How to explain lack of work experience

[improperdancing]

I have the incredibly embarrassing problem of being 26 and only having worked for one summer (at 25!). This is appalling even for a person with extreme SA. The thing is, my SA hasn't been as bad the past year, to the point where I think I have decent enough social skills to do well on a job interview and not get fired from a customer service job. After being a virtual shut-in from ages 20 to 25, I can now at least comfortably go out on a regular basis and feel little anxiety during mundane social interactions.

My problem now is I'm afraid to even apply for jobs because, even though I have a degree, I have less work experience than a high school kid, and thus am unlikely to even get an interview. I know employers will assume I'm lazy, spoiled, and have other things terribly wrong with me. On top of that, I can't think of more than one person who I can use as a reference. The only jobs I'm considering applying for are minimum wage-type jobs like retail and food service. Do they even check references for those? I have some volunteer experience, but haven't known anyone long enough or well enough to ask them for a reference.

Has anyone else here started working as late as I have? How do you explain those years you haven't worked? I graduated college at 25, so when I put down the year I graduated on an application or resume, maybe employers can assume I'm younger than I am? I feel so discouraged. I'd appreciate any advice.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

You shouldn't be afraid to at least go out there and try. There are a lot of jobs that, so long as you are able bodied, do not care what past work experience you have.
I think that as long as you go into an interview with a good attitude, and assure them that you are a hard worker, they will seriously consider you. Do well at that ONE job, and you will have a reference for future endeavors.

Good luck!


(Also, I didn't start working at all until I was 19 or so. I got my job at UPS without any prior work experience, and now, since I've worked really hard for the past year and a half, I'm sure that I can put them down for a reference when I am ready to move on to something new)

 

[Eam]

Welcome

Me bit:
I track a fair bit of my SA issues down to having never had a full time job. I didn't have a job, so didn't feel worthy of having a girlfriend or felt awkward at social events with friends who had jobs so didn't go to them, obviously avoiding everything was a downward spiral and vicious circle. I'm in the low 20s age-wise and having to deal with this.

You bit:
One trick for references that you can use to help you get your foot in the door is 'Available on Request' - you never know, they may not even ask for them in the end. But, you say you've worked one summer that's one reference, and have graduated college, doesn't that give you two options just there?

Also with you graduating college wouldn't you find it easier applying for something relevant to your qualification? The reason I say this is that for your resume you can list items as 'Relevant' work experience, that way it's open to interpretation that you may have done other stuff not relevant to the position.

Would you mind elaborating a bit more where you said this:

After being a virtual shut-in from ages 20 to 25

I assume SA issues, why else would you be here . But if you went travelling, or things like that, this can be used to your advantage.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dronee]

I'm not sure how it works in your country, but at least here, there are companies willing to hire fresh graduates without any real experience. There's also the possibility of volunteering as a way to get experience. Some people, either through extreme amounts of hard work or some innate talent, have managed to get online jobs so that's one other alternative. Sites like Odesk and many others are available. I understand that even doing surveys can earn you lots of money. My friend's wife used to earn a good income from that. The trick is to sort out the ridiculous number of scam sites and find genuine ones. Joining some reputable forums can help you sort out which is which (no guarantees though) if that is indeed something that you're interested in.

Then when someone asks you, you can always say that you are self-employed. But like I said, this route is not for everyone though..... Hmmm... if you have some family connections or something like that, it could also work. Depends on the traditions/common practice in your country.

Hmm... That's all I have for now. Wish you all the best in hunting for a job. Believe me, I understand the 'lack of work experience' dilemma as well. Real shame that society seems to place the sum total of a man's worth in his career. Or at least that's how it functions where I live.

 

[improperdancing]

Me bit:
I track a fair bit of my SA issues down to having never had a full time job. I didn't have a job, so didn't feel worthy of having a girlfriend or felt awkward at social events with friends who had jobs so didn't go to them, obviously avoiding everything was a downward spiral and vicious circle. I'm in the low 20s age-wise and having to deal with this.

