20 Sep 2017

Getting a job must be the biggest sign that you’re finally growing up. Nothing says, “I’ve got my sht together,” quite like getting employed. And while telling your mum that you’re a dedicated workhorse now is going to feel damn good, getting a job isn’t always easy.

First off, you’ve got to ditch the excuses and go for it. There are plenty of reasons that people feel like they can’t get work. And while some of them are valid, this isn’t the kind of thinking that’s going to help you get paid. So let’s break these points down and explain how to go beyond them.

1. I don’t have any experience

So you don’t have any experience. No worries. Start with small steps – volunteer work, employment training and extra curricular activities are a good start. Every single person who’st ever had a job was once a rookie, just like you are now. The first step to getting experience is getting a job. You just need to write a good resume that focuses on your transferable skills. Which brings us to the next point…

2. I don’t have a resume

This is a simple problem with a simple solution: you need to write yourself a resume. We’ve got a bunch of resources to help with resume writing, including this post, which contains advice on writing a resume when you lack experience, this post about how NOT to write a resume and this one about what you should definitely include in your resume. Finding a good resume template might help too.

3. Can’t be bothered

Nah, this is no excuse at all.

4. There’s no work available

As far as excuses go, this one is admittedly the most legitimate. In some cases, there aren’t a whole lot of choices for work, which means you need to be persistent and you can’t be picky. Take whatever you can get, at least temporarily, in order to build some experience. If that still doesn’t land you a job, you might need to think a little more creatively. Maybe it’s time to move to an area with more jobs available? Can you work online? Could you do a training course and up skill to get yourself a job?

5. I’m scared of the job interview

Yep, we get it, job interviews are scary. Whether you’re a 15-year-old introvert applying for your first job or a 38-year-old professional going for a promotion, it’s going to be scary – trust that. But life is scary and failures along the way are inevitable. Rather than worrying about the job interview, your best bet is to prepare for it. Go over what kinds of questions you’re likely to be asked and the best responses to those questions. Just do your best, who could ask for more than that?