​It is crazy how hearing this statement from a company can be so disheartening. This is a common statement that so many candidates hear... I know I did! There is nothing worse than wanting to progress and try something new then hearing this ‘experience’ statement.

Here is my story -

I worked in retail during high school and while I was studying at university. I knew that once I finished my degree I wanted to join the corporate world. I loved what I was doing and this is how I learnt that communicating with others was my passion. Towards the end of my degree I started applying for ‘entry level’ office administration roles. I was very optimistic and positive. I tracked all my applications and responses and was actively online daily. I can honestly say I had applied for over 50 roles over a period of a couple months and had no success. The feedback from companies were “you don’t have enough experience for us”. I really struggled with this. How would I be able to gain experience and get my foot in the door when no one would give me a chance? A few interviews later and the same situation happened again, not enough experience. I wondered how I would even get started in my corporate journey.

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As much as hearing this was hard, this whole situation made me very resilient and I learnt to be patient and to persevere. I learnt to not be in a hurry and to be prepared for rejection. We need set backs to occur so we learn and can push harder. Opportunities will come your way when the time is right and a company will see your potential and your qualities and hire you.

Tips -

• Keep applying and staying active on platforms such as Seek and Trade Me.

• Reach out to companies via LinkedIn as this shows great initiative.

• Keep your options open and keep yourself flexible for opportunities that may be offered.

• Reach out to a couple Recruitment Agencies (this is how I got my foot in the door).

• Don’t be afraid at the fact that you may need to work your way up the career ladder as every bit of experience is worth it.
   

Does this situation sound familiar to you? You are not alone! Good things take time and your career is important, so you want to get this right. Acknowledge that reaching your goals may involve a few more steps than previously anticipated and this is fine. Stay optimistic and do not see rejection as purely a negative, see it as a challenge to keep pushing for your goals and keep applying.