Young millennials and Gen Zers are having a hard time breaking into the world of work. Millions are unemployed, many are questioning whether their expensive college degree was “pointless”, and they’re quickly realizing that in today’s economy, you need work experience to get experience.
TL;DR
- Verizon's chief talent officer suggests volunteering to gain experience and build skills.
- Unpaid and informal experience can differentiate Gen Z candidates in a tough job market.
- Be transparent about your lack of experience and highlight transferable skills learned elsewhere.
- Employee Resource Groups at Verizon offer development, networking, and leadership opportunities.
Christina Schelling, Verizon's chief talent officer, offers some guidance: Cease believing that your resume must feature something flashy to capture the interest of potential employers.
“The work experience piece doesn’t always have to be traditional and paid,” Schelling exclusively tells Coins2Day. “You know, you could do volunteer work, and that builds skills, that also builds your resume when you’re early in your career.”
“I always tell people to do a stretch assignment or volunteer to be a part of a project,” she adds. “No one’s going to say no to free work and turning down additional resources—and you’re, again, collecting experiences and building your resume…. That gives you the experience that is required to set you up for the next job.”
Schelling would know: She is in charge of the hiring and career growth for over 100,000 at the Coins2Day 500 (#31) firm. She’s previously led people teams at Estee Lauder, Prudential, and American Express too. And she says any experience or proof that you’ve built up skills in an area, is better than none.
Engaging in challenging tasks can expand your market reach, enhance your abilities, and broaden your experience.
For individuals already employed, offering to take on additional responsibilities, either within your current company or elsewhere, might aid in securing your subsequent role. This is particularly beneficial for those aiming to transition into a different sector or a new job capacity.
“Employee Resource Groups are also really good for that. So at Verizon, we’ve got a lot of employee resource groups. We’ve got 25,000 employees that participate—that is above and beyond their day job and very much volunteer—but they do things for development, for community, for career advancement,” Schelling says.
“They’re building their network, but they’re also learning leadership skills, project management skills, influence skills, relationship management skills,” she adds. “Don’t underestimate the power of the non paid parts of your life too.”
How to tell employers you're new
If you do find yourself interviewing for a job—be it voluntary or paid—and you’ve got no previous work experience to talk about, don’t sweat it. Schelling says honesty and openness trump awkwardness or evasion. She urges job seekers to embrace transparency while focusing on the assets they do bring to the table.
“If you have a hiring manager who says, ‘how was your experience been?’ I do think it’s okay to say I’m having a tougher time than I thought, and here’s what I’ve learned.”
While she wouldn’t recommend leading the conversation with your lack of experience, she says it’s “okay to be transparent and honest” when the question around employment history naturally arises.
Instead of focusing on what you haven't done, shift the discussion to highlight the abilities, expertise, and traits you've acquired through other avenues, such as academics, pastimes, sports, self-education via online resources in the industry, or even personal life events.
“I would position it more as you, as a hiring manager, should know this,” Schelling adds. “Don’t take too much time away from you getting to talk about you, and you getting to showcase why you’re so great for that job.”