How to sell yourself when you don’t have the right experience

Applying for a new job can be scary, especially if it’s a role you’ve really set your heart on. But what do you do if your experience falls just outside of the requirements? Don’t let lack of necessary skills put you off sending in that application, instead here are some things to take on board to help you land a job even if you don’t have quite the right experience.

Focus on your transferable skills:

If you’re good at keeping to deadlines, working in a high pressure role or showing confidence in communicating with colleagues and clients, these are all examples of skills that can showcase traits just as valuable as experience directly specific to the role. Think about the challenges you’ve faced in past jobs that can be applied to this role and focus on your ability to handle these well.

Talk up your unpaid experiences: Whether you’ve worked as a volunteer, had internships or are regularly active in your local community, these demonstrate desirable traits to your potential employer such as being a hard working, dedicated and most importantly passionate individual. Most employers are far more likely to hire someone who shows passion and personal drive with less experience than someone who ticks all the boxes but doesn’t seem enthusiastic.

Research before the interview: To show the employer that you are truly passionate about the role at hand, make sure you have plenty you can talk about in the interview to show your enthusiasm. What’s the latest news in that industry? Who are some influential experts in that particular field who inspire you? Show the interviewer that you are genuinely interested in the industry surrounding that job.

Emphasise your desire to build new skills: In addition to taking the time to look into the background of the role and that industry, emphasise your desire to learn as much as you can, whether that is taking additional courses in order to build your professional qualifications or putting in extra time to further your understanding of the role. Let the employer know how these relevant skills will be beneficial to your career progression directly within their company.

For expert advice from the recruitment specialists on any aspect of your career, email consultants@1strecruit.co.uk or call 01534 875444