I am interested in volunteering with a company in order to gain experience/training in a field I don't have experience in. I am particularly interested in smaller sized companies. Experienced in analysis/predictive analysis, relationship building, training development and implementation, as well as communications.
I am pursuing work in business administration and/or marketing and sales. I fully realize this experience and training has prepared me for this new career path, however they do not provide the minimum qualifications often required of these positions. I realize how they have prepared me, yet at the end of the day, being able to have 6 months of experience in a field versus none IS a huge advantage. As is being able to demonstrate one's capabilities, skills, and intangibles to an expert in that field whose reference letter will also be a tremendous advantage in job seeking.
I would like to truly thank each and every advisor for volunteering your time and PASSION. This is a tremendous resource and a true enabler.
V/R,
Brian
Answers
Brian:
The shortest distance between two point is a straight line. Internships abound.
The other advisors here have asked what you want to do.
Great way to find out is to explore 2 - 3 internships.
While your location does not scream "Major employment market"... I wonder how many sales organizations are based there.
The most powerful work search tool on the planet is indeed.com.
Www.indeed.com
I just searched "Sales Intern. Colorado Springs Colorado" and got two long pages of responses.
GO!
Thank you all so much for the feedback. The advice has been extremely valuable. I believe I have a solid understanding now.
TOM CAL: The website you posted above is amazing. It laid out the "Rules of Engagement" for voluntary employment in a simplistic and easily understandable fashion.
Thanks again..
Brian, I know lots of companies that would be more than willing to have informational interviews. With your military experience I would bet many of them would be more than willing to allow you to shadow or intern depending on your time availability. Do you have a geography or a particular type of industry of interest?
Brian: What are your interests and passion? If you target non-profit organizations that reflect this you should quickly be able to recommend skills/abilities to help the organization achieve its goals. For any position- if you understand your true interests (passion) - success will follow!
One of my HR peers indicated years ago she had an interest in Training. But without experience, found it hard to break into this area. She went to her church and asked if she could provide training on a specific subject. She did this on several occasions. I've only known her since she had this experience, and while she is an HR generalist - I always think of her as having superb training skills!
I would suggest some Informational Interviewing with some target companies to find out your level of interest and how entry into the career field is typically gained. Sometimes by requesting assistance on researching your career field you find that what you thought was a fit is actually not, based upon discussions with actual participants working in the field. This could allow you to shift prior to investing your time and energies and a company's time an energy. Even volunteer work adds to a corporate load, someone must be responsible to monitor the project, set goals, measure the outcomes etc. I would go after Informational Interviewing, then if you hear what you want, then investigate the volunteer process.
First identify what your career focus will be. After determining this the next best thing is to locate the companies you believe will be a good fit for you, the direction you are heading. Contact the HR department and discuss with them that you are looking for a internship type of position so you can further your career. ID several companies you think are a good fit and see what they may have to offer. During your phone conversation state up front what you are seeking and go from there explaining what your goals are. Now if they don't have any opening for you, ask for a referral as to what other firms may have an opening for you. I'd also contact the local Chamber of Commerce in the community you are seeking employment and go to networking events to meet people in the community. You'll mostly meet, financial services people, realtors and mortgage brokers. All of these people network constantly to increase their client base and contacts. These people are a good source of leads that may take you to a company that you can grow with.
Best of Luck!
Thoughts or feedback?
"How to Gain Experience by Working for Free – And Stay Within the Law"
http://www.noshortageofwork.com/pages/2286
Which filed are you targeting? The combination of your Masters with the communications components should be attractive to a number of sales organizations. One can get connected to volunteer through LinkedIn.
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