First things first – make a good resume. Whether you believe it or not, we can guarantee you have a few experiences or qualities that make you a strong candidate. Maybe you were a professional athlete, student athlete in college or the team captain in high school. High-level athleticism takes extreme hard work, discipline, leadership, selflessness, and the ability to achieve your long-term goals. Maybe you were involved in student government, or any clubs on campus? Maybe you held leadership positions, or volunteer on a regular basis? Do you speak any other languages? Do you have any hobbies that you excel at, like photography, graphic design, coding, or art? All of these hobbies, interests, experiences, and skills can be put on your resume! An employer is looking for someone who has demonstrated that they are a hard worker, a quick learner, and an enthusiastic team player. There are so many ways you could show your skills and prove that you could add tremendous value to a company, without having held formal work experiences. Keep it concise and professional, but make sure you mention the skills and takeaways you have acquired from each experience.

If you have formal work experience, even better. Think hard about what you learned in your experience, what skills you picked up, and the strengths you showed in your performance – and put it to paper! Make sure you keep up and on good terms with your past bosses and managers, so that you have a good reference in your back pocket if needed.

Next, network, network, network! Talk to your parents, talk to your friends, your parent’s friends, talk to your family, your coworkers, your coaches, and even your teachers. Get a Linkedin, build it until everyone you know is a connection, and do your research. See if anyone you know works at a company you are interested in, or if they know someone who works at a company you are interested in. Don’t be afraid to message strangers and ask for a ten minute phone call. Reach out to your connections and invite them to coffee. Get an advocate in the place you want to work, someone who will march your resume directly to the boss and slap it on their desk for you. If you can’t do that, even having an employee’s name on your application guarantees a harder look, and a personalized response.

Next, make sure you are looking in the right places. Even if you feel qualified for what a job is asking for, if you have not been working in sales for 5+ years, you have not been working in sales for 5+ years. Research positions and team member positions asking for personal qualities instead of years is a great place to start. Anything that says ‘manager’ probably is not.

Having a strong resume, networking on LinkedIn, and applying to the jobs you are qualified are all the best first steps to take on your path to finding the perfect entry level job.