Same here. But you're only in your early 20s, and it's common for people your age to have only had part-time jobs. So I don't think most people will judge you... At my age, most people I know not only have jobs, but careers. I feel like a child, and I compare myself constantly to people my age who are doing all these grown-up things.

Would you mind elaborating a bit more where you said this:
Quote:
After being a virtual shut-in from ages 20 to 25

I could go for weeks without leaving my house except to go to class.I typically left the house only to go to school, the library, bookstore, and movies. I avoided social events, bars and other crowded places., didn't date, didn't have close friends. I basically avoided everything fun that I was supposed to do in my early twenties. Now, I still can't go to bars, clubs, and parties, but I can go anywhere else I want to in in the daytime. I have to leave the house a few times a week to keep from going insane, which I guess is good exposure.

One trick for references that you can use to help you get your foot in the door is 'Available on Request' - you never know, they may not even ask for them in the end. But, you say you've worked one summer that's one reference, and have graduated college, doesn't that give you two options just there?

Also with you graduating college wouldn't you find it easier applying for something relevant to your qualification? The reason I say this is that for your resume you can list items as 'Relevant' work experience, that way it's open to interpretation that you may have done other stuff not relevant to the position.

"Available on request" can only be used on resumes but isn't gonna fly for applictions for crap jobs, though, because that's what the spaces are for.

I don't have the relevant experience to be qualified for jobs in my field. I was too afraid to apply for internships or do research projects with professors and whatnot. I couldn't even talk to my professors, so I can't use them as references for jobs or internships in my field that I have wanted to apply for.

 

[mrb]

im sure they wont hold that against you if you seem really keen to get the job mate

 

[improperdancing]

I'm not sure how it works in your country, but at least here, there are companies willing to hire fresh graduates without any real experience. There's also the possibility of volunteering as a way to get experience.

Then when someone asks you, you can always say that you are self-employed. But like I said, this route is not for everyone though..... Hmmm... if you have some family connections or something like that, it could also work. Depends on the traditions/common practice in your country.

I'm in the US. I grew up in a country where it was normal for people to not work at all until after college. You weren't expected to have been working since high school and to have done internships in your field... I did start volunteering months ago at nonprofit offices, but data entry and envelope-stuffing aren't exactly experiences that can help me get a paid job.

I was thinking of using family members as references who can say I was a nanny or tutor for their kids or something. Like, I could give them fake names. Pathetic, I know, but I really don't know anyone else. Has anyone else done something like this?

 

[Emily_G]

You never know until you try

I think my degree actually hurt me when I was trying to find a job right after school.

 

[Dronee]

You never know until you try

I think my degree actually hurt me when I was trying to find a job right after school.

I'm almost certain it does hurt me as well. But overall, I'm glad things turned out the way they did career wise.

 

[Emily_G]

you hold a degree and you're only applying to minimum wage jobs? sounds like you're selling yourself short regardless of your work history.

I know this question wasn't towards me...but sometimes with certain degrees you can't get a better job than minimum wage. With my BA (Speech Pathology) the highest I could go was a substitute teacher.

Plus I wasn't looking for a carreer at that point in my life

 

[N04h]

get your university lecturer to be a refernce

 

[Richey]

just be creative, say you've spent time making plans and you've been designing or working on a personal project or you've travelled, don't lie but perhaps re-arrange the way of how you describe not having work-experience....have you spent two weeks helping in the garden, or in the office, put that as work experience, you don't have to say how long you spent doing it...so be creative and talk anything you've done up ...if you are applying for admin work then learn MYOB and microsoft office...etc...who said work experience had to be paid?

i've had some really crappy low income jobs that i'm sort of ashamed to even put on my resume, like dishwashing and assistant factory hand ...etc which won't help me in my quest for my career job, i've somehow managed to earn a diploma and i could get my degree...

i really don't know what to say...just keep applying for entry level jobs...