I'm currently studying in my final year of business school. I figured that I could get a full time or a part time job in the field I'm studying in as I currently work in retail and I utterly despise it. It's eating away at whats left of my soul and I would prefer to leave it ASAP. I figured I could study during the night while I work during the day. it's the final year I can push through it I don't mind, and I'd have plenty of experience by the time I graduate, not having to waste time looking for a job when I finish is also a plus.
What I'm finding for undergrad and graduate positions is job descriptions that will often have the words "entry level" and "X" amount of years of experience that are required to even have your application be considered for the position. I've had 6 months of workplace experience, I did that about a year ago, thought it would be useful to add in my resume, and it's there, but It's just not enough. why are the requirements set so high for entry level positions? Why do they need X amounts of years of being in a specific field when it's very well advertised to be an entry level position for undergrads or new graduates? In case someone recommends that I fabricate some parts of the resume, which I've been told to do before, I don't feel comfortable with lying about anything as I might find myself being put in a position where it's assumed that I have knowledge in something when I don't, and i'm left alone with the expectation of completing it with no idea how.
Could someone who has been in this position or who has dealt with anything like this, whether you're a recruiter or a job seeker who's managed to find work despite sifting through this stuff shed some light on it?
Thanks everyone
Pretty simple. The companies that advertise 'X yrs experience required' even for a basic job title means that they have no resources available to train completely fresh recruits. Training people costs money and time so the vast majority of employers seeking to fill entry level positions want somebody who already has a bit of industry experience so they don't have to run through a lengthy induction process.
TLDR: they're just fishing and hoping they can get somone that needs less training.
The definition of entry level has changed significantly to be a Uni degree + work experience. Because currently people with that skill set will work at that level. For things that require zero experience you'd usually be looking at something like internship (whether paid or unpaid), volunteering or apprenticeship.
If you've worked retail, technically, you already have work experience under your belt and you need to make use of the skills that you've picked up in retail and turn it into a selling point for yourself. If I were you, I wouldn't give two hoots about the x Yr requirement and hit the Apply button anyway.
If you have been treating your retail job as merely a job and not the 'start of your career', then you're probably doing it wrong.