Needing Experience to Get a Job vs Needing a Job to Get Experience

I remember it clear as day, the first time I heard this, or more correctly, the first time I read it on a flyer posted in the hallowed halls of high school. It was the mid ninties posted in flourescent green on the wall (outside of the Austin caf near the drama wing if anyone knows the area). You'll need a job to get experience, but you need experience to get a job. Ay, there's the rub. How in the heck to get both? Or at least get a break so you can prove how eager you are, show off your solid work ethic and prove you have terrific communication skills?

1. Volunteer
Offer your services to an organization that needs your help! Even better if it's for a good cause, for people in need, For a friend or for your community. Offer to undertake some skills that are parallel to those you'll need to perform in that dream job.  Sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll get thrust into a leadership position or become a subject matter expert, and you'll find that helps you score points for both job and experience.  No one said a job had to be paid!

2. Network
Talk to people.  Talk to anyone and everyone.  Attend industry events, talk to friends, peers, relatives, former classmates, their spouses.  Get your story straight, figure out what you want, be it skill or industry or personal development, and ask for that.  A wise man once told me: If you don't ask, you don't get. Networking is a great way to get in front of the right people so you can talk your way into that job!

3. Create your own job
This is a popular way to go, however it's not for the faint -hearted.  There's a lot of work involved, a lot of research and a lot of the first two elements of this post.  Sometimes you end up having to work for free, again just to get experience.  Other times you'll spend networking, just so you can get your name out there.

So which is it?  Go for the job first?  Or the experience?   How can you effectively do both?  Well, often you start out in one job, in one industry, when you really need to get into your dream industry.  There's no singular right answer,   but there's no doubt you'll need to do the above if you want to make your move.

Maybe you're dreaming of health care and you can't seem to get out of telecommunications.  Maybe you're desperate for one of those big IT conglomorates, but you can't get past cleaning products.  In another post, I'll discuss how to jump from one industry to another.