Gaining Experience in a Ruthless Job Market

Here’s a post for all you English-major baristas, astrophysicist salespeople, and communications couch surfers.  Read carefully.

Jobs are hard enough to find at all right now, never mind stimulating jobs in your field paying a decent salary. Don’t be fooled by stats showing BC unemployment hanging steady – increasingly,  good, full time jobs are simply being replaced by low wage part time positions. The good jobs that remain are in high demand for people with a lot more experience than you. That means for a lot of soon-to-be and recent graduates, it’s back to serving and cashier jobs.

It kind of makes you wonder why you just spent at least four years (probably more) and a fortune to get a fancy degree that seems to buy you little more than a piece of paper to hang on the wall. At least it did for me. Eventually though, after a lot of searching (about 18 months) I was given a solid opportunity – to work for free. For two months I worked very hard to prove myself as indispensable. And then I got the job you ask? No. But I did get a three month temporary contract to continue to prove myself as indispensable. THEN did I get the job? Yes, yes I did. With health benefits and everything!

The first lesson here today, kids, is that unpaid internships are a godsend. Employers are always looking to save some money and they will often take a chance on you if you’ll do the job for free. It may not always lead to a permanent position, but it will give you the vital experience needed to compete with other well qualified candidates.

Now believe it or not, even unpaid internships can be hard to come by, and yes, even they often require some experience. The reasons are simple: there is a ton of demand, and employers – who are not interested in babysitting you – have the luxury of choosing professionals with proven competency. I neglected to mention that even I had a good two years of significant professional work experience before I was given the aforementioned internship opportunity. That’s thanks to my participation in a university Co-op program, which brings me to lesson 2: take advantage of youth development programs.

It’s one of the most common complaints I hear from recent grads, and one I have made myself numerous times: how am I supposed to gain experience in my field if even entry level jobs require experience? The answer is through volunteering, Co-op programs, and association with business organizations like the Burnaby Board of Trade. In regards to the latter, business associations often have youth development programs designed to help students transition into the business community. These programs can be invaluable for building confidence, making connections in your field or industry, as well as fine tuning those job hunting skills.

The BBOT is launching its very own youth development program this spring with first enrollment expected in the fall. If you’re a third or fourth year student looking to bolster your resume, or if you know one, keep your eyes open for more information on all BBOT communication channels in the coming weeks.

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