It is difficult to start from scratch, specially when you are a foreigner. Getting my first job was one of the most difficult challenges I ever had, as I was afraid of going out and asking for work and knowing I have no work experience in Australia, I probably handled 40 CVs.
What was more difficult was getting my second job (if I remember well I handled more than 100 CVs and also applied for 40 different jobs online).
But, the third time looking for a job was easier (I had work experience, more confidence and determination, plus I had no problem asking for work and going to the same place over and over again) I handled over 20 CVs, and I was able to get 2 trails and a couple of weeks later I had 2 casual jobs.
So, don’t stress, make sure you go out and handle CVs. But first you need to work hard to get a job.
Let’s get started!
Is ok to be in this position, having no work experience is challenging but it opens the doors to new opportunities.
At some point most of us will be faced with this situation, and in order to overcome this problem, you will need to be proactive and look for as many opportunities as you can.
Overview
Through this post you’ll get some understanding about what you could do about this common issue. Many people see it as a disadvantage, I like to see it as an opportunity to learn and to know about what you really want to do. However, nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight.
“nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight” – Bruce Cockburn
The big question
Several times I have been asked:
Sebastian, I don’t have work experience. What can I do?
Until now, I have come up with two approaches to this question:
First approach:
- Have you done anything that might be relevant to the job that you would like to apply for?
Example: if you have worked as a cleaner before, and now you want to work as a dishwasher or waiter, you could mention about the high attention to detail to keep things clean and organised. Most of the work that is done in the Hospitality Industry is cleaning, organising and setting a perfect environment for customers.
Second approach:
- If you have no work experience at all, I suggest you think about doing some volunteer work or asking employers for work experience.
The reason behind unpaid work is that you are not seeing as a liability or cost to the business, which in other words means your cost to the business is zero. Employers, managers, and business owners could get a pair of extra hands for their business for free.
Either volunteer work or work experience should be thought thoroughly. Try to choose your opportunities smart, the idea behind this approach is to gain skills as quickly as possible, as well as the opportunity to get job, or to have a work reference. Therefore, proceed with caution, many people will be able to help you and offer you a good opportunity, but be aware that there will be people that will try to take advantage of your need.
My beginnings
No work experience
To understand this information a little bit further I will explain my experience on how I overcame having no skills, no work experience and no referees in the Hospitality Industry.
In September 2015, I started handling CVs, not having a clue about what I had to put on my CV. After handling around 20 CVs, one business owner told me the following:
“you see, you don’t have work experience, I can’t afford to pay you. Since, I don’t know how you can help me and can’t offer you anything at the moment.”
After a couple of minutes of silence, he noticed my intention to get a job, then he said:
“If you are interested in learning, I can teach you how to make coffee and cakes, stop by next Tuesday at 7am”.
Immediately I thanked him for the opportunity. As soon as a I left that bakery, I understood that no one cared about my need. Even though I was looking for a job, and my CV wasn’t clear or relevant for the Hospitality Industry I decided to take another approach. I knew I wasn’t going to get a job due to my lack of skills and understanding.
CV number 21
Next cafe I visited, straight away I asked the person in charge “do you have any work experience jobs available”, and to make sure my idea was understood I also said, “I want to learn new skills and don’t need to get paid for the moment”, to which the person replied to me “you can stop by tomorrow morning at 9am”.
What did I learn? That in matter of minutes I got someone saying “yes” to me. Maybe I wasn’t going to get a job, but between having an opportunity and not having one, I still prefer having one opportunity.
First day in the Hospitality Industry
Next day there I was at the cafe at 9am willing to learn. During the morning I had my first experience making coffee, which was terrible, as it seemed impossible, as the owner, and the barista were not very happy about my barista skills. At that point I was thinking about how difficult is this going to get.
There I was asking to myself “how could I know how to operate a commercial espresso machine in just a few attempts?”
After that experience in a cafe I wasn’t very happy, but I decided to keep going because I wanted to get a job.
Then, the following Tuesday I went to the bakery at 7am, where indeed, I started learning how to do cakes and coffees. However, my first duties were to dishwash all sorts of trays and dishes that were used for baking. Which in the end it was my way to show that I was willing to learn.
The first week went by, and finally I got paid for dishwashing and helping at a bakery. Every time I went there for work, I had the opportunity to serve customers and make some coffee (which I was very proud of, even though it wasn’t the best)
To the owners of the bakery, I will always remember them as they gave me plenty of opportunities to learn and grow. I worked for them for around 5 months, it was challenging and demanding, but very fulfilling.
Conclusion
After a a couple of shifts of working and not getting paid, my effort paid off, as I got hired the week after. Plus, I was been taught about:
- how to serve customers.
- how to make coffee
- how to keep all areas clean and tidy
- how to make different types of cakes and pastries
- how to use the cash register
- among many other responsibilities
In addition, 2 months later, one of the owners offered me an extra job to work in cafe in a shopping centre.
Don’t be afraid of not getting paid at the beginning, first you need to build some skills and reputation.
However, keep looking for work, don’t just work for free. Even if you go to a shop and work 4 hours a week for free, I strongly encourage you to put this experience on your CV and start handling more CVs.
In addition, make sure you know how to create and appealing CV. It is critical to provide the relevant information to owners and managers, as they check a CV within seconds. Thus, my recommendation is, avoid wasting someone else’s time by giving them an easy to read CV. If you want to learn more about it, check our post CV Sections – Things a great CV must have
Tip: get work experience, ask owners or managers for work experience opportunities.
Tip: keep looking for more work even if you already are in a place getting work experience.
Disclaimer
The information shared on this post doesn’t guarantee you will get a job, neither the author or Experience Coffee is responsible for the use of the information provided throughout this post. Use the information provided here as a guide and/or reference.
Most of the information shared on this post come from experiences of other international students and from my own experience here in Adelaide, South Australia. If you apply the tips and recommendations given here your chances of getting a job will be higher, as you will be able to focus on what is relevant. It will require lots of effort and practise, before getting any results. Most important is to learn, and be willing to keep going no matter how difficult it might get.
Good luck on your job hunting experience.
If you need more information please send me an email to info@experiencecoffee.com.au or write a comment on the comment’s section below.
Thank you.