So, you finished your studies and started looking for jobs. And you sent out your perfectly crafted resume to different companies, hoping to get yourself a job. But you come across this weird roadblock, Experience!
Almost 90% of jobs requires some kind of experience, beforehand. But you have only just started your career journey. And you might think to yourself "How do I get experience without a job?"
This is actually a famous paradox which states : You need a job to get experience but you need experience to get a job.
Here's the wiki about the paradox :
A catch-22 is a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations. The term was coined by Joseph Heller, who used it in his 1961 novel Catch-22. An example is:
"How can I get any experience until I get a job that gives me experience?" – Brantley Foster in The Secret of My Success.
Does it make you frustrated? Well, in this post we'll talk about a way around this paradox.
Why recruiters wants experienced candidates?
First of all it's about saving time. And less errors. We often see most first timers having the easiest doubts. And some people hates to just go through that. Also experienced professionals knows most of the tools for the job. And they keep the business secure. Also they are with a tons of similar professionals, so it becomes easier to network. I know we are learning but that's how it's in the business world.
Breaking the paradox
Okay! Let's try breaking the experience paradox to find a workaround. What can we do to gain experience? Just think of a way to get it. What's the first thing that came to your mind? Compare that with ours.
The most common ways are
- Internships
- Freelancing
- Volunteering
These are the basic routes taken. If you found a different way to do it. I encourage you to share it with us. Give something back to our community.
Let's go deep into it!
Internships
For many this is the first choice out of them all. And many companies do provide internships to develop potential candidates. Here you learn about the company business and you learn how you can provide for them.
Freelancing
This is the second most chosen. But still it does have its own benefits. The first would be the pay. It won't be that much you'd expect but. It's enough for a beginner. Also it can also act as a part-time income. There are many ways you can do freelancing work. There are many tools available online to help you get started. Also you could give out an ad on your local newspaper.
Volunteering
This is the least opted option. Not because it lacks any benefits. In fact, it is the one which gives you the most experience. You could help out a friend or relative. Also you could revive businesses. And the best of all you could work on open source projects. By being part of a community you also gain different relationships by networking.
I believe this is the most rewarding as it puts you in the center. And you find your own way to solve a problem. You figure out your tools. Overall you lead the game.
So, what we learned so far
Well, firstly we know that there are lot more ways to gain experience than to rely on low paying jobs. I'm not telling you to always shoot for the moon. But have a realistic approach. Also we know that the experience from working on a company would teach you some tools but for only for that company's survival purpose. Also it might be outdated. Whereas working on open source projects and it's likes we find and learn the latest tools and resources used in the industry. Making you to stay on top of the market. The experience paradox is an ugly strategy used which makes you settle for less, instead of having a better idea. And I hope you would find this post useful and apply it to your life to approach better at your career. Also share with your network so that we leave no one behind.
We Take Care Of Our Own!
Top comments (0)