Should I apply to a job even though I don't have experience in the field? originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
Answer by Tom Sullivan, Software Salesman, on Quora:
Before applying to a job in a new field, you need to make sure you stand out. Employers get a huge stack of digital resumes they have to filter through and most are garbage, but I've seen some people with no experience get through because they stood out.
If you have no experience in that field, then you will need to think of relevant benefits you can offer the company from things other than job experience. Some times they don't need you to have relevant experience, and it can even be considered a good thing if you don't have it.
I once interviewed for a sales job where the guy told me he preferred people that don't have experience because they could be trained how to do the job properly. In his view people that had past experience had likely been trained poorly and developed bad habits.
Think about the job or industry. Will it require you to be analytical? Talk up your analytical skills and experiences from anywhere in life on your resume, even it's not a job or a job in an unrelated field. Same goes for other skills. If the job requires communications skills you should be able to thing of a ton of past experiences you have that shown good communication.
You also will need to say directly what you will do for this company. Because they will be taking a risk on you, you will need to show them that this is worth it. Be specific about why you want to work for them and what impact you want to make.
Don't just say, "I'm looking to get into a new industry." That will make you very unappealing and not worth taking a risk on. Instead say, "I'm looking to use my natural communication skills to develop new business for startups in this industry."
Switching fields requires that you apply to jobs in a field that you have no experience in. So if you really think you want to switch fields and think that you have something to offer people in this field based on your personality traits and determination, then do it.
Apply, but apply wisely, otherwise you will be completely ignored.
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