You could be a student, fresh out of college, and searching for a job opportunity? Or you could be looking to switch from one industry to another? What’s more, you may even have come across the perfect job opportunity. However, the prospective employer requires a candidate with prior work experience. If you don’t have one, you would end up getting rejected, even if you tick all the other boxes in the employer’s checklist.

However, don’t worry. You are not alone. Lakhs of fresh graduates join the workforce each year. Even for people in the workforce, approximately 30% of them change jobs every 12 months, as the number of different career choices on offer increase. 

Recruitment consultants like Randstad India can help you bag the right job opportunities. In the meanwhile, here are 5 practical ways to gather some relevant experience: 

• Re-skill yourself

A common reason for not qualifying for a job that requires work experience is the lack of relevant skills. You can choose to opt for various courses to build those relevant skills. For example, if you want to move into data analytics from your current accounting job, hop onto online MOOCs for courses on R, Python or SQL. This will get you ready for that analytics job opportunity knocking on your door.

• Bring-in relevant experiences from other areas

You can always demonstrate how experiences from tangential areas will help you in a new job. For example, a school teacher maybe looking to get into a sales job, with no prior experience. She can demonstrate how working for the school fundraiser helped her build sales acumen, useful for her new job.

• Use your network

Tap into your network of friends, family and colleagues. Prospective employers may not be willing to hire a person they know little about, for a job that requires prior work experience. So look towards your network to get references and recommendations, which can help you land the job that you want.

• Look for a part-time job/internship

Opt for a part-time job or an internship, instead of seeking a full-time job offer. This will help you get a good understanding of the new industry, and also build the required skills and work experience. What’s more, if you manage to impress your part-time employers, you could even get to work with them full-time.

• Take a pay-cut or work for free

You can also look at taking a pay-cut, if you don’t have the required work experience. That way, you become attractive to the employer, and give yourself the room to learn on the job. You can also take up projects for free which will allow you to learn more, and also reduce hiring risk for the employer.