What are you going to do if you’re looking for a job and you have no work experience? What are you going to answer to the questions regarding your previous workplaces or what exactly can you do?

The majority of graduates or students looking for their first job fess up, they have no previous work experience but they are willing to do “anything” or take just about “any job”.  But is this good enough to persuade the employer that you are a good fit for his company?

I hope you can relate to the following scenario. You’re looking to buy a new cell phone or a new TV for that matter. Would you buy an unknown brand that you’ve never heard of? I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t!

The only thing you can do to compensate for the lack of experience is to bring out your potential and your abilities. To prove that you have what it takes for the job you can use the techniques outlined below:

a) Pick a specialty. It’s difficult to prove that you have a broad set of skills in several fields when you have zero work experience. That’s why it’s crucial to keep your focus on one or two activities that you really enjoy and are good at for instance graphic design, sales, bookkeeping, etc.
b) Identify those key skills that would make you successful in your chosen field.

Let’s illustrate. To be successful in sales you need to be confident, you need to enjoy dealing with different people, you need to be persuasive and perseverant. Once you identify the key skills you can continue to the next step, which is to come up with situations in your personal experience where you demonstrated your skills.

You can mention situations like this: “I have a lot of friends and I like to organize parties and special events for all my friends. Most of the time I convince everybody to show up for my events.” Another circumstance that can point out your selling skills would be something like: “I managed to make some extra money by selling CDs, DVDs and cell phones during university.” It also proves you’re a resourceful person who can act independently and that you have initiative.

For other fields things may be a bit different but the principle stays the same. For example, for graphic design you need skills like creativity along with technical skills and also the ability to deliver your work on schedule.

For this you can show evidence of your skills with the following scenarios:

a)   I put together a photo album with my family’s trips and outings and I transferred them in a digital format to a photo sharing web site where they can be viewed by family and friends across the country.
b)   I processed and retouched my girlfriend’s photos that she included in her modeling portfolio.
c)    I created the graphics for an album cover or I created the graphics for the events at a local club.
d)   I designed a web site for such and such company.

Such examples demonstrate situations where you proved your skills that are pertinent to the job you’re applying for. If this is not enough or your inspiration has run dry you can try offering to work as a volunteer in your chosen field. You can kick off your career learning new things and working in the same time. If you discovered what you’re passionate about then I don’t have to tell you how valuable it is working as a volunteer. If you haven’t discovered your calling or you’re not sure if you’d like that job you can still try it out for some time and if you find that it’s not for you then at least you know what it’s all about and you can eliminate it as a career option.

The questions below can help you identify those situations when you have used your skills and abilities that would make you a good candidate for the job you’re aiming at.

What are you passionate about?
What are your accomplishments that you’re really proud of?
In what situations did you demonstrate your initiative?
What role do you usually take on when you’re in a team or a group?
What do you do in your spare time?

The honest answers to the questions above can be used later on to demonstrate your abilities to become a future superstar at your job.