Transitioning from industries (1 Viewer)

[dukeofduke]

So many of us here most likely have jobs or are studying.

The majority of those with jobs work in fields fairly irrelevant to what we're studying. (Fast food/ retail)


My question is, how do we convert those skills and get jobs in our fields. (For me it's IT/Business).

But this question can be generalized.


How do we go from stacking shelves, flipping burgers and being check out chicks to getting 'relevant work experience' in our fields.

I'm still a first year in university, but I am concerned that if i'm not proactive now, i'll be stuffed for when i start looking out for interns and end up behind the pack in terms of work experience and skills.

 

[si2136]

So many of us here most likely have jobs or are studying.

The majority of those with jobs work in fields fairly irrelevant to what we're studying. (Fast food/ retail)


My question is, how do we convert those skills and get jobs in our fields. (For me it's IT/Business).

But this question can be generalized.


How do we go from stacking shelves, flipping burgers and being check out chicks to getting 'relevant work experience' in our fields.

I'm still a first year in university, but I am concerned that if i'm not proactive now, i'll be stuffed for when i start looking out for interns and end up behind the pack in terms of work experience and skills.

I'd say start building connections and network with people. Have a good WAM in University and stand out from the rest of the group, activities like volunteering overseas, or playing for a competitive sport, the list is endless.

 

[wannaspoon]

Volunteering is a very, very big thing to do... Even if it is not relevant to what you study... Some community presence is highly valued...

Regardless of what you thing, those little jobs you do while studying lead to bigger things... Most importantly, confidence and initiative... A part time job while studying is probably one of the biggest confidence builders I can think of... Do not underestimate the power of working while studying, even if it is not relevant, skills are always interchangeable...

 

[seremify007]

No disrespect intended here to those who do make a career out of those roles you mentioned (check out chick/shelf stacker) but for the most part, it's not the technical competencies which you'll leverage but rather, the behaviours and softer skills which are valuable whether it be customer service, leadership, commitment, responsibility, etc... The advantage you get from these experiences is you get a 'real life' example of challenging situations and you can see how you respond/react - the general recruitment theory goes that past performance is the best indicator of the future potential (e.g. if you are used to remaining calm when a customer shouts at you, if a client were to do the same in the future, you'd be able to hold your ground). The people who have done no work experience nor any ECs tend to struggle with real concrete examples of how they have responded to adverse or specific challenges in the past without moving on to hypotheticals.

I say this from the perspective of a scholarship/graduate interviewer of a large firm.

ps. For clarity and to prevent any misinterpretation, I am not saying that getting work experience in the relevant industry (or at least being involved in relevant ECs) is not a good thing- it is. But for most people this may not be an option in which case the real ultimate objective here is proving that you are a strong candidate in this competitive market for a role.

 

[Chronost]

No disrespect intended here to those who do make a career out of those roles you mentioned (check out chick/shelf stacker) but for the most part, it's not the technical competencies which you'll leverage but rather, the behaviours and softer skills which are valuable whether it be customer service, leadership, commitment, responsibility, etc... The advantage you get from these experiences is you get a 'real life' example of challenging situations and you can see how you respond/react - the general recruitment theory goes that past performance is the best indicator of the future potential (e.g. if you are used to remaining calm when a customer shouts at you, if a client were to do the same in the future, you'd be able to hold your ground). The people who have done no work experience nor any ECs tend to struggle with real concrete examples of how they have responded to adverse or specific challenges in the past without moving on to hypotheticals.

I say this from the perspective of a scholarship/graduate interviewer of a large firm.

ps. For clarity and to prevent any misinterpretation, I am not saying that getting work experience in the relevant industry (or at least being involved in relevant ECs) is not a good thing- it is. But for most people this may not be an option in which case the real ultimate objective here is proving that you are a strong candidate in this competitive market for a role.

I kinda wonder, did you ever have thoughts to move to the HR side of things for this? It seems like you've always been interested in this area and are quite knowledgeable, or is there something that keeps you from doing that (different lifestyle, not the work you see yourself doing, current work is more along your lines etc..)