{"id":229055,"date":"2018-03-04T09:00:26","date_gmt":"2018-03-04T07:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=229055"},"modified":"2018-03-02T18:04:19","modified_gmt":"2018-03-02T16:04:19","slug":"5-ways-you-can-compensate-for-not-having-enough-work-experience-for-your-dream-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/internet\/229055\/5-ways-you-can-compensate-for-not-having-enough-work-experience-for-your-dream-job\/","title":{"rendered":"5 ways you can compensate for not having enough work experience for your dream job"},"content":{"rendered":"

So you finally found it \u2014 your dream job. There\u2019s just one little problem: the job description rattles off a list of qualifications and experience that you don\u2019t quite have, says recruitment firm, Glassdoor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, it advises that even if you don\u2019t check all the required boxes, you should still apply.<\/p>\n

Why? According to Jason Patel, founder of Transizion and former career ambassador for George Washington University, you may still catch a recruiter\u2019s eye. For example, \u201cthere might be keywords on your resume and cover letter that impress or appeal to the hiring manager,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key is to get an interview. If you can get your foot in the door, you\u2019re on the right path.\u201d<\/p>\n

Serena Holmes, CEO and hiring manager at Tigris Events, agreed. \u201cWe cannot forget the human factor,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHiring and interviewing for a position is an extremely emotional job. If you land the interview and connect with the interviewer on an emotional level, they may disregard the fact that you are not 100 percent qualified for the job they are hiring.\u201d<\/p>\n

So how do you get your foot in the door \u2014 and what do you do in an interview to prove you are the right guy or gal for the job?<\/p>\n

Glassdoor provides a list of five ways to compensate for a lack of experience.<\/p>\n

\n

1. Customise your CV with key terms<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst thing a seemingly underqualified candidate can do is apply with a generic resume,\u201d Patel warned. \u201cIf you\u2019re already at a disadvantage, then you shouldn\u2019t dig yourself deeper into the hole.\u201d Instead, study the job listing carefully, focusing on the requirements and qualifications for which the company is looking.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf your experiences match with those terms \u2014 look at the action verbs \u2014 then put those on your resume,\u201d Patel said. That way, you\u2019ll pass through an initial filter, whether by a machine or a human.<\/p>\n

\n

2. Stand out with social media<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes, all it takes to avoid the slush pile is a little name recognition. And one way a hiring manager or recruiter might get to know you and your name is through social media.<\/p>\n

So, before you apply, \u201cuse your social media presence to interact with various aspects of the company,\u201d Holmes said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlus, comment and share the company\u2019s blog posts and the other components of their social media activity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

3. Know your elevator pitch<\/strong><\/p>\n

An elevator pitch is a synopsis of your experience that you can rattle off quickly \u2014 hence the elevator part \u2014 that describes why you\u2019re the perfect person for the job.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour elevator pitch should consist of what you\u2019ve done, what you\u2019re doing and where you\u2019re going,\u201d Patel said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s often used in response to \u201ctell me about yourself,\u201d a question that most recruiters and hiring managers will ask in an interview. So, \u201cprepare a two-minute answer for the [inevitable] interview elevator pitch,\u201d said Patel. Having a succinct, thorough answer will impress them.<\/p>\n

\n

4. Link up<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you can find the hiring manager or the head of the recruiting department, you can \u201cstand out by connecting with them on LinkedIn, liking their content and creating and sharing your own content,\u201d Holmes said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will keep you top of mind and help you catch the recruiter\u2019s eye.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth reaching out to current employees of the company to find out what it\u2019s like to work there, and maybe even eventually asking for a referral.<\/p>\n

\n

5. Be confident<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019re convinced you don\u2019t have the qualifications to snag the job, don\u2019t let a recruiter or hiring manager see your concern, Patel said. \u201cSounding confident is a key to human communication,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany professionals climb the ladder by acting and sounding confident.\u201d But how, as they say, can you fake it until you make it?<\/p>\n

\u201cTalking points that help you speak in a clear and confident manner will allow you to project charisma and confidence,\u201d Patel said, \u201cand that is always a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

The original article can be found at Glassdoor<\/em>, here<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Read:\u00a03 things which you are legally required to tell your new boss in any job interview in South Africa<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even if you don\u2019t check all the required boxes for your dream job, you should still apply, says Glassdoor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":229057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9882],"tags":[7186,26],"class_list":["post-229055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-internet","tag-glassdoor","tag-headline"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229055"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":229243,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229055\/revisions\/229243"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}