黄文君

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.

不管你剛从大学毕业，要找一份入门级职位，还是锚定了一个新行业，要在没有相关从业经验的情况下找到新工作，都可以说是一个挑战。通常来说，雇主们都倾向于选择那些有相关经验而不是一张白纸的候选人，这也许让你疑惑：“如果都没有人愿意雇我的话，我又怎么获得工作经验呢？”

任职资格和工作经验之间是有区别的。任职资格通常是从事一份工作所需的正规教育，例如大学学位、专业执照或证书。经验则是一系列可迁移技能，比如说有效的沟通或领导能力。

想要在一个新行业找到工作，学历是你的敲门砖，经验却可以从你之前的工作岗位迁移过来。如果你没有特定行业的经验，这里有六个小贴士能助你找到工作。

1.突出你的可迁移经验。

每一个求职者都要做的功课就是分析他们过往的经历并且突出那些可以迁移的经验。无论你的工作经历如何，都可以做到这一点，当然，对于那些想要转换行业或者开辟一个新领域的求职者来说，这一点尤为重要。

若你缺乏目标行业的经验，也可能有某种符合工作描述的可迁移经验。艾迪生集团的招聘主管戴夫·欧文斯表示，你强调的可迁移经验务必和新工作内容或者职业路径有关。

“如果我有IT销售的经验，但是想要转入人力资源行业，我会谈谈我的项目管理背景以及我管理顾客和产品（或叫候选人）期望值的能力。”欧文斯说，“这表明我成为一个新经理或者主管的适应期会显著缩短，因为我过去的经验比从完全不同的行业转过来的人关联性要强得多。”

2.多渠道获取经验。

UniCurve公司的主管安德鲁·兰卡斯特博士建议求职者千万要设法补足简历上最弱的短板，即便这意味着先找一份最低收入的临时工作，以便获取一些工作经验。你还可以考虑通过诸如业余活动、俱乐部、行业协会、志愿者机会等渠道获得额外经验。如果你能在这些活动中担任领导职务，有机会展现积极主动的办事能力，那么你将获益匪浅。

对于大学毕业生来说，兰卡斯特建议去寻求额外的学习机会，这会让你成为一个极具竞争力的求职者。这并不意味着你一定要去再修一个新专业;相反，你要找的是一些短期的实践类课程，这些课程会给你更多的行业经验，并让你在竞争中占据优势。

“不要让人觉得你就是个一直埋头读书从未参与实践的人。”兰卡斯特说，“在大学里正经修个学位可能是比自由学习更好的选择。你获得的是受认可的证书，也更有可能修完课程。非认证课程或自学有助于培养技能。但在信息科技等技术领域之外，这些经历在招聘者看来无关紧要。”

3.利用实践学习机会。

获得经验的另一种方式就是寻找实践学习的机会。这些机会将使你在基本的课堂学习外拓展自己的知识，并在你想进入的行业中赋予你真实经验。即便是接手一次小项目也有益于你更加了解某一特定行业，并且在面试中给你提供有意思的谈资。

“可以举例说说你的实习经历，参加过的应用研究项目，做过的现场工作和模拟练习。”兰卡斯特说，“向招聘者展示相关工作能力和技能，这些经历都是佐证。”

如果你可以获得特定行业的学徒或实习机会，这也将有利于你提前搭建目标公司的内部人脉。这些经验有时候可以帮你赢得一份录用通知，但是不要认为这是顺理成章的。

4.从底层开始——免费打工。

如果你找不到一份带薪实习或者学徒工作，可以考虑通过免费打工的方式获得行业经验。如果你的目标公司现在没有开放任何职位，你仍然可以通过提供免费劳务的方式争取职位。这是一个获取经验和行业人脉的绝佳办法。兰卡斯特亲眼见过使用这种策略获得成功的例子。

“我曾经帮助一个公共卫生专业的毕业生开启了绝佳的研究职业生涯，之前她申请来我们公司无薪实习，撰写卫生保健相关的文章。”兰卡斯特说。“通过这样做，她的研究和写作能力得以展现，我还成了她的推荐人，为她的工作积极性和职业道德做担保。”

在某些行业，事业起步从在家接独立项目开始，这样的机会很难得。例如，平面设计和内容创作行业的从业者可以利用一些自由职业工作网站和需要他们才干的雇主建立联系。

5.人脉，人脉，人脉。

欧文斯认为，求职者最需要利用的策略就是人脉搭建。与其对所有感兴趣的工作盲目海投，还不如发掘一下相关人脉，具体了解某个职位或者公司的情况。

“没有比认识或者求助目标公司的在职员工更好的办法了，了解这些现任员工的入职经历，听他们讲讲自己的职业经历。”欧文斯说。

尽管社交媒体、线下活动或者社交网站都是拓展人脉的渠道，但是搭建人脉是一个持续的、长期的过程。不要太性急，直接去找别人推荐工作，这样会把大部分人都吓退。相反，你可以通过信息采访去了解你孜孜以求的公司、行业或者职位情况，并且与行业专家建立持久的联系。

6.强调软技能。

向雇主自荐的时候，可以在申请书和简历上突出很多不属于特定行业的技能——这些属于软技能。软技能可以通过任何类型的工作经历获取以及展现，不限行业。欧文斯说，这些教不来的技能（或领导力的无形素质）至关重要，因为这能决定潜在雇员能否取得成功。

欧文斯列出了应聘者的以下五项核心能力：

求知好奇心

進取心或韧性

沟通交流

专业精神

合作和竞争力

欧文斯表示这些能力并不是天生的，而是通过体育团队或学生团体等各种渠道获得，并不一定是来自具体行业的经验。

着重介绍你所有的经验、技能，展示它们与你申请的岗位的相关性，是迈向正确方向的关键一步。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）