How Persons Without Work Experience Can Boost Their Curriculum Vitae

Most job offer requirements today usually go with the tag of some years of experience. How do you expect someone who gained admission into the university almost immediately after leaving secondary school or the one who didn’t graduate until he got close to his thirties to boast of work experience worth such a time immediately after graduating?

That’s the question probably bugging the minds of many youths today gunning for employment positions. Here’s some good news for such people: You can still get a job if you want to do so. All that matters is doing the right things. Here are tips that would help boost your CV even without you having any work experience.

It all has to do with the preparation you’ve done for tomorrow.

Acquire Soft Skills
Have additional skills beyond your educational leaning. As much as you can, acquire additional skills that put you ahead of other applicants. Skills ranging from computer appreciation to customer relationship management, data-base management and a couple of others required generally in every organization could put you a step ahead of others. Why not grab today’s opportunity to learn a new skill or improve your competence in that one you have?

Come Off With Good Grades
Although coming off with a good grade might not matter if you already have a job waiting for you upon graduation, it helps at times. Except you have someone out there reserving an employment position for you, keeping up with the minimum academic grade acceptable in job adverts is the best bet. Most job adverts place a Second-Class Upper or an Upper Credit as minimum grade of qualification for Bachelor’s Degree (BA/B.Sc/B.Ed) and Higher National Diploma (HND) applicants respectively. Study hard and smartly, and you’ll be good for it.

Volunteer
During your spare time, join causes that may add to your experience. Put your expertise in programme planning, publicity, public relations, mobilization, social media management, writing, blogging, documentation among others into use while still in the university. There are lots of non-for-profit or non-governmental organizations out there who would appreciate your input in their activities. Visit UN Volunteer, Youth Hub Africa and a host of other sites that publicise volunteering opportunities. Connect with a few of them and you’ll not regret such a decision.

Acquire Professional Certification
If there’s a professional certification recognized by members of your profession, go for it. Those into technology, accounting, management and a few other humanities usually have that requirement tagged to their job qualification criteria. No time is worth being wasted when you already know this. Tag along. Become a professional. Dedicate additional resources to it. Excel in it. There’s no limit to knowledge.


Acquire a Postgraduate Degree
Just as a professional course is relevantly useful in some career paths, a postgraduate degree would help in others. You’ll commonly find the tag ‘Masters Degree is an added advantage’. If you can bear the cost of running a masters programme immediately after the undergraduate experience, don’t waste time. Go for it. Your brain is still fresh to easily remember and make reference to what was taught earlier. Thus, it would be easier to make connections between them. While a postgraduate may be a means to an end, it’s not necessarily a big deal if you’re your own boss and want to remain so for life.

Hold Positions of Responsibility While Studying
This on its own is an experience. Whether you’re a class representative or the General Secretary of the Students’ Union body or the treasurer of your church fellowship or even a member of the planning committee of an event organized by the Muslim Students’ Society, your experience there would later count. Leadership positions expose you to wide range of reflective managerial experience. You could list these in your CV to reflect how responsible you are. It also shows that you are an effective team player.

Write a CV Reflective of Your Engagements
As you’re now equipped with other experience beyond the work experience, let your CV reflect these. Lay emphasis on your skills, certification and co-curricular activities that are related to the job application at hand. These could put you an edge over other prospective employees. Prepare the CV. Proofread it. Share it. Get the job. Work experience is no barrier. Source; Ibnamoo.com

Lets hear your  tips if you have any. The list is endless!

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