Tired of being turned down by employers for not having any experience? For many new jobseekers, it can seem like a catch-22 situation – you’re unable to get a job because you don’t have the experience, but you can’t get the experience without someone offering you a job.

Fortunately, experience isn’t everything. Whilst it would seem that 90% of job ads state ‘experience needed’, many people make it through the net with no experience at all simply by finding other ways of proving that they have the skills and motivation. Here are just a few ways to break into your dream career field without experience.

Get educated

Qualifications can help you with everything from becoming a police officer to becoming a supermarket manager – they may not always be necessary, but they can make you look smarter, which can make you a more appealing candidate to most employers.

Some jobs may require niche qualifications whilst others may simply require a degree of any kind.

There are now so many ways to get an education regardless of your age or commitments.

Online courses - such as this online yoga teacher training yoga alliance certification for those interested in fitness - can allow you to study in your own time around other work or raising kids. Whilst there may still be essays with deadlines and exams on certain dates, most of the work can be completed from home at any time rather than having to attend lectures and seminars on a college campus.

There are also accelerated courses that can be completed in two years or even one year to help speed up the education process, allowing you to pursue your dream more quickly.

There are even specialist options that can allow you to gain an education and work experience. Sandwich courses are a good example of this – these are standard courses that contain one year of work placement. Some universities may have companies that they work with to provide these placements.

Alternatively, you could even try applying to a sponsored course. These are courses paid entirely by an employer allowing you to get an education for free – the condition is that you then work for this employer once the course is completed. This could allow you to get an education and a job without experience.

College degrees aren’t the only form of education that can help you get a job. There are plenty of other courses out there and training schemes that can give you qualifications to help you pursue that dream career.

For example, if you need training in WordPress or how to drive a forklift, there are individual courses in these skills that could help you get hired.

Know the right people

Sometimes you can get a job with no experience simply by knowing the right people – the phrase ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’ has some truth in it.

An employer is more likely to look favourably upon your application if they know who you are or if you’ve been recommended by one of their employees. In order to know the right people, you’ll need to network and there are plenty of ways to do this.

First, consider your circle of friends and their friends. There may be someone who already works in your target career field who can put a good word into their employer or who may be an employer themselves.

If anything, your friends may be able to offer advice on what employers may be looking for, allowing you to tailor your job application to what these employers are looking for.

Another way to meet the right people is to attend networking events within your target trade. These could be job fairs, trade fairs, conferences or conventions. For example, if you’re trying to get a job in programming, consider hackathons and technology conferences.

By going out of your way to speak to people at these events you may just meet someone who can help you to get your foot in the door.

You can of course bump into the right people anywhere. If you’re going to a wedding or attending a friend’s party, take advantage of the opportunity to talk to guests who may be in that trade.

You may even be able to use online social networks to meet people. LinkedIn is a great platform for connecting with people within a target trade.

Consider transferable skills

You may have had past jobs that are unrelated but still show evidence of certain skills required for your dream job.

For example, if you’re trying to become a travel agent, but you’ve only ever worked in a bar, you may still be able to use this job as proof of experience working with customers as well as skills such as multi-tasking, negotiation skills and organisational skills.

Even if you’ve never had a job before, you may be able to draw evidence of soft skills from other life experience. If you’re parent, there are plenty of skills that you can claim to possess including time management skills, events planning, negotiation skills and problem-solving.

Playing a team sport meanwhile may show evidence of team skills whilst having an artistic hobby could show creativity. Even something such as travelling could be used as evidence of adaptability and organisational skills.

Volunteer

Many employers may not be willing to take on inexperienced staff on a paid basis but may be willing to hire you on a voluntary basis. Of course, nobody wants to work for free, but this could lead onto a paid role if you’re able to prove yourself to the employer.

Even if the employer doesn’t want to hire you afterwards on a paid basis, you’ll have some experience that you can use to try and get a paid job elsewhere.

Volunteering could involve a couple hours a week so that you can still take up another job to receive an income. Alternatively, if you feel you’ve got enough money to live on, you could ask an employer to try a week or two of voluntary work giving you a more intensive experience, but one that’s more likely to get you hired.

Don’t just target companies that are advertising voluntary vacancies. Go out of your way to contact employers directly either via email, phone or in person to ask for voluntary experience. You’ll be surprised at how many employers are willing to say yes regardless of your experience.

Start a blog/vlog

It’s possible to use a blog to show enthusiasm for you target career field. For example, if you’re trying to get a career as a financial advisor or a broker, starting a financial advice blog could be a great way of showing that you’re passionate about finance.

You can easily start a blog for free online using a service such as Wordpress or Blogger. By posting regularly, you’ll show that you’re enthusiastic. If your blog gets popular and you attracts lots of readers, you could even show an employer that you’re an influencer in the field and therefore a worthy asset.

For that don’t enjoy writing, there’s always the option of a vlog, which basically involves creating video content instead. Youtube is a great platform for doing this and you can similarly set up a channel catered to your career field.

You may want to invest in a good quality camera and microphone and you’ll want to keep your videos professional in order to create a good impression on a potential employer.

Take up related hobbies

There may be hobbies that you can take up related to your dream career. If you want to enter politics, it could be worth getting involved in a local debate club and perhaps getting involved in community projects.

If you want a job in marine conservation, you may want to take up scuba diving. These can all further show enthusiasm for the trade, which could help you to get a job even without experience. Joining clubs could also provide useful networking and even extra qualifications in some cases.