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In an age where Bachelor's degrees are as impressive as high school diplomas, and even a Master's does not guarantee an interview, what is it that employers are looking for?
The answer is - experience.
Experience is your most valuable asset when you are applying for a highly contested role.
Consider, if every candidate who applies for a position is required to have a 2.1 or higher how are employers meant to distinguish one 2.1 business graduate from another?
Experience not only shows you have a clear understanding of the industry you are entering, it shows that other organisations in your industry have seen enough potential in you to offer you a position, albeit temporarily.
The issue is the job market is more competitive than ever. Many people struggle to secure internships at top firms and that is because nowadays you need some level of work experience to even secure an internship, especially at top firms.
So, what do you do when you have no experience and the odds of you securing an internship are slim?
Unpaid/volunteer work. It is the best way to gain all the skills and experience you need to help your application stand out.
Volunteering as a committee member for a social enterprise or society shows a level of tenacity and initiative that is appealing to employers.
Unpaid internships or work experience in your industry can also award you with connections and the commercial awareness to help solidify yourself as a stellar candidate.
Unfortunately, many people don't have the means to take on long periods of unpaid employment.
This is where your communication skills come into play. Working customer service, retail, cleaning jobs etc all come with transferable skills which, when clearly communicated, can make up for a lack in industry experience, especially when you are still a student.
Another thing to note is that you don't always need to look for experience in your desired career. If you are an aspiring a solicitor, you can also get experience as a paralegal. If you are an aspiring journalist, you can gain experience as a copywriter.
As long as you can get some sort of experience in your desired field, you can still develop an understanding of your industry and the necessary skills that you need to demonstrate to recruiters.
General Tips
1. At the end of the day, making your experience work for you is the key. Companies will tell you in their job descriptions and person descriptions what your position will involve and what skills they require from you. Find a way to make the experience you have fit what they are asking for. Use their words against them - make it clear that you are what they want.
2. When applying for internships, traineeships and work experience, make it clear what your learning needs are. How can this company and position support you in bolstering your career and why should they care about your career progression?
3. Know your stuff. Do your research on the company and the specific department you would be working in. Not irrelevant information like the year it was founded but what direction the company is heading down, their 10 year plan, how your role would fit into it and what expertise you have that can support their plans.
Hello! I am very future oriented and thought about getting into stocks to increase my net worth with time. However, I have no clue where to start and it can get so overwhelming. I recall reading that you have experience in finance so I was wondering if you could give me some tips? :)
Hey hun my experience in finance and investing, is limited to my own journey as an investor. Nevertheless I’ll share what’s been helpful for me as I’m aware it can be quite overwhelming at first.
You can go two routes once you’ve determined that you’d like to start investing. You can either consult with a reputable investment firm, explore their product offerings and decide which one of their offerings would best suit your long term financial goals.Thus alleviating you of the pressure of having to invest yourself. 
Or if you decide to start investing on your own, here are valuable resources for beginners:
Making a spreadsheet of all the internships, nursing schools, and jobs I want to apply to. Something deep down is telling me that I am meant for greatness and I will not stop until I get there.
I talked with my professor the other day. She found out what program I wanted to go in to and said that the lowest gpa they took this year was a 3.8. Every time I think about not doing my work, that plays in the back of my mine. I don't know if I even want to be a flight attendant anymore because I really do need to put all my focus on my grades. I have mostly A's and some B's, but I made 2 C's my freshman year, and it's really holding my gpa down. I know I can bring up. I am determined to bring it up. This semester I have all A's except for one class. If I keep it up I know I can get into that program. I can do it! I can do it! I can do it!
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