Struggling to find work experience. What are Employers looking for?

Numbered

Hello. I completed AAT levels 2 and 3 with a Distinction in both. Because I am self-taught, I don't have any experience working in an office for an accounting firm, so I have been looking for work experience rather than applying for job postings.

I've tried sending letters/emails to all the places near to me, which amounts to 20-30 places, and if I don't receive a reply within 2-4 weeks then I send a reminder. Even after a reminder, the majority of these businesses don't send a reply and when they do, they don't have anything to offer me.

I've tried following various pieces of advice online and made adjustments to my cover letters accordingly, but I feel nothing is working and I'm finding it increasingly difficult to go through the process of finding new places and creating new cover letters with any enthusiasm. At one point in time I talked to a recruiter, who said that they couldn't help me find work because their clients are only interested in people with experience, which is sad because I thought a recruiter's job was to find anyone with qualifications work regardless of experience.

If you're reading this and you run an accounting firm/employ people for a firm, what is specifically required for someone with no experience to gain work experience with your firm? Based on what has happened to me, I have the impression that most businesses are not interested at all in people with no work experience, even though I have the qualifications to do the job. Thanks for reading.

livintiv

I am not an employer, so I can't answer your question directly; but I hope sharing my experience will be helpful.

I started studying Level 2 at a college, and started my first role in finance a few months later. A friend who studied with me completed Levels 2 and 3, and has just started a Level 4 apprenticeship with a practice. Neither of us had experience.

My suggestions would be:

1. Apply for jobs! I've used Indeed and Reed in the past, but there are other platforms too.
2. Utilise LinkedIn and connect with recruiters. Speaking of which...
3. Don't let one experience discourage you. There are lots of employment agencies out there, and many recruiters. The good ones will get to know you a little and give you advice.

sjtoomer

Numbered said:

I have the impression that most businesses are not interested at all in people with no work experience, even though I have the qualifications to do the job.

I am finding this also. I am struggling to get a job in Accounting/Finance, since I have no Accounting/Finance experience. I am finishing-off AAT L3 Book-Keeping. I don't realistically see what else we can do other than to keep applying for jobs and hope that an employer will take us on.