This June I will graduate from university with a bachelor's degree in biology and for that reason I have started job search in my field. However, I haven't found a job that doesn't ask for previous experience. The problem is, I don't have any previous experience. How do I land my first job with this obstacle? Should I go ahead and apply regardless of ads that state a three-year experience requirement?
It’s good you’ve started to look for a job even though you haven’t yet graduated. With only a little over a month until you do graduate, now is the time to get serious about your efforts.
While it’s true that a lack of experience can sometimes feel like a roadblock, it’s a small one for most of us. Every person who is now working started off with that first job and you will too! It’s a matter of looking for the right job and being able to sell the strengths you do have.
Start by checking with your career center at the university. Part of their job is to suggest job-hunting strategies for graduates and provide possible leads that are more tailored to your level of education and experience. Not every job in biology will require three years experience. You need to find the jobs that are aimed at recent graduates, and will expect experience to be limited. The pay will likely be less in this first job, but you will acquire some needed experience and learn how best to structure your career path for the future.
Next talk with professors and others with some experience in your field to find out the range of jobs that exist in biology. Ask at least five people you admire what possibilities they see for you as a recent grad and follow up on their advice. When we checked online to see what the field of biology included we came up with Agriculture, Anatomy / Physiology, Bioinformatics / Biotechnology, Botany, Cell Biology, Conservation, Ecology, Environmental Science, Genetics, Marine Science, Medicine, Natural Resources, Pharmacology, Toxicology, Veterinary Medicine, and Zoology, to name only some. It’s a huge field and the job possibilities are myriad and many. Your goal is to ferret out the jobs that match your background and interest and try for them.
Finally, if you find that you do want to apply for a job that requests previous experience, to ahead as long as you can demonstrate in your initial contact how you do match the requirements they state. In this case, it’s best to write a well-constructed cover letter matching point for point at least 3 to 5 of the criteria listed in the job advertisement. Dispense with the resume on these contacts and think in terms of transferable skills and knowledge, rather than years of experience. Show how you have demonstrated the skills needed. For example, if one job requirement is “to collect, record, and enter data�, show by concrete illustration how you have done that in your studies or some other endeavor is your past.