Are you a college or university student? Are you employed in an irrelevant job and don’t feel like putting it in your CV? You probably are entertaining the idea that one day you will be employed. This article can help even other Kenyans struggling out there with developing their resumes. You're probably saying to yourself, "How am I going to land that great job when the only job I've ever had is nothing?" Well, cheer up, there are lots you can do to get something worthwhile on your resume to use in your job search.
If you still have some time to go before graduation, you have a perfect opportunity to make things easy on yourself when it comes time to look for your first real job. Just get some experience related to what you want to do when you graduate. Even if you have to work for free, do it if you can because it'll pay off in the end.
We want to share a few ways in which you can have relevant information in your CV on work experience even in the hardest of economic times. So is your question, ‘Where can I get related experience?’ still troubling you?
Well then here is how:
1. Internships and Co-op Experience: - If you can get into an internship or co-op position related to what you want to do after you graduate, do it. Don't even think about it just do it! If your school has a career center, they often can help you find these positions. If not, start looking on your own. Target companies in your field and apply to them during holidays for work. Have fewer expectations from the job and even work for FREE.
2. Part-time Jobs: - If you work part-time to support yourself in school, try to find jobs that are related to your field. For example, if your main focus is accounting, try to find a part-time job as a bank teller or sales executive. Do not think of making a lot of money from these kinds of jobs but the experience is good and will help. Just look at your future and think about tomorrow.
3. Professors, Lecturers and Tutorial fellows: - Are you interested in pursuing chemistry? Volunteer to be a lab assistant to your chemistry professor. Of course you're going to spend a lot of time washing laboratory glassware but you may get to watch or participate in some experiments or research along the way, too. And putting this experience on your resume shows that you like working in a lab, otherwise why would you have volunteered to work there when you didn't have to?
4. Community Service – Are you into Special education, Social Services and NGO work? How about volunteering a few hours a week at the local NGO, school or any other body that offers social services after school program? Health science, Medicine and Pre-med students? How about volunteering at a nursing home, a clinic, health centre or a hospital?
5. Clubs, Societies and Organizations – This is the best area you can exploit. Do you belong to a fraternity or sorority? If are interested in finance, you could run for office as Treasurer. If your interest is public relations, you can head your philanthropic committee and organize fund-raising projects. Whichever society or club you belong to, endeavor to do what is relevant to your future career. You can also join relevant clubs like if your interest is Accounting, I am sure there is a club that is relevant to commerce or accounting.
Tips and secrets of exploiting your small experience in your CV or resume.
1. Resume – In your resume there is an item normally sought after by the HR guys called related experience. Make sure that you indicate that it is not work experience especially when you do not have any but exploit that part and indicate your leadership skills and problem solving. Show the panel how relevant you can be if offered the job and the hard work you have put in your past ventures.
2. Interview - Don't forget to discuss your related experience in your interview. Presumably, the person interviewing you will bring up this subject since this will be something of particular interest. If, for some reason, the interviewer doesn't bring up the subject, try to bring it up yourself. Keep in mind what work will be involved in the position for which you are interviewing and describe your experience in a way that shows how you might fit into that position.
3. Networking - Make sure all the individuals who will serve as your references as well as everyone involved in helping you find a job is aware of your related experience so they will be able to discuss this information when they talk with prospective employers.
This may seem as a very obvious thing but if you play around with your experience and make sure that almost 30% of the interview goes inot discussing your relevant experience, then I assure you the job. There are also these companies that go after fresh graduates and imagine if you did this, while your colleagues did not have any, you will have an upper hand. Just look at a situation where you volunteered to do some job or an internship and you did it well, those people can easily employ you.
Otherwise, here at HCC we wish you all the best.
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