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The Best Response to ‘You Don’t Have Enough Experience’

You cannot get a job without work experience, and you cannot gain work experience without a job.

And so the story goes in circles. However, the portal Moj posao brings ways to impress those who tell you that ‘you don’t have enough experience’ – whether you want to change your profession or still lack work experience. 

Agree
When an employer asks you to explain your lack of work experience, apply the following tactic: simply agree with them. -I agree with you, as you have already seen in my resume, I don’t have much experience in this field. However…-
When you agree with the interlocutor’s thesis, you actually achieve that they are willing to listen to your arguments without prejudice. And then you have the opportunity to highlight those skills of yours that you believe would enable you to perform the job you applied for. You can also emphasize why that advertisement attracted you, what you recognized in this job as ‘ideal for you’. But primarily, focus on the skills and talents you possess that would certainly be useful in performing such a job. 

Research 
When you are interested in a job in which you have no work experience, it is good to study that job, find useful information about it online, and check which authors have written something about that field, read professional literature, and follow the work of successful Croatian or global entrepreneurs in that area. Based on all this, you can say -It is true that I do not have work experience, but I had the opportunity to read (study) the book (name), the work of Mr. X (let’s say, the owner of the company you came to interview with). He also did not have experience in that field when he started working at Y company, and look, see what a successful company he founded.-
The employer has nothing to say to such a response – your statement is positive and informative in nature. Moreover, it shows that you follow the work of that company and the industry and that you have concluded based on that that you would fit in here, motivated by the same enthusiasm. Additionally, in this way, you divert attention from your lack and instead talk about the job and how the job functions. 

Commit 
The lack of work experience does not mean that you are not up to date with changes. Show that through your previous hobbies, education, or past jobs (if any), you have indeed been working on developing the skills needed to perform this job.
Mention websites, news, portals, or blogs through which you follow this professional field. Do you know people who work in this field and with whom you have talked a lot about it? Explain that you are not here because you ‘fell from Mars’ but because you know what you want. You can briefly explain this in your application as well. For example -I am aware that I do not have work experience in this area, but I believe that…- 
In the continuation of the sentence, do not talk about being motivated and interested, but highlight one skill that proves you have a good reason for applying for this advertisement. Something concrete that demonstrates that you have invested in your interest and based on which the employer will think -Hmm. Well, maybe he doesn’t have work experience, but if he understands things this well, maybe it is worth inviting him for an interview- 
Mention similar products that you use daily, utilize your computer literacy and awareness. 

Turn the Tables
When the employer notices that your resume is ‘poor’, you can simply say: -That is also the reason why I applied for the advertisement in your company in general – I believe that you have a good working atmosphere and that you invest a lot in people, and that this would be an ideal place to gain my first work experience (in this area).-
Of course, to support this claim, you will need to research the company and its business policy so that you can very precisely explain that you truly mean what you say. Just avoid clichés – whatever you say, be very specific and back everything up with information.
If you manage to calm the employer and leave a positive impression, the fact that you lack work experience should not pose a serious obstacle. Be calm and confident. Yes, it is true that you do not have work experience, but that does not mean that you are not capable of learning and proving yourself as a good worker in this job.
To present such an attitude, preparation is necessary. Of course, you cannot come to a job interview about which you know nothing, nor have you tried to inform yourself, and expect someone to take your word that you will learn. Instead of relying on that, rather make an effort to work on your skills, which will prepare you well for this job even before you get it.