Secrets to getting a job without having all the qualifications
- Jul 24, 2015
- 2 min read
I was amazed when I heard a friend of mine obtained employment in a role he had zero experience in. He was a sociologist but was able to get multiple offers in the Oil and Gas industry in a down economy.
I met with Mike to discuss his job search and he attributed his success to the following things:
Get Engaged: He joined multiple Oil and Gas related Linked-in groups and attended many of their networking events. By doing this he was able to get insider connections within the organization. He also volunteered in several of their causes which allowed members of the organization to see his work ethic. Most people feel more comfortable hiring someone they know and Mike made sure that he was known by many people in the industry.
Go on meetup and Linked-in and find groups related to your industry of preference and join them. Get involved in commenting on forums and connect with people 1 on 1, collect their contacts and create a database with where you met them and what you discussed. Follow up with people that you think can help you in your job search.
Educate yourself – If you are planning on entering an industry you know nothing about it is best that you get a fundamental understanding of what they do. You don’t need to know everything but just enough to have a conversation. Take the following steps to educate yourself:
Decide on 10 companies you are interested in and get an understanding of what they do and how they make money. You can easily discover this in a quick google search
If you have no experience in this industry then search on linked-in and Job boards for entry level positions in the organization. Most people learn on the job and you’d be surprised how many people knew nothing about their roles before they started.
Research as much as possible till you have a good base understanding of the industry and can carry on a conversation comfortably.
Demonstrate interest: Once you are members of multiple industry groups, attend their events and can speak their language you can modify your resume to reflect this.
An example would be putting the name of their company on your cover letter and describing how you volunteered at their Charity event or Run for Cancer.
Use industry jargon in your resume to demonstrate your understanding
Update your linked-in profile to highlight your volunteer work and attendance at their events.
The key to Mike’s success is strategic networking and research, if you are able to find the right people and demonstrate your competence and dedication you can get a job in any industry. This is not a short term strategy but if you are dedicated it will allow you to break into an industry you may not have any education in.
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