candid-career-advice-2-what-not-having

alongcamekatrina

📣 Unpopular opinion: Not having enough "experience" is NOT the real reason why you didn't get the job.Yes, I know my post sounds crazy but hear me out.For job seekers struggling to find work, I often hear them mention a "lack of experience" as the reason why they didn't apply to a job opening or as the reason why they weren't offered the job.🛑 Stop. This. Thinking. RIGHT. NOW.In my latest post, I demystify what exactly "not having experience" really means by covering:✅ The correct way to interpret "do you have experience?"✅ Why having experience DOES NOT matter. Yep, I said it.✅ The importance of a "proof of concept."✅ How to develop a proof of concept with real life examples that helped me and others get hired.Read on here: https://katrinahoner.substack.com/p/candid-career-advice-2-what-not-having

stephaniecn·Dec 07·1 reply

I totally agree with this - many job seekers think they are not getting far in the job search because of their lack of experience but most often it has more to do with their job search and interview skills (not your day job skills).

alongcamekatrina

alongcamekatrina·Dec 08

alongcamekatrina

alongcamekatrina·Dec 08

Absolutely hit the nail right on the head!! It’s tough out there but having these honest convos with yourself or a coach is extremely helpful to get insight on your own interviewing skills

HannahBaldovino·Dec 08·1 reply

Katrina, completely agree! I think that people are too quick to say "no" to themselves before they even put themselves out there. Most hiring managers (if they are good) I know realize the 80-20 rule. You're not going to find someone that hits all the marks.

alongcamekatrina

alongcamekatrina·Dec 08

alongcamekatrina

alongcamekatrina·Dec 08

Thanks Hannah! And exactly. If you hit most of the marks and you know what you’re capable of, that shows and hiring managers know that.

prettycold

Sambhavi·Dec 08

prettycold

Sambhavi·Dec 08

Just to add to replies from @stephaniecn and @HannahBaldovino, I feel the covering letter should be really crisp to showcase what we've built and how we will be a right fit in spite of not covering all their tick marks.We need to spend an equal time to understand the org's needs and map our skills and showcase our projects. Rather, we tend to spend time to prepare on our actual skill sets, the mapping is lost most of the time which is why we find it difficult to crack interviews.

maggiewolff·Dec 09

This really resonates with me. I worked in marketing roles for 10+ years, but wasn't passionate about it and didn't really have many great results, and struggled to land better jobs throughout my career. Then I transitioned to data analysis, which was a MUCH better fit for my natural skills, and have been able to move into two analytics roles even though I was definitely below the required years of analytics experience according to the job descriptions. And I've thrived in both roles.