7 Hacks to Get Work Experience Before You're Hired

Are you in college? Do you graduate soon but don't have any work experience? If so, the job search can be hard, and landing a job can seem impossible.

Luckily, you can get some work experience without a traditional job. You just have to be creative.

Keep reading to learn how you can stand out even with a resume with no work experience.

1. Volunteer

One way to get some work experience without a job is to volunteer. You can find a local charity or organization that needs help. Charities cover all sorts of industries, so you can get relevant experience.

If you like working with animals, you can volunteer at a shelter. And if you like working with kids, you can volunteer to tutor at a local school.

You can also volunteer to help a small local business with their social media or digital marketing. And if you like to cook, you can volunteer at a soup kitchen or food bank.

As a volunteer, your options are endless. You may even be able to find an opportunity with a flexible schedule. That way, you can get that experience while in school.

2. Job Shadow

If you aren't sure what you want to do, you can also job shadow. You can shadow a couple of people and industries to see what working there is like.

Once you choose a career path, you can shadow a couple of people in that role. Then, you can learn more about the job and see what sort of experience you need. That way, you can focus your efforts on getting relevant experience.

Some jobs may be easier to shadow than others. You may not be able to shadow someone in a high-security office.

If that's the case, consider meeting someone outside of work. You can ask them questions about their work to see if it's something that interests you.

3. Freelance

When you work for yourself, you don't have to worry about having experience. You can find freelance jobs in a variety of industries, so it can be a great way to get your foot in the door.

Whether you want to work as a writer, graphic designer, or developer, you can start freelancing whenever. Working as a freelancer is super flexible, so you can do it while you're in school.

You can control what projects you do, and you can end contracts that don't pay well or have bad procedures. When you're ready to look for a full-time job, you can put that work experience on your resume.

However, freelancing isn't for the faint of heart. It requires a lot of hard work and discipline to be successful. Still, it's a great way to work if you have a resume with no work experience.

4. Start a Passion Project

If you can't get any paid freelance work but want something flexible, consider starting a passion project. You can do whatever you want, so you can choose a project related to your career field.

Perhaps you want to be a writer, so you decide to start a blog. You can create posts each week and show that blog to potential employers as part of your portfolio.

If you like art, you can compile your best pieces into a book that you self-publish. A budding musician can start recording themself at home and posting audio or videos online.

But you don't have to be in a creative field to do a passion project. If you want to become a software engineer, you can code an app as your project to gain work experience.

5. Join Honor Society

Honor Society is an excellent organization if you want to get work experience. You can take advantage of career placement tools, so you can get a good job after you graduate.

When you're ready to apply to jobs, you can put your Honor Society membership on your resume to stand out. Honor Society members can maintain these benefits long after graduation.

You can be part of a nationwide network, too. If you meet other members, you may be able to get a good job without work experience just because of that network.

Honor Society can also help you get internships, which are yet another way to get work experience without a job. The benefits of joining are great for freshmen all the way through graduating seniors.

6. Get an Internship

Sometimes, the best way to get a job without work experience is to start as an intern. You can find an internship in your ideal industry to get experience and make connections.

In some cases, you may even be able to get a full-time job after your internship. You won't have to worry about going through a long job search process.

But even if you can't work at the same company later, an internship can provide valuable work experience. You can then put that internship on your resume to stand out amongst other job applicants.

You'll also be able to meet a lot of people in the industry. If someone you meet leaves the company, they may be able to give you a job at their new place.

7. Develop Transferable Skills

While it's important to have industry experience, you should also focus on transferable skills. That includes things like time management, discipline, and communication.

You can use those skills in almost any job, hence the name transferable. If you decide to switch industries later, you can still use those skills in your new field.

And as a new graduate, having those skills could set your application apart. Your future employer can train you on their processes and systems. But training on time management and communication is a lot more difficult.

If you can develop those soft skills while in school, you can prepare yourself for the job search. Then, you can still get a good job without any work experience.

How to Get Work Experience

Getting a job can be difficult when you don't have work experience. Even some entry-level positions require a year or two of work.

Fortunately, you don't need a regular job to get that work experience. Whether you want to volunteer or start freelancing, you can make it work.

Would you prefer to join Honor Society to help land a job? Join today!