How to Earn a Full-Time Job in an Industry You Have No Experience In

Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what you want to do.

You may figure it out in college, a few years later, or perhaps even further down the road.
Whenever that happens, you’re faced with trying to get experience to prove your worth in the industry. Often, businesses use internships as the first step for people who want to get experience.

If you’ve ever applied for an internship before, what happened?

Did you get the position? Were you rejected?

Why do you think that decision was made?

When I got rejected from the internships I applied for my junior year of college, I was commonly told that I simply didn’t have enough experience.

I kept thinking, “Isn’t learning the whole point of an internship?”

Talking with a lot of friends at the time, I wasn’t the only one in that situation.

I was attempting to enter the internet marketing industry, but no one would take the chance since I didn’t have any professional experience.

So I took action.

In 10 months, I used the following four steps to ultimately earn the job I was gunning for after graduating college.
You don’t have to be in college for this process though, and the principles can work for anyone looking to break into a new industry.

Be proactive and learn

You get better in all aspects of life by learning.

It’s no different with your employment, but often you have to take learning into your own hands.

Not only do you need to be aware of industry trends, but also of general terminology and some of the basics tasks you would need to complete on the job.

Use Google to find sites on the web that feature industry news, perspectives from individuals in the industry or general tips.

Find active groups on LinkedIn so you can read or participate in discussions with professionals in your target field.
There are many resources online and people willing to help. Take advantage of that.

Learning doesn’t only have to come from reading though.

If you’re looking to break into an industry where you can get some practical experience on your own, go for it.

For example, in my situation with the internet marketing industry, I was able to start my own website for a year and experiment with different tactics so I could speak to that in future interviews.

It was what helped in the next part of the process.

Visit businesses in person and ask to volunteer

If businesses think you need more experience to pay you for an internship, you need to give them a win-win situation.
You can do this by volunteering your time for free in order to help out the business and earn professional experience.

Start by researching, ideally, small or local businesses online to see if there are any potential options.
Draft versions of your resume and cover letter that are unique for each business. Explain your situation and focus on your willingness to learn.

Now, dress professionally and walk into each business.

Briefly explain your situation to whoever greets you and ask if the owner is available.

If so, be prepared to detail your situation again. Keep in mind the owner may not have a lot of time, so this is the time for what’s called an “elevator speech.”

You have maybe 30 or 45 seconds to sell yourself. What are you going to say?

If you aren’t able to talk to the owner or a decision maker, give them your materials and thank them for your time.
If you haven’t heard from them after one week, follow-up with a phone call and/or email.

Be prepared to go through a full interview process in order to volunteer. A business may not be paying you, but they can’t risk taking away their employees time to teach you if it won’t be worthwhile.

Research and prepare to prove to that business they won’t be making a mistake letting you learn there.

Learn on the job and build relationships.

When you’re able to earn a volunteer position in the business, work hard, learn and create strong relationships that will be useful down the road.

This experience is great to share years later, so make it count.

After at least 3 months, depending on your situation and your performance, consider asking your manager or mentor what steps you would need to take to earn a paid position with the company.

The key is asking about the steps you need to take for them to consider the possibility and not only asking about the position. You want them to know you’re going to earn the position.

They’ll respect the approach.

Keep in mind it may not be an immediate staffing change they can make, or even one they could make in the near future, but it’s worth bringing up to see where they stand.

Feature your volunteer experience to help earn a full-time position

If the job you’re at doesn’t seem like it will provide you with full-time opportunities long-term, watch out for full-time job listings.

Not only can the listings give you an idea how much experience entry-level jobs want, but if you see good options then you can make sure to apply.

On any interviews, highlight your proactive experience and how you took control of your education and career.

Particularly in entry-level positions, many are looking for a foundation of knowledge and the willingness to learn.

That’s what I focused on in both of my full-time interviews. I received offers from both in less than a day and was able to pick my first-choice employer.

Now keep up that hard work

Like I mentioned, this won’t work for all industries, but if you put in the hard work and be proactive with everything you do, and that will translate regardless of where you’re at.