Graduated From College Without An Internship? How To Compete For Entry-Level Jobs

iStock | AndreyPopov

One of the advantages to higher education is access to career-starting internships. Companies may prioritize job candidates that have an industry-related internship, or two, on their resumes. Recruiting and onboarding new employees, including recent college graduates and soon-to-be graduates, is a 24/7, 365-day investment for every business, no matter how small.

You should expect recruiters and hiring managers to mitigate the economic risks associated with every new hire. However, it’s not just the Human Resources department. The IT department often calibrates its Automatic Tracking Systems to boost resumes with the keyword “internship” for entry-level roles.

Where does that leave talented college students and recent graduates who, for whatever reason, never worked an internship? Are they second-class citizens in the job marketplace? Do they suffer a career-starting disadvantage? The good news is recruiters and hiring managers weigh many factors before extending job offers. Here are five tips to help you level the playing field:

1. Don’t panic. The fact you don’t have an internship is not the end of the world. You will get your first job and it will be the start of a long and productive career. You can’t build a time machine and change the past (and if you know how to time travel you don’t need our advice!). Focus on the future and what is in your control. Be proactive. There are a finite number of internships. If you never had one, you’re in the majority.

2. Update your resume. You may not have internship experience but you have experience! Highlight academic projects and coursework related to your career objectives that demonstrate your knowledge and skills. Dress up your work experience with “soft” skills and “transferrable” skills. Yes, that includes your summer job. Even if you delivered pizzas, you learned something that will help you in any occupation. Consider a professional resume writer to help you. 

3. Use your school’s career center. Even if you never took advantage of your career center while you were an undergraduate, you should explore what services and aid are available for alumni. Even if the career center staff has never seen your face, they will help you to the best of their ability. For example, your career center may connect you with helpful alumni, direct you to unadvertised job openings, or give you invaluable le job search tips.

4. Apply for the jobs anyway. You will not get the job if you don’t apply for it. Forget about the obstacles or the fact the job listing specifies “candidates with internship experience.” Now is the time to be aggressive. The worst that can happen is that your resume never makes it past the ATS filter or a recruiter quietly tosses it in the trash because you didn’t follow their directive. There are no long-term consequences.

5. Get post-graduate experience equivalent to an internship. It can be tricky to land an internship after graduation. Most internships are intended for undergraduates and companies recruit on campus (or through a school’s career center). If you feel like you’re not making any progress and the lack of internship experience is a contributing factor, explore other ways to get the skills you need to compete.  Entry-level jobs, part-time jobs, contract work, and consulting are potential pathways that will elevate your value in the labor marketplace and increase your future opportunities.

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Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

How To Break Into A "Specialty" Industry

iStock | IR_Stone

Some industries run to the beat of their own drummer, and just aren’t quite like any other out there. They require (or employers believe they require) a certain prior experience, education, or expertise to succeed in a career with them. examples of specialty industries are entertainment, hospitality, luxury goods, fashion, art, jewelry, watches, music instruments, motorcycles, fine cigars, wine, craft beer, spirits, and many others that often fall into the “lifestyle” category.

The passion of the professionals who work in specialty industries drives an expanding list of endeavors that can go on for ten more pages. It’s not about the size of the company, or whether it’s on the NYSE, specialty industries revolve around a product people love to make (i.e., surfboards) and people love to buy (e.g., surfboards).    

Elements common to specialty industries are:

·      Unique culture and rules.

·      Specialized industry knowledge.

·      Complexity to “break in” to the industry.

The wine industry is a great example of a specialty industry that’s many interlinking specialty industries. A three-tier supply chain and licensing framework created in the aftermath of Prohibition complete the wine labyrinth. Each tier is a specialty.

·      Growing the grapes is farming.

·      Making the wine is chemistry.

·      Sales, marketing, bottling, packaging, transportation, custom wine cellars, sommeliers, wine bars, wine tourism, wine publications, little bottles of wine on the airplane, and the ancillary specialties keep going.

·      Knowing what’s in the bottle requires advanced knowledge of grapes, geography, winemaking, winemakers, producers, the rich history of wine, food, language, and cultures of countries across the world.

If you want to be a specialist, here are some factors to consider:

1.     Higher education can matter. Many prestigious colleges and universities have schools, programs, majors, or classes in specialty initiatives from hospitality to graphic design. There are also schools, such as the Sotheby’s Institute, that specialize in their specialty – in this case, the vast and diverse art and auction world. Students often have greater access to career-shaping internships, and a degree in a specialty industry may help you leap into your chosen field.

2.     Specialized education can matters. Professional certifications are now widely seen as preferred or required training for an array of specialized industries. Whatever your field, chances are certifications increase your professional knowledge and standing. Many job postings include professional certifications in their descriptions, which means they are most likely keywords in the automatic tracking systems that sort resumes. Project management experience is great, but a project manager with experience and a Project Management Professional certification is better.

