)生涯，之前她申請來我們公司無薪實(shí)習(xí)，撰寫衛(wèi)生保健相關(guān)的文章?！碧m卡斯特說?！巴ㄟ^這樣做，她的研究和寫作能力得以展現(xiàn)，我還成了她的推薦人，為她的工作積極性和職業(yè)道德做擔(dān)保?！?/p>

在某些行業(yè)，事業(yè)起步從在家接獨(dú)立項(xiàng)目開始，這樣的機(jī)會(huì)很難得。例如，平面設(shè)計(jì)和內(nèi)容創(chuàng)作行業(yè)的從業(yè)者可以利用一些自由職業(yè)工作網(wǎng)站和需要他們才干的雇主建立聯(lián)系。

5.人脈，人脈，人脈。

歐文斯認(rèn)為，求職者最需要利用的策略就是人脈搭建。與其對所有感興趣的工作盲目海投，還不如發(fā)掘一下相關(guān)人脈，具體了解某個(gè)職位或者公司的情況。

“沒有比認(rèn)識或者求助目標(biāo)公司的在職員工更好的辦法了，了解這些現(xiàn)任員工的入職經(jīng)歷，聽他們講講自己的職業(yè)經(jīng)歷。”歐文斯說。

盡管社交媒體、線下活動(dòng)或者社交網(wǎng)站都是拓展人脈的渠道，但是搭建人脈是一個(gè)持續(xù)的、長期的過程。不要太性急，直接去找別人推薦工作，這樣會(huì)把大部分人都嚇退。相反，你可以通過信息采訪去了解你孜孜以求的公司、行業(yè)或者職位情況，并且與行業(yè)專家建立持久的聯(lián)系。

6.強(qiáng)調(diào)軟技能。

向雇主自薦的時(shí)候，可以在申請書和簡歷上突出很多不屬于特定行業(yè)的技能——這些屬于軟技能。軟技能可以通過任何類型的工作經(jīng)歷獲取以及展現(xiàn)，不限行業(yè)。歐文斯說，這些教不來的技能（或領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力的無形素質(zhì)）至關(guān)重要，因?yàn)檫@能決定潛在雇員能否取得成功。

歐文斯列出了應(yīng)聘者的以下五項(xiàng)核心能力：

求知好奇心

進(jìn)取心或韌性

溝通交流

專業(yè)精神

合作和競爭力

歐文斯表示這些能力并不是天生的，而是通過體育團(tuán)隊(duì)或?qū)W生團(tuán)體等各種渠道獲得，并不一定是來自具體行業(yè)的經(jīng)驗(yàn)。

著重介紹你所有的經(jīng)驗(yàn)、技能，展示它們與你申請的崗位的相關(guān)性，是邁向正確方向的關(guān)鍵一步。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)撸?/p>