Getting Your First Job Break

Since that first day early man showered, climbed into a suit, and left the cave, the problem of how to get a job when you have no experience has existed. Without job experience you can't get hired to get the experience you need. We have all been on that merry-go-round at least once. The solution requires some creative thinking and the paying of personal dues. At some point you must decide exactly what you are willing to do to get your foot in the door.

The ultimate goal is to become gainfully employed. The plan of action is to find the job you want or to find employment at a company you want. Twelve years ago my plan of action was both. Back in the dark ages of 1997 when web design and web development was a mystery to most people, my passion for technology lead to a desire for a life as one of the faceless keyboard pounding computer geeks who create content for the web.

Options for learning web design and web development were few at that time. There were no classes available on the subject at my local college and the only education obtainable was from books or a small circle of computer geek friends who would share tidbits of information. It was not nearly enough to qualify me for a job as a web designer. At long last a basic HTML, the language used to create web pages, class was offered at the community college and it was a completely inadequate. I needed a mentor and I had to create the opportunity to get one.

Through one of my online computer geek friends I was paired with a webmaster for a local television station. A meeting was arranged to discuss getting my foot in the door as an unpaid intern. My plan was to dress for business and convince the webmaster that I was committed, talented, and eager to learn. Having worked in a non office type profession for twenty years, wardrobe was an issue. A shopping trip for something to wear that was business oriented was in my immediate future. I met the webmaster downtown at an artsy outdoor patio café. Thirty seconds into the meeting he said, "You are going to take the position as my intern aren't you?" He began confessing that a friend had given him a book about HTML a year ago with the comment, "you are a bright guy, you could do this". He talked himself into the job as webmaster of a television station by using enough technical language extracted from his book to intimidate the interviewer. Plus in 1997 there were few webmasters around to hire. Apparently I was just following in his career foot steps and we were instant cohorts.

My unpaid internship lasted for six months. The hours were flexible making it easier to work another job to support myself while I learned my new profession. As an intern I started to build a resume full of commercial web design experience. After working on the first website for a customer at the television station, technically I had commercial experience. Before long, freelance work came my way and slowly I built a client base in web design. Freelancing grew my experience in many ways such as client liaison, web designer, graphic artist, photographer, and salesperson. It all came from my willingness to work as an unpaid intern for a few months. After six months of interning I was offered a full time position at the television station which I accepted. Soon webmaster job offers began to appear.

A year and a half later, with my client base growing, I said goodbye to corporate America to start my own business as a self employed web designer. I had successfully maneuvered my way through the age old problem of how to get the job with no experience, by creating the experience. My internship taught me how to meet with clients, close a sale, create a product, and gave me appreciation for the joys of working from my home office in my pajamas.

To get that job when you have no experience you must show you are committed, enthusiastic to learn, and willing to earn the job. Work at some kind of job to support yourself while you build a resume. Consider freelancing to get commercial web design or development experience. Volunteer yourself as an intern, write code for a project, or show off your skills with design in exchange for contributor's credit either on the site or in a Meta tags. Prepare yourself for the interview by having even a small portfolio to show. List links where your work appears on your resume or create a resume web page. Small projects will add up over time and help you build a resume. By the time you are ready to apply for a job you may find yourself working as a successful freelancer or self employed with your own company.