Claudia Carreiro (28) wanted to complete her Masters in Communication and Information Sciences at the VU University Amsterdam as quickly and properly as possible. “I was not the typical student who only went to party. I went full for my studies.” She did not do an internship either; That would only be delayed.
After graduating in 2019, Carreiro applied for all kinds of marketing agencies. She wanted to develop social media strategies for different types of companies. “I always delved completely in a desk, so that I could call concrete ideas. Yet I got a standard reaction: I hadn’t become.” The rejections due to a lack of experience accumulated. “I always became more uncertain. How big was my chance?”
The story of Carreiro does not stand on its own. Nearly 40 percent of companies in ‘KnappenBranches’ select PUUR for work experience or diplomas, according to research from the UWV benefit organization. And that while according to the CBS, 71 percent of entrepreneurs are struggling with a staff shortage in the mid -2024. Social work and health care are the strictest of these sectors: according to the UWV, 50 percent and 58 percent continue to use a strict list of requirements, of which work experience is an important part.
Some organizations would rather leave a vacancy open than to invite someone who does not fit exactly in the profile
“Organizations find it exciting to take a risk,” says Pascale Peters, professor of Human Resource Management at Nyenrode Business University. “Some are even so risky that they would rather leave a vacancy open than to invite someone who does not fit exactly in the profile.” And that applies not only in popular sectors, but also in sectors where there is shortage.
‘Fifty letters sent’
Nicole van Kuilenburg (34) obtained her diploma in Pedagogiek at Hogeschool Windesheim in 2018 and discovered what her dream profession would be during the training. “When someone of youth rehabilitation gave a presentation, I knew that I wanted to work with their target group: young people from the age of twelve in trouble.” Although she had the right papers, she was unable to get a foot in the door after graduating.
She therefore first started working as a residential group counselor for people with psychiatric problems. It meant working with a completely different target group: people over 30. She lasted three years. After several other jobs that did not completely fit her, Van Kuilenburg came home. Deliberately: she would apply until she found suitable work.
“I think I have sent fifty letters, and I was always told:” you have too little experience. “I don’t think that’s a reason for a rejection. Everyone has to start somewhere, and you still have a trial period. How can you gain experience if nobody gives you a chance?”
Nail stylist in the plane industry
This rigidity can be seen in vacancy texts, according to a short tour. In an online advertisement for a carer in individual health care, at least a year of work experience is requested, while a newly graduated can do this work. The same applies to a technician Installatietechniek: in a call on NL-Techniek.nl, “a number of years of work experience in the same position” is asked for that position.
They are no exceptions, Steven Hurbeek knows from employers’ organization AWVN. “We still see very classic requirements. Everyone agrees that a truck driver must have a driver’s license, but there are also requirements that are not really needed. Experience in literally the same working environment is by no means the only way to get something in the fingers.”
Experience in literally the same working environment is by no means the only way to get a grip on something
“Employers mustoutside the boxStart thinking, from skills, “Hubeek continues.” They were not large numbers, but a good example is that of nail polish specialists who started working in the aircraft industry in the aircraft industry. When applying coatings it comes in the same way to very precisely. ”
That example is in line with TNO’s vision. The research organization has been arguing for a “skills-oriented” labor market for some time. For example, a car mechanic can get started as an installer of solar panels, the researchers wrote in a report from 2021.
Taking people with different backgrounds is not only nice for the applicant, but also good for the employer, says AWVN advisor Hurbeek. “According to international studies, more diverse teams are more productive and they know how to hold staff for longer.”
“Many functions change in the long term and therefore the ideal candidate. It is more important whether someone can develop,” said Professor Peters. An applicant who does not seem perfect on paper can be interesting, she says. “If someone has done different types of work and is therefore at home of many markets, it shows that those who take on challenges and learn new things easily.”
‘Yes, I can do that’
This view of work must also be used to applicants, advises application expert Aaltje Vincent. If you don’t have the requested, specific experience, it’s all about the right presentation of what you have done. As far as she is concerned, you should also name the work that you performed while they actually fell outside your duties, or skills that you have gained in your spare time. That happens too little, says Vincent. “People find it very normal what they can and make themselves small.”
She sees that job seekers often omit what matters the most. “If I guide someone who is always rejected, I ask the shirt of the body. In such a conversation, I can easily get four relevant skills that someone himself overlooks. If you have done a strong additional training, or have skills that are often asked in the field in which you want to work, you have to mention it everywhere: on your resume, in your letter and on LinkedIn.”
People think it is very common what they can and make themselves small
If there is something in the job description that you cannot do yet, you can even handle it smoothly, Vincent believes. “If you have figured out well in advance that you can easily learn that computer program, you can just as far as I am concerned: ‘Yes, I can …’ say. And then you think after it: ‘… in a month’. I will not be bluffing, that will soon be up -to -date professional knowledge.”
Professor Peters is critical of the latter advice. “I don’t think that’s fair. And what if they puncture it during the job interview?” She does endorse the importance of presentation. “‘Bring Your Whole Self’I often say. For example, name your hobbies; They show what makes you unique. If you make music and you want to work with young people, you can use that skill. And if you are sporty, you are better in selling sports shoes. ”
Something that can be seen as negative, according to Peters you can frame positively. “If you’ve been away for a year, you can tell what insights you gained at the time. Name that language course, or the guts you have shown by your job. The glass is not half full, but fuller than ever. Diplomas are subject to inflation, but the story you tell about yourself is not.”
Unrealistic requirements
Four years ago, the newly graduated Carreiro changed its approach. If marketing agencies did not let her gain experience within their company, she would try it in a different way. “I didn’t want to do nothing, so I signed up as a volunteer at Food Bank Rotterdam. I was allowed to do online marketing there. That’s how I got confidence again.”
That experience as a marketing volunteer was not enough to convince employers; The doors at desks remained closed. “They set unrealistic demands, years of experience and a whole laundry list of programs that you had to be able to work with. Everything can be learned, and now I can do all that. At that time alone, and maybe I was too honest in that.”
Carreiro decided to start for himself. As a self -employed person, she is able to find clients. “Now I am happy to help other small entrepreneurs become visible online. I can really put my creativity into this. In the meantime I think it has had to be that way.”
Salvation Army
At a social worker Van Kuilenburg, the solution finally came from an employer, at a time when she was nearby. “After all those rejections I was about to call my old boss,” she says. With that she would return to the work where she had left because she no longer lasted. “Fortunately I was then invited to the Salvation Army. During the conversation I immediately had a click with the manager.”
“Now I finally have the job I wanted. As an outpatient youth counselor I help six families,” says Van Kuilenburg enthusiastically. She didn’t have another tactic to be hired now. It was the other way around, she says. “They gave me their confidence.”
“People want and can do something, as long as they get the chance,” says AWVN advisor Hubeek. According to him, employers are putting on. “There is a lot to be gained for everyone.”