So you’ve graduated. You’re equipped with the most up-to-date industry knowledge. You’re energetic and ready to hit the ground running, but five words, when combined, throw a punch that discourages your job-searching efforts almost immediately upon laying eyes on them - “five years minimum work experience”.

While trying to start your chosen career path, you will often feel frustrated, hopeless and doubtful. However, despite the initial challenges, there are several professional-development tactics that can be continually used. Remember, you control how much you gain from an experience and how much value added you’ll be able to confidently offer to a future employer.

Network and network some more

While establishing potential career opportunities, personal contacts are an influential and critical resource. Becoming an active member with professional societies like CPRS or IABC guarantees social opportunities to meet other industry contacts. There are additional networking tools, such as LinkedIn, that will strengthen and extend a network of contacts. Basic membership is free, and it takes less than a minute to sign up and join.

Research

Research can be overwhelming and time consuming. However, research enables a job applicant to make sensible decisions, establish clear and realistic goals, and to foresee desired outcomes on a professional level. Although the Internet may be a primary source for research, books and industry-specific publications are also excellent sources of information. Make sure to pace researching efforts, however, as too much invested time can leave one exhausted and turned-off.

Informational Interviews

For some, the very idea of informational interviews may trigger anxiety attacks, but they are an integral part of getting your foot in the door. It is important to note that conducting informational interviews is not a method of job seeking. You’ll have the opportunity to speak with individuals currently working in the field while gaining an accurate perspective of an occupation or an industry. The advantages of informational interviews include:

• Expanding your professional network
• Gaining valuable interviewing experience
• Building self-confidence for potential job interviews
• Accessing up-to-date career information
• Exploring careers
• Clarifying your personal and professional goals

For examples of questions that you might ask during an informational interview, visit Florida State University - The Career Center-Interview Preparation Guide.

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream;
not only plan, but also believe.
-Anatole France -

Read

Reading is an obvious way to broaden your industry-specific knowledge, but it can also serve as an enjoyable escape from hectic day-to-day activities. Self-improvement books like “How To Make Friends While Influencing Others” by Dale Carnegie are a beneficial investment, since today’s employers conduct attitudinal interviews placing equal, if not greater, importance on personal attributes in comparison to relevant work experience. Frequent reading will also improve your use of grammar and expand your vocabulary base. So for all of you Scrabble enthusiasts, reading increases your chances of wisely using the triple-word spaces.

If you consistently and actively pursue these professional development tactics, doors will open resulting in opportunities that will enable you to gain valuable industry-specific experience, optimal networking relationships, and positive self assurance. If you take the initiative to immerse yourself in your chosen profession, your accumulation of work-related skills will impress potential employers and the words “five years minimum work experience” will become less intimidating.

Jennifer Murphy is a graduate of the Niagara College Public Relations (Post-graduate) Certificate program and is currently working as the Project Co-ordinator with the Welland Canals Foundation Inc. for the 175th anniversary of the Welland Canals.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 10th, 2007 at 3:42 pm and is filed under Careers in PR, Public Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.