3.     Internships – There is no better way to get real-life exposure and experience than an internship. Upside: potentially life-altering experience. Downside: the pay is low or non-existent. You must have the time and resources. However, if your passion is art history, for example, an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, or The Getty Center in Los Angeles, is worth the time and effort.

4.     Entry-level. Entry-level means you have no experience, and your compensation commiserates with your experience. Find out how people get started in your industry.  The phrase “start at the bottom” is just as true people for those in the infancy of their professional life as it is for seasoned professionals who decide to switch careers or have been on the sidelines. You have to start somewhere, which is most probably the bottom. Specialty industries love to label almost every job as entry-level as well as require experience they know you don’t have. Navigating professional Catch-22s of this sort can be a blood sport, so do your homework.

5.     Work. There is a lot of attrition in specialty industries. To work your way up you must do the work. You must prove you are investment-worthy. You should always be learning. Learn your business. Learn what’s important. Be a sponge that absorbs best practices and wrings out failing strategies.

6.     Build and nurture your network. A professional network is a gift that keeps giving. If you keep up with colleagues and other professionals you meet during the course of work, they will help you. They will agree to be a reference or email you when they hear of a job opening. You will do the same for someone who makes the effort to nurture their professional connection with you. Use professional networking sites like LinkedIn.

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Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

Approaching The Job Search In A Weakening Economy

iStock | solarseven

Is the economy souring?

Recent stock market volatility has people on edge, even though the stock market is not the economy. Is there a connection? Of course, there is, but the people truly suffering from inflation and rising gas prices are not worried about their stock portfolios. They don’t have one. Meanwhile, unemployment is at pre-pandemic levels, the Great Resignation continues unabated as workers demand more from their employers, and most people are generally happy with their economic situation.

Mixed messages on the economy are like old minefields – they are not easy to navigate, and there is a very real danger, but the majority of the landmines don’t explode if you step on them. When you consider whether or not now is the time to jump jobs there is a certain amount of guesswork involved, but it can be mitigated with some good old-fashioned legwork.

What do you need to do next?  

1.     Assess your professional landscape. Economic downturns are not egalitarian. There are financial sectors that take the brunt of every recession, depression, and unforeseen calamity. For example, if you worked in hospitality, live music, or movie when COVID hit you took the brunt of it. The people who converted their garages into home offices and spent a year on Zoom were merely inconvenienced. Do the legwork. Make an honest assessment of your specific industry's outlook. For example, healthcare isn’t going anywhere. There will always be sick people who need skilled and compassionate caretakers. However, if the U.S. suddenly shifted from private healthcare to universal healthcare a whole lot of people are going to be out of a job with nowhere to go. Become the leading authority on your professional landscape. Knowledge is power.

2.     Assess your tolerance for risk. Moving jobs is always a risk. You may think you’ve landed your dream job and then two weeks later they announce a merger or buyout. The new company has two people in every role and it only needs one. Job security is tenuous. It’s a cliché that the greater the risk the greater the reward. Are you ready to enter that uncertain space? If you are at a stable company that would most likely weather any storm, is it a good idea to leave? On the other hand, you may work somewhere that is “too big to fail” until it fails. If you truly believe you can increase your earning potential because you have specialized skills that are in demand, and are willing to accept the risks involved, by all means, take the leap. Just know there are no guarantees.

3.     Check Out PayScale. Do you believe you’re underpaid or do you know you’re underpaid? Once again, do the legwork. Find out what professionals in your field, in your area, should be compensated. If you’re getting the short stick, by all means, you should be open to any potential new jobs. If your company/industry/product is at risk because of a volatile economy, you may find your comfy job is suddenly not so comfy, lucrative, or secure as you imagined. When businesses experience trouble, payroll is the first thing they target. When you hear the word “freeze” being tossed around it’s time to consider jumping ship. Hiring freeze. Purchasing freeze. Promotion freeze. Bonus freeze.  The common element is a freeze in your professional development and compensation.

4.     Don’t get complacent. Do not be a spectator of your career. Be proactive if you know, or even sense, you may be on the front lines of a potential economic downturn due to your current job or company. You can’t warm the bench forever. At some point, you need to belly up to the plate and face the curveballs. There are times there will be a risk, but there will always be jobs – just not as many in a bad economy.

5.     Don’t panic. When the economy seems to be faltering, but nobody can say for sure what will happen, it’s easy to panic. Don’t be blinded by more money or a promotion that may be short-lived if the economy sours. A year ago, the global economy was still at the mercy of the pandemic and subsequent supply chain issues that continue to reverberate to this day, which is a big deal if you are a consumer, but a bigger deal if you work in the supply chain! Yet, an unthinkable war in Ukraine roiling the international energy and wheat markets wasn’t on anyone’s radar. When the U.S. stock market crashed in 1929 and ushered in the ten-year Great Depression. Keep calm and update your resume.

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Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.