When looking for a job, you may soon realize that there’s a Catch-22. You need to prove that you have the skills and experience for the announced position, but you cannot possibly obtain those without having worked in the field.
You may feel as if you are facing an uphill battle when you try to get a job without having any experience in the field. Fret not! To help you out, we’ve provided some important career tips below. Then, we offer an example cover letter with no experience in the field that you can use to style your application.
Focus on Soft Skills
Soft skills are important. They make you a better coworker, employee, and customer service provider. Even better, these skills are transferable. They’re needed in nearly every position. If you can work as a team player, solve problems, empathise with others, negotiate, and manage your time well, let the hiring manager know about this. Shifting the focus from the lack of hard skills (domain expertise) to soft skills can make your application more attractive.
Mary Ford
Executive Career Coach
Show You Understand The Company and The Industry
You may not have experience in this field, but you can show an overall understanding of the industry in general, and the specific company to which you are applying. Your best tool is knowledge. Subscribe to industry-related blogs and publications. Explore company websites, and read their press releases. Get to know some relevant terms, and use them (correctly) in your cover letter.
Emphasize Internships, Education and Volunteer Work
Since you don’t have work experience, you can use internships and volunteer work to show that you have some relevant experience. What you want to do is identify necessary skills, and show how your participation as an intern or volunteer aligns with that.
For example, if you know the job you want requires accounting skills, you might emphasize that you do volunteer work that involves keeping spreadsheets for a local charitable organization and keeping their books.
Alternatively, complete a quick upskilling program in the domain. There are plenty of free and paid courses and workshops you can attentend both in-person and online. A lot of them also offer certificates that you can use as a “brag right”.
Demonstrate Your Seriousness
Not too long ago celebrity chefs soared in popularity. Nearly every network has some show that featured regular people trying to make it in the kitchen. The result was a surge in interest in culinary fields. Unfortunately, for many people, this was more flight of fancy than a well-thought-out career choice. Many people entered this field who weren’t prepared for the work involved.
In your case, your potential employer will have to invest in your training and development too. This can be worthwhile for them if you have the aptitude, and are serious about seeing things through. What you will want to do is use your cover letter to demonstrate that you are serious about entering the field.
Talk about how you became interested in this field. If you have a compelling backstory, that can help. Stick to things that are concrete. Avoid abstractions such as ‘to help people’ or ‘making the world a better place’. Be specific, and give examples.
Speaking of examples: you can get more ideas from a bunch of other compelling cover letter samples our team has created for pretty much any industry imaginable. Use the search function on top of the page to find examples for the industry you are aiming at.
Show Your Connections
Who you know matters. If it doesn’t, sites like LinkedIn wouldn’t exist. If you have a connection in common with the hiring manager, that can only benefit you. Do not be hesitant to drop a name if you can do it in a way that is relevant to your letter.
Cover Letter Example When You Have No Experience in The Field – .docx Format
Download example (Word version)
Sample Cover Letter With No Experience in The Field – Text Format
Dear Lorraine,
I am sending this letter along with my resume to apply for the position of Digital Marketing Associate. I am a recent graduate of Cooper College with a dual Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Business Administration. A mutual acquaintance, Michael Williams, told me about this position. I interned with his company as a social media assistant just before graduation.
As a marketing graduate, and member of Gen Z I know that traditional advertising simply doesn’t work. That’s why I am so enthusiastic about using digital marketing in new ways to reach customers. I followed your Foodie Friends social media blitz last year, and realized that this is the kind of forward thinking marketing that I would love to be a part of.
In addition to interning with Mr. Williams, I have also spent the last several years working as an administrative assistant at Corporative Hive. This is a startup incubator created to help low-income women launch their own companies. As an assistant here, I often helped manage the company’s social media marketing activities and email communication. As well, I was free to attend educational workshops, organized for the participants, and gained additional knowledge in web design, e-commerce and content marketing.
I am available for an interview at your convenience. I would enjoy meeting with you.
Sincerely,
M. Ninja
Final Tip: Focus on What You Can Bring To The Table
Yes, you may feel that you are underqualified for the position, but don’t let that doubt show off in your letter. Use the first paragraphs to clearly describe what you can bring to the employer – some key skills and past experiences.