Getting that first job in your chosen profession after finishing education is hard. Competition is fierce, especially when graduates all enter the job market at the same time.

In most cases, despite having some theoretical knowledge or qualification, most applicants have very little in the way of practical experience. Yet this is the one aspect that most employers are looking for.

Let’s be honest, most people tend to work in retail or hospitality jobs whilst they’re studying. It offers flexibility in terms of hours and there’s a great social aspect to these types of jobs too. Unfortunately, they offer very little in terms of transferable practical skills and this makes it hard to differentiate yourself when everyone else in your boat has the same type of work experience too.

So, what can you do to elevate yourself above the competition and secure more interviews? We’ve kind of already addressed it – go and get some experience of work that is relevant or transferable to the profession you want to break into.

For example, ask any family or friends who work in an office if you can go in and do some administrative work. Even approach some local businesses and offer to do it voluntarily as the work experience you’ll gain is more valuable at this stage than getting paid for it. It doesn’t even have to be HR or Marketing specific work (although this would be ideal), but just seeing how an office environment works and learning some basic tasks is already more than most. If you do work voluntarily then it’ll also show you’re assertive and proactive as you have gone out off your own back to get some necessary experience, understanding how invaluable it would be to future employers.

Of course, if you can manage to work within a HR or Marketing team then that is simply priceless. Adding this experience onto your CV will significantly improve your success rate in applications, leading to more interviews, which will lead, ultimately, to job offers.