Hi everyone,
It's the age old conundrum.

I may be a little be too impatient here, but I'm beginning to see a pattern in my job hunt. All jobs I've been seeing (especially on the ASTD Job Bank) require at least 3 years of corporate training experience. I've been looking for 3 months now and I haven't seen a single entry level position advertised. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong spots?

How would you all suggest I obtain the minimum 3 years experience?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MarciJ,

In what field do you have a degree? Business? Education? Other?

What work experience or volunteering experience do you have related to the career you want to pursue?

If you are just looking on ASTD, expand your search to include Monster.com and also go to websites for job postings in your local community/region. Also, go to your college placement center/career center and also look at the alumni network of your school and see how strong that is.

Have you applied for any jobs despite their asking for "3 years" of experience? If you have a really good resume, you may get an interview despite a lack of experience if the company is not getting many qualified applicants.

Also, many corporate trainers get their start in an operational area-- for example, a lot of call center trainers were call center agents who were promoted from within. You may need to find a company you are interested in working for and taking a job within the company that is entry level and then network your way up the ladder.

Also, consulting companies look for bright, young talent. They'll work you like a dog and travel will be extensive, but you will get experience and they pay well. So, look at Accenture, KPMG, etc.

Lastly, I know many corporate trainers/learning professionals (me included) who got their start as public school teachers. That will definitely give you a ton of experience.

MarciJ,

Excellent advice from Amy! I wouldn't hesitate to send in a resume for those jobs that say three years experience required. Quite often, if they like other things about your abilities and experience, they will hire you regardless. Good luck with your job hunt!

Thanks for all your great advice!
I do have an undergrad degree in Psychology Education and I taught middle school for 1 year. I also have over 15 years of volunteer and part-time experience teaching adults. And also, I'm getting my Masters in Education in Corporate Training right now. I've put that in my resume and I hope it will be good enough to get me an interview but no luck so far.

I have applied to the ones that want 3 years experience, but I'm either hearing nothing, or getting the letter that I'm not qualified.

I also have a feeling that with these hard financial times, my job hunt is going to be much harder.
Marci

Hi Marci,

To add to what everyone else has said, research local professional groups in your area. Many of them are free to join and have monthly networking mixers. There you can meet the people that "matter" and you can discuss your training philosophies. If you sell yourself well enough, you may land a job you might've ruled out otherwise. Hope that helps.