It gets even more stressful when you don’t have any job experience, precisely because they don’t know who will be willing to take a chance on them.
If you’re one of those fresh grads, applying without experience, don’t worry - we’ll show you exactly how to get your dream job in 5 easy steps.
If you’ve found a job that you want to apply for but you don’t meet all the requirements, there’s no reason to not apply. Even without every qualification under the sun, it’s still possible for you to get an interview and receive a job offer - especially if you’re able to exhibit the soft skills the company wants in their employees.
So, how do you nail an interview without the necessary hard qualifications? You dazzle them with your soft skills and willingness to learn. These are two soft skills that you should be mentioning repeatedly to the hiring manager. Compensate for the missing attributes by showing off the personal attributes that will help you thrive in this business.
Most hiring managers are more than willing to keep an open mind if they believe a person is fit for the job even without the right working experience or qualifications. Of course, the ideal candidate will possess as many skills as they need to meet the requirements of the job - but hiring managers can also be very flexible and realistic.
To make a good impression and have your employer fawning over how good of an employee you’ll be, make sure to follow these 5 simple steps.
One of the most common mistakes that aspiring applicants make when applying for a company is their failure to research the company and the open position they’re offering. It’d be even better if you’re able to identify why they’re hiring for the position - Did someone leave recently? Are they looking to scale? Did they fail to achieve their set goals?
If you’re able to identify why they’re hiring, you’ll be able to portray yourself as the solution to their problems during the interview.
Studies have shown that on average, an employer spends 6-10 seconds reading and scanning your resume. Within the first 10 seconds, you’ll have to convince them that you have the skills and experience that the company needs.
Once you’ve read and researched more about the company, it’s time to revise and tailor your resume to the job. Remember, your resume tells a concise story of who you are as a professional and tailoring your resume will help your future employer see how well of a fit you are for the position.
A simple tip here would be to read the job description and determine the repeated keywords and phrases. Make sure that you’re able to highlight keywords, terms, and skills that the job description mentioned and compare them to what you’ve written in your resume.
Having a portfolio is an easy way for you to stand out from the rest of the applicants, no matter what industry you’re in.
Contrary to popular belief, a portfolio is not just for aspiring artists or painters, they’re genuinely useful compilations of your work and professional documents that should provide proof of your life’s accomplishments.
Whether online or on paper, portfolios are a great way to demonstrate the competencies you would have otherwise simply listed down on your resume or talked about in an interview. They allow you to show off your unique competencies by showing your work, rather than telling them.
Portfolios not only make your interviews more interesting, they also make your interviews more memorable and impactful. The visuals that portfolios provide allow the hiring manager to have a better idea of the scope of the project and how much impact it truly generated.
Once you’ve applied and received confirmation for an interview, feel free to take a couple of days to practice and do more research. List down probable questions that you will be asked and try to formulate responses.
Here are a few common questions that you should be ready to answer:
Make sure that you’re able to answer this question concisely. Employers ask this question because they want to see if you’re genuinely interested in the opportunity and ready to invest massive amounts of time, in the same way, that they’ll have to invest in you. Make sure that you’re able to relate to them on a personal level by clearly stating goals and expectations and discussing how previous decisions and events have led to you applying for this opportunity
Answering this question may seem like a trap but trust us, it’s not. As the question requires some personal reflection, it’s best to have an idea of how you’ll answer this question days before the interview itself. The key here is, to be honest, and authentic.
When answering questions that require you to “expose” yourself, it’s best to also highlight what you’re doing to improve and better yourself. That way, you’re able to showcase growth and a sense of self-awareness.
The good news about this question is that no one knows your experiences more than you ( which is also why you should have spent time building your portfolio by this point), so this question presents a great opportunity for you to start selling yourself. If possible, make sure to list down the top 3 goals of the experience they're asking for, cover your personal experiences and responsibilities, and discuss the outcomes.
Need more answers to common interview questions? Check out this this video where we give tips on how to answer interview questions.
Finally, there’s no point in staying up the night before just worrying about the next day’s interview. Make sure that you take the time to get a good night’s rest.
Rest is essential for better mental health, concentration, memory, and clear thought. All these are vital factors that will definitely allow you to perform better and answer clearly during your interview.
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