I Can’t Find a Job Without Experience

▼ Timestamps ▼
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00:00 - Intro
00:13 - Call-in
01:24 - Context
08:13 - Specialization in one area vs jack of all trades
11:53 - The strength of being knowledgeable over a multitude of fields
16:08 - Overview
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[ponga_]

The job market this days is so disingenuous, they ask for experience in the most basic level jobs, I remember the frustration I felt. After starting working, looking from the inside I realized how unjustified those requirements are, whatever job you start there's always going to be a learning period in the beginning, even if you do have experience, because every workplace is a little different and you are gonna have to learn how to work in that particular place, so for entry level jobs, and all those basic jobs that don't require technical knowledge, they really shouldn't ask for previous experience.

[Conceptsexplainedsimply]

This video's title was so huge for me. As a 3 year exp software engineer, I was completely screwed by this principle non-stop when I was new to the field. I had graduated bootcamp for coding and EVERY SINGLE JOB said 3+ years experience. It was insane. This field of programming is so ridiculous about people having experience.

[mind-of-neo]

Its honestly kinda messed up that jobs that are called entry level often require multiple years of experience, while jobs that seem much more specialized and hard to get often have no strict requirements. Its like the whole job market is designed from the ground up to weed out anyone with even the tiniest shred of self doubt or anxiety.

[PitchBlack]

I had no experience out of college and didn’t think I would be able to get a job, but I applied to like 20 places anyways. First interview I got went really well and I ended up getting my dream job. I finally feel like I’m catching up in life.

[_nimrod]

I've graduated 9 months ago with a CS degree been applying for SE jobs left and right still nothing. I have never been rejected this much in my entire life but one take away I am learning is to see the process very frigidly and to not get too attached. There's no incentive to risk on training people with no industry experience which the burden is placed on the employee now heavily to seek out whatever way possible to get said training / experience especially in my industry it sucks but that's the nature of the beast the way I look at it. It sucks for us new grads walking into these messed up economic conditions on top of that and not having advancement which in my opinion is a source of most of our psychological issues at least in my case has led too a lot of moments of depression/frustration. But what doesn't break you makes you stronger that's why I got job for the moment that allows me to code and apply while on the clock, shifted my focus in improving my attitude towards life which is the most important thing to learn.

[zedfury]

The experience is ALWAYS negotiable. Graduating with a software engineering degree we all faced the exact same thing. The job listings may say they require experience, but from what I saw that was rarely ever true. It was used as an excuse when they were not interested in candidates. Now that I am several levels up in this company, I've even been told as much by our HR department.

TLDR If you see a position that you want, and you honestly believe you can perform at a satisfactory level, I highly encourage you to apply. If nothing else, you're practicing being interviewed, which is in and of itself a skill.

[notaburneraccount]

I'm finding that it's really about who you know, for myself. I was so depressed and unemployed for a year after I graduated from my master's program. When I finally got a job, it was because someone referred me. I loved working with children, but struggled with my teaching team. So, I decided to work at a bakery. In March, I slipped at a closing shift and needed surgery. Now that I have gotten back surgery, I'm finally getting invited in for interviews but being turned away because of my physical restrictions. :/ It's very disheartening and discouraging. I can't help but feel that employers would rather hire someone who doesn't need accommodations like I do. People think I could just get a work from home job, but I only really have experience working in early childhood education. I lack the skills for certain jobs and others I don't want to do, like call centers. I've worked at one before and it burned me out so much that I quit. I wish my leg would just get better already. :( It's hard out there. I hope that anyone who is trying to find work is able to find something 💕

[torkgems]

I've been applying constantly for two years for something within my field. I've gotten some really shitty jobs. Nothing I actually liked or coworkers who weren't depressed and awful themselves. I'm still unemployed now..

Sometimes, I just want the world to take me off this planet and just be done with it. I'm not meant for this type of environment but there's no escape

[thecodebrief]

It's wild - I even have past experience for years but I took a break during covid and lived off my savings. They still look at you funny like "why weren't you working hmmm?"

