We have arrived at that time of year when plans are being made for graduation parties. Invitations are being ordered and addressed, cords and robes are being tracked down and purchased and family members rarely spoken to are being contacted.
As graduation approaches and all of these plans are being made, the thought remains in the back of the minds of soon-to-be graduates: "What in the world am I going to do now?"
It's a pretty scary question, especially considering the fact that some if not most of the graduates have never actually gotten experience in their fields. In more and more fields, having that long-awaited degree is becoming more and more aligned in importance with actual experience, be that a field internship or actual work done in the field. Writing "restaurant experience: 2004 - 2008" in a resume under the work experience category isn't exactly a reassuring thing, but it's the situation that a good number of people will be facing - and that's only if they were in a position to have a full or part-time job during college.
When a person has to realize that they're not as prepared for the real world as they might have thought, it can feel terrifying. The never-ending spiral of needing experience to get a job and needing a job to get experience seems an inevitability, and one that we thought was going to be bypassed by going to college in the first place.
Luckily there is hope. More and more businesses are also looking not only at work experience, but at personal experience gained by volunteering, making the most of class time and yes, even while waiting tables if something valuable came out of it. Maybe you were promoted to a shift leader and had to work with several different sets of staff to coordinate scheduling. Maybe you were in a position to have to work with up-to-date technology and computer programs needed to manage the typical restaurant.
Even if all you accomplished was working at the mall part-time, you more than likely got experience working with a spectrum of people, handling unforeseen problems quickly and efficiently and handling large sums of money. In the eyes of a potential employer, all of that experience might really help depending on the position applied for.
The point: Don't panic. Don't keep from sending out those applications because of a sincere fear that you're going to look inexperienced. If you look at it one way, no one is experienced for the job they're applying for because they've never actually had that job. Anyone, be they a company veteran or someone with field experience, is still going to be new in a position with an established group of co-workers. An employer might see extremely fresh meat, so to speak, as the best alternative.
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