How to Get Experience
If you're a college student right now, you probably know how hard it can be to get experience for your resume. Internships aren't always a good fit when you plan to travel or if you have a specific goal in mind. Sometimes they even require previous experience in the field. It's ridiculous!
As future employees, we need some type of experience to show employers that we are prepared for the job. I've never held an internship and I've never worked a formal job in my field. If you check my LinkedIn, or my resume, you'll see that I've got experience. Plenty of it, actually. I struggled to find ways to gain experience in my field of communication. So I decided to share with you guys how I found the opportunities I did.
One of the ways I found opportunities was by searching the Internet. I searched for opportunities day in and day out. I follow companies that I enjoyed and watched their job listings. I also payed attention to my school email and the opportunities my professors sent out. Some people don't check these emails and miss out on great opportunities throughout the year. I also talked about my career path with family and friends, especially if I knew they had jobs in my area of interest. Keeping an eye out for opportunities helps you identify potential jobs or positions to add to your experience.
Another way I found opportunities was by researching my areas of interest. For me, that's social media. I spent my entire jobless summer looking up articles and blog posts about social media. I was obsessed with learning how to effectively manage social media accounts and how to use those accounts for business. By gaining all of this knowledge before even applying for a job, I was preparing myself for the future. You can't sit around and wait for someone to hire you and teach you everything. Employers expect you to already know the job so they can spend less time training you and more time using you.
The last way I got opportunities was to literally create them. I asked teachers if they knew of any opportunities. I asked family to let me help with their projects. I asked employers if they were hiring. Some things won't just come to you. You might have to make it happen for yourself. By asking for opportunities, I was given the chance to gain the experience I needed for my resume. I've now worked on a website for my university, managed a small company's social media and gained a leadership position in a club on campus.
Gaining experience doesn't just mean working a job or holding an internship. Experience means you've done the job and can prove you did it well. So find ways to prove that you have the skills necessary for your future employers. Find people willing to work with you and work hard to prove yourself. That's the best way to gain experience.
