• Home
  • Courses by Subject
      • Accounting
      • Bookkeeping
      • Finance
      • MYOB
      • Xero
      • Animal Care
      • Animal Science
      • Dog Training
      • Horse Breeding & Equine Studies
      • Veterinary
      • Arts
      • Fashion Design
      • Graphic Design
      • Interior Design
      • Photography
      • UX/UI
      • Web Design
      • Building & Construction
      • Real Estate
      • Business
      • Business Administration
      • Change Management
      • Human Resources
      • Logistics
      • Management
      • PMBOK
      • PRINCE2®
      • Project Management
      • Quality Management
      • Small Business
      • Aged Care
      • Community Services
      • Disability
      • Youth Work
      • Child Care
      • Education
      • Language
      • Training Assessment
      • Engineering
      • Agriculture
      • Conservation & Land Management
      • Horticulture
      • Science
      • Beauty & Hairdressing
      • Eyebrow Specialist
      • Makeup
      • Nail Technology
      • Allied Health
      • Counselling
      • Dental Assisting
      • Health
      • Herbal Medicines
      • Life Coaching
      • Massage
      • Mental Health
      • Natural Therapies
      • Naturopathy
      • Nursing
      • Nutrition
      • Nutritional Medicine
      • Pharmacy
      • Psychology
      • Celebrancy
      • Culinary Arts
      • Event Management
      • Hospitality
      • Tourism
      • Travel
      • Cloud Computing
      • Coding
      • Cyber Security
      • IT
      • Microsoft
      • Networking
      • Programming
      • Software
      • Web Development
      • Legal
      • Security
      • Work Health & Safety
      • Digital Marketing
      • Digital Media
      • Journalism
      • Marketing
      • Retail
      • Sales
      • Social Media Marketing
    • Blended
    • In-class
    • Online
    • Virtual
    • Short
    • Certificate
    • Certificate I
    • Certificate II
    • Certificate III
    • Certificate IV
    • Diploma
    • Undergraduate Certificate
    • Graduate Certificate
  • Education Providers
  • Contact us
  • Blog
  • About us
  • Affiliates
 
21 Sep 2018

The Top 5 Ways To Get Your Foot in the Door


Avatar photo Candlefox

Browse All Courses

Getting your foot in the door may sound easier than it is, but in today’s society, utilising the tools available correctly can help land you in that dream career and company you’ve been working for years to get.

There are many ways to build professional relationships and make your way within your chosen career path, but here are the 5 most effective ways to fast track that job search of yours.


1. Having Volunteer or Work Experience


As a recent graduate or someone on a new career path, having some form of work experience presents dedication and commitment to prospective employers. Many hiring managers will look for some form of previous history in the workforce during the hiring process to show that you have a solid background of knowledge in the field, and is an effective way to showcase your talents or passion for company culture.

Volunteering is another great way to demonstrate to potential employers that not only you are capable for the open position, but that you are hard working and have a great personality to match. Often having previous volunteer work can set you apart from other job seekers, and is a convenient way to create networking contacts. Gaining a little volunteer experience in an area of your choice can also help you determine if the career path is right for you.

Whether the work experience is paid or unpaid, or matches your dream career or not, being able to put your existing knowledge into practise and learn new skills along the way demonstrates commitment and passion when starting in a new industry or company.



2. Request an Informational Interview


Considered to be one of the best ways to get your foot in the door, requesting and scheduling an informational interview is a smarter strategy than simply waiting for a particular company to have an open position. They also enable you to build a professional relationship with whomever you choose to speak to; it is highly important that you do some research to find the right type of person to provide the information you want.

Maybe it is someone in your field or a friend of a co-worker, either way, sending a LinkedIn message or friendly email to ask for a meeting in person is a great start to learning more about an industry or particular company. It is not a job interview, it is a way you can gain insightful information about a particular career path, job title, and an opportunity to seek career advice.

Informational interviews are excellent to figure out company culture and internal structures; this can help determine if there are certain roles that match your job skills and whether or not you would actually like to work at the particular company.



3. Use Your Networking Contacts


It goes without saying that networking is one of the best ways to make your way in today’s job market. If you haven’t had the opportunity to make connections yet, there are many ways in which you can build the professional relationships needed to make your way in your current or new industry.

Consider volunteer work and attending upcoming events, even requesting informational interviews and taking any new opportunities for work experience where you can. Your network can be anyone, colleagues, friends, previous employers and current co-workers, an up to date LinkedIn account is a great place to stay connected with them and to build more professional relationships.

