We Don’t Need Experience But How Much Experience Do You Have?

I FIRST WROTE ABOUT this topic back in June of 2014 as this type of job posting had become all too common for the liking of many job seekers. Over one year later despite efforts to halt this type of seemingly deceptive recruiting practice these ads still pop up like weeds in a garden flower bed. The reasons for this practice will be revealed as the article progresses.

As you might expect somebody who sees an ad like this or gets asked this question in an interview would likely conclude the ad was somehow put out live before it was looked at causing this gaffe to be missed. In the interview scenario the candidate will try to figure out if the interviewer was trying to be funny by imitating the infamous Who’s on First Abbott & Costello routine but more than likely the determination will be that the person conducting the interview was crazy.

In actuality this type of ad is not deceptive nor is an interviewer who asks this type of question a candidate for some vacation time to be spent at their local mental health facility after being diagnosed with having suffered a nervous breakdown. To understand the reason and logic behind this question you must program yourself to look beyond the words to uncover the mystery behind this query. Simply stated the ad is explicitly saying no experience is necessary however by asking how much experience do you have a verbal drone has been launched to see what you have done work wise so it can be determined if your past will fit into their present. It is not reasonable to expect that if you have never worked in a capacity that had some substance to it that a job will be offered to you.

For example if you have spent the bulk of your career trying to croon or strum your way into fame and fortune in the music industry while now all of a sudden you want a job within a functioning business where you will be paid a steady salary. Experience for the position itself may not be required but your prior “gig” may not conform to necessary mold making you as we recruiters often hear from our clients not a good fit.

The oft asked question of how do I get experience if I don’t have the experience these employers want? There are several schools of thought that go into the answer. The most obvious response is look for paid internship programs who are searching for bright minds. Another school of thought would be continuing education via programs that are offered at places like Paladin Business Coaching which are designed to integrate you into today’s business climate. These program courses will saturate you with new skill development in addition to interpersonal development.

An obvious next question you must ask yourself is what do I want to do now for my living? Once you have determined your answer research into what is needed skill set wise in order to be given your company boarding pass has to start. What you must extract from your research preferably from the top people in your chosen field is the knowledge of knowing what you need to know in order to move your goal forward.

With respect to the No Experience Necessary All Training Provided ad the above is still applicable. A career food push cart peddler for instance is not the caliber of background that will merit acceptance into this paid training program. You will need to have had more “juice” in your previous endeavor.

The seemingly deceptive job ads described herein are anything but deceptive nor is it their intention to deceive you as no product or service is being presented for purchase. In the case of being asked the experience question during the course of an interview what they are trying to determine is if you have the pedigree that is desired.

While there is great temptation to immediately e-mail your resume for consideration read the job description carefully to ensure the candidate being sought matches who you are. Above all do not deceive yourself into thinking the golden opportunity that you read about is perfectly you.