Newcomers often face a common conundrum: you need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience. A common misconception is that only paid work counts as valuable experience. In fact, the key competences are those that are relevant to a particular position, such as interacting with specialists from other industries, processing feedback, working with methodologies such as Scrum and using collaboration tools such as GitHub, Figma and Google Suite. Teamwork experience is highly valued by most employers. So, where can you get your first experience?
- Projects for people you know. Use your network of contacts. Someone may need your expertise. Treat such projects professionally by establishing a business workflow, even if the client is a friend.
- Freelance exchanges. Sign up for platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, FreelanceHunt, and Kabanchik.ua. Although the competition can be fierce for newcomers, perseverance and building a good profile can open up new opportunities.
- Hackathons. Participate in hackathons where teams solve specific problems or develop solutions in a limited amount of time. Events such as the DEV Challenge in Ukraine are popular in the digital sphere. Similar events take place in other industries, such as pharmaceuticals and law. Large companies often organise hackathons, intensives or internships to find talented professionals.
- Volunteer projects. Many non-governmental organisations and volunteer initiatives seek the help of specialists. For example, a charity may need to develop a web platform. Participation in such projects not only gives you real experience, but also makes a positive contribution to the development of the community.
Once you have gained experience, it is also important to present it properly, including updating your CV and professional profiles (LinkedIn, Djinni, etc.), indicating your place of work or project name if possible, providing links to the project you worked on, improving your cover letter, and collecting feedback from colleagues, clients, or mentors you worked with.
By following these steps, you will be able to create a compelling profile or CV that will showcase your abilities and increase your chances of landing your first job.
Information based on materials from Happy Monday.