Tap into your networking contacts when the time for a job search arrives, let your existing network know that you’re interested in a new career path and see if anyone can offer a new opportunity or career advice.



4. Interacting on Social Media and LinkedIn


Both social media and LinkedIn are powerful online tools that are effective ways of reaching potential employers that also demonstrate your passion and commitment for an industry. It is common for organisations of all sizes to be active on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or maybe even a blog, all to keep up with their customer base and business partners.

Leaving friendly comments on posts, liking or sharing, is a smarter strategy to develop name recognition within the company. Interacting through LinkedIn messages or other means can help start or keep professional relationships evergreen and active and may help when the job search arrives.. There are many success stories of job seekers finding some form of work purely from interacting online with individuals and companies due to a long-term active interest from simple little things you can do too.



5. Demonstrate your Potential Value


Whilst interacting online is a strategic method to getting your foot in the door, sometimes companies need more than comments to see your passion. Showing your potential value and insight up front is a fantastic way to let your prospective employer know your capabilities and interest into the career field.

Make a good impression by demonstrating what you can offer to a team, as it can be the point of difference compared to someone else’s business card. Perhaps you could link them to an article you wrote and share insight on how you would apply this strategy within a company; there are a large variety of options you do depending on the career path you’ve chosen.


It is important to remember that job positions don’t get handed to you, you have to put in the effort and have the passion to make your way in the job market.

Everyone seems to have the same qualifications and interest in the same job search as you at first, but if you can succeed in at least one of these top ways to get your foot in the door, you’ve already got a head start in the hiring process.

Browse All Courses

Enjoy this article?

Subscribe now to receive articles like these straight to your inbox
Avatar photo
Candlefox

Related Articles

7 Aug 2018

Top 7 Ways To Combat New Job Anxiety

Are you struggling with anxiety at your new job? Convinced y...

Claudia Reiners
20 Sep 2018

How You Too Can Work From Home By Negotiating

Sometimes, coming into work is a hassle. Maybe it takes you...

Avatar photo
Candlefox
15 Jan 2019

Are You a People Person? Here Are 5 Careers Made For You!

If you’re one of those lucky people with natural people skil...

Avatar photo
Candlefox

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get expert advice, insights, and explainers on tricky topics — designed to help you navigate your learning journey with confidence.

By submitting this enquiry I accept the "Privacy & Policy" and "Terms of Use"
  • Popular Subjects
  • Popular Blogs
  • Accounting
  • Administration
  • Animal Care
  • Agriculture
  • Beauty & Hairdressing
  • Bookkeeping
  • Counselling
  • Eyelash Extension
  • Horticulture
  • Mental Health
  • MYOB
  • Nutrition
  • Nail Technology
  • Project Management
  • Veterinary
  • Xero
  • View More
  • How To Become a Medical Receptionist: Everything You Need to Know
  • Becoming a Veterinary Assistant - Everything you Need to Know
  • Best Self-Employed Jobs in Australia
  • Best Short-Term Courses to Get You a Job in Australia 2023
  • Future-Proof Jobs & Industries in Australia: Best Jobs for the Future
  • How to Become a Bookkeeper in Australia
  • How to Become an Actuary
  • How to Become an Engagement Manager
  • How to Become a Zookeeper: Work with Wildlife Every Day
  • How to Become a Park Ranger: Make Your Office the Great Outdoors
  • Unusual Jobs That you Wouldn’t Know Pay More than 100K
  • How to Become a Wedding Planner in 5 Steps
  • View More

Newsletter sign up

We'll email you updates on job trends, career advice, study tips, news and more.
Courses
  • All subjects
Education Providers
  • Our providers
Resources
  • Our blog
About Us
  • About shortcourses.com.au
Contact us
  • Contact
  • Advertise your course
  • Become an affiliate
Privacy Policy Terms of Use
Short Courses Facebook Short Courses Instagram Short Courses Tiktok
Australian Aboriginal flag Torres Strait Islander flag
In the spirit of reconciliation, shortcourses.com.au acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
Copyright © 2023 Shortcourses.com.au
All Rights Reserved.

Newsletter Sign Up

We’ll email you updates on job trends, career advice, study tips, news and more.

By downloading this template I accept the "Privacy Policy" and "Terms of Use"
Back to Top