Struggling with Your First Job With No Experience? These Four Tips Could Change Everything!

Working out how to find your first job isn’t always a simple process. For some it’s easy and for others it can be an absolute minefall of potential pitfalls and social stumbling blocks.

That said, while it might seem devilishly difficult at first, there’s a process going on behind the chaos, one that anyone can learn and master with time. So today we’ll be providing our top tips for how to get your first job with no experience as well as some general advice that could help with the rest of your career.

1. Try Not To Stress

The job search is always stressful and to an extent there’s no getting around that. Whether you’re facing immediate financial struggles, or you’re just tired of being rejected over and over again, it’s a brutal process that can be particularly punishing on those with little to no experience.

On the other hand, it’s also something of a waiting game. Even if you’ve got the perfect CV and you know exactly how to charm your way around an interview, there are very few employers who’ll be willing to take a chance on someone with no job experience.

Few, but not none.

Although there are certainly major mistakes you can make during the process – more on those later – fundamentally if you keep applying for jobs you’re qualified for, then sooner or later you’ll get lucky.

But if you beat yourself up over every rejection, then that can tank your motivation, making it harder and harder to send out those applications in the first place.

2. Always Do Your Research

There’s nothing more awkward in a job interview than not being able to answer a question – particularly if that question is about the company you’re interviewing for.

Questions like “so why do you want to work for us” or “what was it about this role specifically that appealed to you” will come up in almost any job interview. Answers like “uhh, I like having money” and “you were the only people who responded to my application” tend not to go down too well.

So what’s the solution? Research!

When preparing for a job interview, google is your friend. Find out everything you can about the company. If you’re struggling to find any more information about them, then research the role and the industry.

You won’t generally be expected to pass an exam on the ins and outs of a job you’ve never worked but they will want to see that you’ve taken the time to find out about them. It shows that you’re diligent and that you’ve got some common sense.

3. Try Different Platforms

When it comes to the specifics of how to apply for your first job, there’s not much we can say that won’t be out of date in a year or two. The reason for this is that platforms come and go all the time and they vary from country to country. Each job listing site will have its own unique style and how effective they are will depend a lot on which roles you’re applying for and when.

That said, for your first job, the best thing you can do is cast your net far and wide. Look in different places and learn the landscape of the job market for yourself. Also, don’t be afraid to ask around online. Platforms like reddit can be excellent sources for the most up-to-date and effective ways to land a job.

4. Break The Problem Down

Okay, so you’ve done everything we’ve already talked about and you’re still not finding a job. What can you do?

Well, the truth about job searches is that there are just any number of potential things that can go wrong and the only way to learn is by doing. Fortunately, identifying the problem is often as simple as pin-pointing where the job search is breaking down.

For example, are you getting interviews or are you getting form rejections. If every job either rejects you by email or doesn’t reach out at all, then the problem is with your resume.

They’re looking at your application and immediately dismissing you. This means that either you’re just not the right candidate for the jobs you’re applying for, or you’re not doing a good job of communicating your skills and experience. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources out there that can help bug-fix your resume to ensure that it’s the best representation of you.

On the other hand, if you are getting interviews but you’re not getting called back, then there’s something wrong with the way you’re answering questions. That means it’s time to work on your job interview etiquette.

It’s a slow process but rather than letting failure get you down, treat every rejection as a lesson and always be willing to ask for advice.

When all’s said and done, learning how to get your first job can take time. It’s a skill just like any other and not one that comes naturally to everyone. That said, if you go at the problem with an open mind and willingness to keep fine tuning your approach, then sooner or later you’ll be kicking off your career just like everyone else.