The answer to that conundrum is that the job seekers should get the experience they need outside of the job market. Instead of looking for someone to pay you and to give you the experience you need, instead look for someone who will only give you the experience you need. That's right, work for free. Volunteer.
But what about those who are employed and struggling to advance? Their paths are frequently blocked or at least delayed by their lack of experience. If their employer won't give them the experience they need in order to earn the sought after promotion, how can they obtain the promotion? Again, work for free. Volunteer.
A small but growing number of employers are encouraging their employees to volunteer occasionally or even full-time in an effort to inspire the employees, give back to the community, and shift the cost of training the employees to other organizations. But everyone wins in these arrangements so don't infer that I'm being critical of them. Far from it. I think they're fabulous.
Ernst & Young, for example, has allowed some of its accountants to volunteer for weeks and even months for non-profits. The firm covers transportation, food, and hotel expenses and even keeps the employees on its payroll so they don't suffer any loss of income. What they get back are employees who are far better qualified to do far more complicated work. Which means that E&Y has made a wise investment as it has essentially invested the costs associated with allowing its employees to volunteer their time for the non-profits and will quickly recoup that investment by being able to bill those employees out at much higher hourly rates to its clients.
And don't forget about the benefits these volunteer programs have when it comes time to recruit the next class of college students searching for internships or recent graduates hunting for entry level jobs and other career opportunities. A 2006 study by brand strategy and communications agency Cone Inc. found that 79 percent of Gen Y'ers want to work for organizations which care about how they affect or contribute to society. If your organization allows, encourages, or even pays for its employees to work for non-profits in a volunteer capacity then your organization's brand will skyrocket as you'll be demonstrating that you care about how you affect and contribute to society.
