First time employment

[carlyrobison]

Hello,
Having almost completed my secretarial studies, I will soon be searching for a job.
However, I have noticed that my advertisements state that they want people with a minimum 3 years experience...
which I don't have 
Does anyone have any tips of how to get my foot in the door?

[Cathy S]

Hello Carly and welcome to the forum ... you will find lots of people with wide ranging experience and you will probably get many different views on your question.

Here's my take on it ... based on experience in the UK.  Firstly you need to be realistic - if the adverts you see are mainly stating that they are looking for three years experience you are maybe not pitching yourself at the right rung in the ladder, but there is nothing wrong with ambition.

Think about the experience you do have that relates to admin and secretarial tasks ... have you worked with any voluntary groups? taken notes in meetings? typed documents for friends or family? organised events at school or college? all of this is experience so don't neglect it.

It will also vary with sector and type of role - if you want to be a PA in Education in the UK for example you would generally expect to have a couple of team based secretarial roles first, gaining experience and the opportunities to start to work with a few bosses.  If you want to be a team based secretary in the professional services (accountancy, legal, financial) then you would probably be expected to bring a little less experience at the beginning.

Finally don't neglect the possibility of signing up as a temp ... okay I know you are excited about having your first job and earning good money and being a temp doesn't sound so hot? There is good experience to be gained as a temp if you approach it the right way and whilst the money isn't the best rates there is also more access to opportunities in the job market that doesn't advertise ... because they use temp to perm to fill their vacancies.

If you can post with a bit more idea of what you are aiming for jobwise, and country, you will get more direct responses.

Good luck and at least come back and let us know how you get on ... we share the pain and anguish when things are tough on here but we love to get the good news too.

Cathy

[gee4]

I think Cathy has covered the answer, however I would agree, do not rule out temping first.  It's a great way to gain experience especially if you are completing your studies and searching for that first job.  I temped for over a year before I got my first permanent job.

Make sure you register with one or two recruitment agencies.  They have contracts with some very reputable companies and it's the best way to get your foot in the door.

[officepa]

Welcome Carly 
 
Temping is a great way of learning various industries and gaining experience of different office cultures.  If you soak up everything around you and attend any in-house training courses on offer while you are at various companies, this will give you valuable help in progressing. If you show you are willing to learn and have a helpful and friendly attitude, this will give a great impression and could well open doors for you should opportunities come up for permanent roles.

I started as a receptionist for my first ever job (MANY years ago!) and found this very confidence building when dealing with so many types of people (some nice and some not so but good experience in handling them all).  I was paired with someone and she taught me so much I still remember even now the help she gave me that started me off on the right road.

Let us know how your job search develops.
Best of luck.