The solution to the “experience” catch-22

It seems even junior, entry-level positions contain this phrase in the job descriptions these days:

Essential - 3-5 Years' Experience

Yet, as you might have realised, if the requirements for an entry-level position are 3-5 years of experience… it becomes impossible to get into the market.

You can’t get a job because you need 3-5 years’ experience for which you need a job which you can’t get because you need 3-5… you get the picture.

What’s more, even graduate schemes favour those who have experience over those who don’t.

For students and young adults entering the job market, this can be really frustrating. Whilst there are companies out there who are willing to give young people a shot to prove themselves, there are many more eager applicants and not everyone will get that chance.

But there is a way to get ahead of the game. It’s how I got ahead and I know many others who did the same. It also brings many more benefits which greatly outweigh your standard part-time job.

Volunteering

Wait - let’s be clear. I’m not talking about working for free to make money for someone else. I’m not talking about working for “exposure”. I’m not talking about unpaid internships, which play a particularly damaging role in reinforcing social inequality and preventing social mobility (though this is a topic for another time).

I’m talking about supporting charities - good causes. Causes that deserve your time, energy and skills.

It could be an hour a week, if that’s all you’ve got to spare; it could be a full-time role for a short period of time.

It could be something demanding complex skills and giving you the opportunity to demonstrate your high-level capabilities. It could also be something straightforward - like moving boxes and packing bags.

I used to volunteer with a charity called GIFT. Every other week, I attended “packathons” where we would pack food donated by individuals and distributors into bags for families in need. It wasn’t hard - in general, we lined all the food up, everyone took a station and the bags got passed along the assembly line.

My experience volunteering with GIFT is a great example of the benefits you can get.

1) No Obligation

You’re not tied down when you’re volunteering. If you can’t volunteer a particular day because you need to go to a job interview, to work or to study, that’s OK. You’re in control and have flexibility.

2) Growth Opportunities

I may have started as part of the assembly line at GIFT, but I took many more opportunities with them, which gave me the chance to experience a wide variety of projects and gain different skills. I stood outside shops, encouraging people to buy non-perishables to donate to our box; I went door-to-door doing the same. I raised money through different campaigns, some of which I oversaw end-to-end, others which I was only a tiny part of. Charities are looking to make an impact - anyway you can help, they’ll generally take.

3) Networking

Through my work volunteering with charities, I met people I would never otherwise have met. Some became good friends, others have supported me in my career journey, others have become clients. I’m not close with them all now, but thanks to social media I keep up with their journeys and vice versa. Volunteering with a charity might give you the contact you need in the industry you’re looking to work for.

4) Soft Skills & valuable qualities

Sure, endlessly packing bags didn’t make me a rocket scientist or neurosurgeon. But at the end of the day, whilst other people would be watching TV and kicking their feet up, I would be giving my time to ensure those in need could eat. Who would you want to work for you - the person who relaxes or the person who looks out for others?

When we don’t have to do something, but choose to, it’s a lot easier. If I were to tell you that’s it’s your job to stand outside shops in the middle of the winter, you’d hate it within a couple of hours. If I were to ask you to volunteer, as it’s a good cause, you’d probably agree. But by standing outside in the freezing cold by choice; by pushing through even when you’re ready to curl up with hot chocolate and by doing what’s right instead of what’s easy, you build resilience, work ethic and strength of mind.

Imagine reading on a job description, “For this position, we need people who are very numerically capable and have excellent problem-solving skills”. The average graduate won’t necessarily have any real-world experience to prove this. But if you can talk about how, for the foodbank where you volunteer, you calculated what supplies would be needed, in what quantities, what was already available, how many volunteers would be needed to pack and for how long and finally what the ideal distribution routes for the volunteer drivers would be… and you did that every week - that shows me, as an employer, that you’ve got what it takes.

The reason employers want experience is because school and university don’t give an accurate indication of valuable qualities and soft skills. Many academics and teachers never leave the world of education - so even if they try to incorporate “real world” applications, they usually fail. (I found nothing more annoying whilst at University than having lecturers and university staff explain to me how in the “real world” you can’t just do whatever I was asking for… whilst Universities are a bubble, isolated from the real world, where invariably what I was asking for would be exactly what would happen).

Volunteering for charities is your best opportunity to grow, gain experience, network and prove your most valuable skills and qualities. But above all, it shows you’re a good person. And I want good people on my team. Everyone does.