The job search is difficult enough for professionals who have years of experience under their belts. So, how do you get a job when you don't have any experience? That's the million-dollar question, and I'm going to answer it for you.
Focus On Connection Points
When you find a job that you want to apply for, some sort of life experience has taught you to want this job. Otherwise, you wouldn't even know what this job is. So, write down what it is about this job that you really want. Where did you learn about this job? Where did you come to find this job that you're very excited about? We have to connect the dots in the story here. Then, write down why you think you're qualified to do this job, even though you don't have any experience. What from your own life or professional experience has made you believe that you are fully capable of doing this job?
You need to write all of this out. These are the connection points between you and the job. These are the connection points that a recruiter and a hiring manager are going to need to hear in order to consider you because sending them your resume or your LinkedIn profile is going to get you tossed because you don't fit the mold.
The story is the factor here. Now, the more powerful the story, the more compelling the reasons that you want to do this job and that you believe you can do this job, the more likely you will get a shot at this job.
Here's a true story to help you understand the power of connection points...
Years ago, I had a young man come to me and he wanted to get into financial planning. However, the first 12 years of his career had been as a paint store manager. It was a successful career but it had nothing to do with financial planning. So when I said to him, "Why do you think you're qualified for financial planning and why do you want to get into it?" he explained that a little over a year ago, his father had died unexpectedly and his dad had owned a business, and they found out after he died that the business was in shambles. He left his mom broke and she was probably not only going to lose the business but lose the home that she had spent all her life in with her husband.
So, what did he do? He spent nights and weekends figuring everything out, teaching himself what he needed to know. He was able to turn around and get the business to a place where he could sell it and get enough money for his mother so that she didn't lose the house and she had something to live on. He said the experience was so traumatic that he never, ever wanted to see another person go through this, and he knew if he could become a financial planner, he could help more people when these unexpected losses hit so they wouldn't have to deal with all the financial stress and drama when they're simultaneously trying to grieve. If that isn't the ultimate motivation to want to become a financial planner!
After he explained all that, we created his career story. I call this career story a connection story. I also refer to it as the disruptive cover letter because it's not a traditional cover letter. I helped him tell the story of how he realized he needed to become a financial planner and also enclosed some of the transferable skills from being a paint store manager that he believed helped him get up to speed so fast and do all that he did for his mom.
He had five financial planning companies on his interview bucket listâfive companies that he would love to work for. He sent his disruptive cover letter off. He networked with all five companies. They gave him interviews. Three gave him offers. And he took the offer from his number one choice.
You can do this too, but the story is going to be what gets your foot in the door and gets people to root for you, to want to give you a chance. Because the upside is when you go into a job that you haven't done before, you have no bad habits. You're very moldable. Also, anybody who gives you a shot, you're going to do everything in your power to exceed their expectations. So there are some clear advantages to hiring somebody who doesn't have the experience.
But they're not going to hire you if you don't have that connection and intrinsic motivation, which is just a fancy word for a really good reason why you're going to get out of bed every day to do that job and figure it out and crush it. That's what they're looking for from you as someone with no experience.
If you would like to learn how to do this step by step, join me inside Work It DAILY today. Sign up for a seven-day free trial and get instant access to my cover letter plan. That is where you're going to learn the power of the connection story.
Good luck, and go get 'em!
Lindsey Pollak
