How new grads can find a job, when they don’t yet have work experience

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March 16, 2011

How new grads can find a job, when they don’t yet have work experience

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By Kristen Fife
NWjobs

Q: I have a quick question for you regarding job openings in Seattle. My girlfriend graduated with a finance degree and minor in communications. We have been in Seattle since August, and she keeps running into the roadblock of not having any actual industry experience. The job postings she has found commonly say "Entry Level Position," then list at least two years of experience as a prerequisite. Do you have any advice for someone whose experience is based solely in education and is looking for industry experience?
-TS, Seattle

Kristen says: It’s a tough market out there, and many companies are looking for experienced employees. Technically, she is what is known as a “campus” candidate to recruiters, meaning she has been out of school a year or less. She should be looking for companies that provide internships, and use LinkedIn to find “Campus Recruiters” in Seattle with finance as a keyword. She should also check with her Career Center to see who in the Seattle area has traditionally hired finance majors and whether there is an alumni network to tap into. She should also try contacting local companies that she has identified through research, and conduct informational interviews to see what area employers are looking for. LinkedIn is going to be a vital tool in her search. Her profile should display her relevant skills in the profile section, and she should join groups like the Seattle Job Social, Eastside Networking Event and finance groups (like The Seattle Accounting and Finance Professionals Group). She can also contact WorkSource for other job-seeking strategies.

There are two ways she can gain experience sooner rather than later. The first is to try contacting temporary agencies. Vocation Village has a good list of local companies. The next thing she can do is volunteer; VolunteerMatch can help her contact organizations that are looking for help with finance projects or things like newsletters. Just choose carefully to make sure projects will look good as a professional entry on a resume.

You may find some additional useful information here: How new grads can beat the competition for entry-level positions.

And here are a few posts about informational interviews you might find helpful:

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