Sometimes there’s a Catch-22 when looking for a new job – you can’t get a job without experience, but you also can’t get experience without a new job. It’s a hurdle that can be difficult to get past, but there are ways to get your ideal job without having the preliminary work experience. As a talent sourcing company in Vietnam, these are the following tips we share with candidates in the process of recruitment.

Address the issue, highlight the relevance

Be honest about your work experience. There’s no need to embellish your skills and employment history in your CV. Instead highlight work experience that might be relevant to the role you’re applying for. For example, if you’re a Managing Editor for a publication applying for an Account Director post in an advertising agency, it’s good to highlight your skills in project management, facing different clients and problem-solving. Reframe your strengths so they align with the skills needed for the role. Your CV should read less about what you did and your responsibilities, and more about your key achievements and what your talents and skills can contribute to the company in the future.

If you’re also inclined to write a cover letter, it’s a good opportunity to explain why your previous experiences, while not exactly aligned with the role, are still transferrable, useful, and valuable to the new role. These are things that help talent sourcing agencies in Vietnam get a better profile of you as a candidate.

Educate yourself on the role

When you apply for that job, research about the company, their products and services, who their customers are, who are the leaders of the company, and possibly who you will be reporting to. Learn about their values, what their business model is, and try to see where you can add benefit to the company. Your interest and knowledge of the company and the industry will impress recruiters and hiring managers. Most of all, they’ll see that your interest is a driving force that can bring positive change to the company.

Study and chase experiences

When you can, equip yourself with the fundamental knowledge and skills required for the role. You can self-study by reading up on the role and the industry, or you can sign up for classes that can help you up-skill for the role. You may be a high-ranking banking professional looking into being a CFO of a non-banking-related company, so you might need to enroll in classes or management programs that can prepare you for the new role. There are many resources online that you can consume to help you build that needed foundation.

Expand your network

Add industry people on LinkedIn, reach out, or meet with industry leaders to pick their brains and get their insights on how you should apply for a job without much prior experience. The more you learn from them, the more prepared you are as a candidate for your desired role. Perhaps, if you’re lucky, as you grow your network, you’ll meet people who will also see beyond what you may lack, and see the commitment you have for the job and company you’re applying to. They may also see the value of your previous experience that can complement the roles they’re hiring for, so you might actually find yourself having one foot in the door already.

Talent sourcing company in Vietnam

ASW Consulting is a recruitment agency in Vietnam dedicated to our candidates’ future careers. We pride ourselves in bringing talented people together, and that involves advising candidates about how to highlight their strengths and reframe their experiences so they can be valuable candidates for employers. To know more about how you can plan for a career change, read our previous blog.