[nativewriter]

As game developer I have ate so much bs during hiring processes 😁

That's why now when we hire people, we're seeking in discord channels and tiktok bc the most passionate and creative people get cut form the industry before even having a chance to start it 💀

Going safe is more harmful for a studio, then "risking" at the expense of being possibly a bad manager, in the long run. So wishing everyone to meet good recruiters 🤝

[semekiizuio]

As someone who has zero connections and no actual degree, I am not lying when I say my job landed on my lap out of nowhere. What caught there interest was my loyalty to my last job for 5 years and that's exactly what they were looking for, someone who'll be with them for the long haul. The pay is good, an improvement from wage to salary. I plan to save up that money to to study again because I decided to not pull out loans scholarships or debts if I failed. I feel I am better prepared on what I want now opposed to fresh out of highschool mindset without a clue. What interesting is the point I am in my life now, I begged I didnt want to go to work in my toxic workplace, I promised I was ready to make the change to take the step and the universe delivered. All I'm saying is have a little faith, believe in your positive energy will get you what you want if not now perhaps later.

[dreamsoda]

This is extremely useful for me as a fresh graduate with little to no experience.

If other people could comment their experiences and tips on applying for their first job it would be a huge help as well :)

[dprintinglady]

I wish the caller all the best, but the sad reality of those smaller start-up environments is that they take advantage of your lack of experience and passion, and they pay as little as possible for very broad, often in-transferrable skills in weird fields that don’t exist elsewhere - if you stay too long and don’t develop a highly specific skill, you’ll be at square one within the next 5 years, and there is a moment when you can’t easily recover, plus there is an army of fresh graduates willing to do what you do for even less money. It’s a really sad world we live in.

[goblinbabe]

I'm getting rejected by goddamn grocery stores.

[zakum]

9 months after officialy studying programming (full stack), I still can't find a job
The endless search is so depressing

[CaptinJangles]

I'm going through this right now myself. The most frustrating ones are the ones where the recruiter reaches out _to me_ asking for an application. I submit the application. Then I never hear back. Like, you reached out to me based on the resume that you saw...what happened?

[marandadavis]

I'm a registered nurse, and I had specialized in neonatal ICU. I had 5 years of NICU experience and couldn't get a local job because the hospital wanted "more consistent experience" where 3 of my years had been as a travel nurse. I took a job an hour away that turned out to be a bad fit and found myself looking for a job again in a year. 😓

I gambled on applying for a position as a plant nurse despite having no occupational health experience, and they hired me, and so far it's been a really good experience

[badrequest]

Those job requirements in ads tend to hold people back a lot and i was guilty of this too. Most of the time its there to filter people out. if you think its something you know you can do, apply to it. you have nothing to lose. Been working as QA at a big game studio since 2020 and in their ad they requested 3+ years professional experience. i had 0 but they liked my mindset and work ethic and i couldnt be happier. but do keep in mind rejection is a very real possibility. You need to be ready to get a rejection, not getting upset and moving on to the next one. And that is definitely the hardest part

[CasparAbelmann]

Convincing someone else you're a good fit is the hard part to me. I like to be respectful and let others talk, because of this I received feedback that I didn't seem interested. I'm (too) honest and say thing I struggle with, because of this I receive feedback that I'm a bad fit. I love to be creative and I'm at my best when I get the freedom, because of this I received feedback that I have no focus. I've tried the opposite of these but that made me appear arrogant and a liar. There's literally no single good answer.

[Soma]

Had several internships and worked under professor and I've applied to 70 jobs and interviewed in 10 different places with multiple rounds and I've gotten rejected for all of them. Its been 4-5 months since I graduated and I'm starting to lose hope. I've continuously revised my resume and cover letters, gotten feedback and improved on behavioral and technical questions but it feels as if they never intended to hire me anyways. I feel like I'm stuck in limbo and I'm not getting any reward for the effort I'm putting in.

I worked hard in college for my bachelors but I don't have any connections in industry. Several of my friends in a different field had a job offer because their dad already worked in the company. I haven't gotten a single offer despite my effort. I'm afraid of filling in the next application and spending time taking courses for any specific requirements they may have and researching the companies previous work/literature just to get rejected again and all my effort being for nothing.

I think I'm internalizing this rejection as being proof that I'm just not good enough. I'm considering getting a higher degree but local costs are above 100k and if I cant still find a job after doing a masters, I will actually commit suicide