15 Mar What do you do when you don’t have any experience to list on your CV?
I was chatting to a senior manager recently, who was in the process of interviewing for a graduate trainee program, and he pleaded with me to make sure that my sons have hobbies and interests now, so that one day a future employer could have something to chat to them about in an interview!
When you are starting out in the workplace; no one expects you to have an elaborate career history and amazing qualifications. They are largely interviewing you because something about your application sparked their interest, and they want to see if you have the work ethic and attitude for them to invest their time in training you.
In the absence of work experience, listing your hobbies and interests will give the interviewer something to chat to you about. It also steers the conversation to something that you enjoy and are passionate about, and makes answering interview questions that much easier!
