Additional information
No work experience in the industry you are seeking to enter?
Getting relevant experience is important in securing a job in your preferred industry or organisation.
You will need to be proactive in your search – as advertised opportunities may be few and far between. Check out the techniques in detailed in the hidden job market.
Remember that "work experience" may not be paid employment. Relevant experience may be gained through:
- involvement in clubs and societies on or off campus
- social interests that have contributed to skill development (sporting teams, fund-raising committees)
- voluntary work
- project activities
- paid work in a field unrelated to your industry
You need to be able to articulate how the skills you developed in any of these areas are transferable into your preferred industry.
top of pageOverqualified?
If you apply for positions where you might be considered academically overqualified, the following strategies may assist:
- Emphasise the value of your transferable skills relevant to the position such as analytical ability, ability to manage a large project in a timely manner and highlight how you therefore match the job requirements.
- Re-order your resumé so that your relevant work experience makes an impact before your academic qualifications appear.
- Point out that your thesis included both simple and complex tasks so you understand the importance of different types of activities.
- Use a career summary or objective to demonstrate how this role is part of your career plan (so you won’t be viewed as likely to leave quickly)
- Target fields of work or organisations where further education is viewed positively.
Extensive work history or changing career direction?
These strategies might be relevant when making the transition from one field of work to another:
- Think about the content and order of your resumé. You might be better off with a functional resumé rather than a chronological one. (Log onto Careers Online and see Resumé Express for more information)
- Emphasise your achievements, concentrating on how your skills relate to the work you have applied for, and highlighting the ways in which you could benefit the organisation.
- Highlight the fact that you have undertaken further study as part of your plan to change career direction and maintain your employability
- Provide information about how you have developed maturity in decision making, have an understanding of how you work best, can show flexibility by having adapted to different work situations, and have other attributes that would contribute to the position.
- Apply to organisations where you know there is openness about employing more mature and experienced workers.
- Think about consultancy or contract work if you have the required knowledge or experience.
Log onto Careers Online and see Resumé Express Module 5: Questions about resumés for information about job hunting techniques for different situations.