Students and experience, the great paradox!

Without doubt the number one reason for Landscape architects not hiring you is due to your lack of experience in an office, working on projects, meeting deadlines and having a real understanding of pressure. It seems fair, I know if I was running an office I would certainly favour applicants who had the experience that I want to use in the office rather than employ a person and hope that they fit in and work well. (Or so I want you to believe)

It's common sense that this element of criteria moves you up on the pecking order; it's just how is it possible to land a job as a student when everybody wants somebody with professional experience. Sometimes it feels like they want graduates with five years of experience under their belt. The fact is it is possible for every year, even in a recession fresh out of college students are gaining employment in their chosen field of expertise. So what's their secret, how do they get people to take a chance on them?

Honestly I have no idea, it may be because the LA got out of bed on the right side on the day of the interview, it may be something you said that gave him an insight into what you can offer, it may be because you just happen to be a gifted individual who just happens to fit the bill perfectly, it may be because you know somebody and they happened to be a great connection for you that did you lots of favours in getting your first job. It may be for a whole host of reasons however ironically you really can't depend on any of those reasons, there are just too many factors to consider when making such assumptions.

For me the only thing that can guarantee that you get the much needed experience or that first job is you, I know not the answer you wanted to hear, I'm sure you wanted to hear that I have some little trick or magic pill you can take and just like magic you'll get a job. No I'm afraid the only thing you can absolutely depend on is "you". So the question now is what is it that “you” can do is.

The answer lies in your attitude, you're a student, a little fish entering a pool of sharks, not the best scenario but it's a fair analogy. Everything is against you, why would anybody want to hire you and just who do you think you are wasting their time. This is sad but a common attitude expressed by students looking to enter the professional world of landscape architecture.

So let me help you by answering those questions:

Nothing is against you, you have every reason to be confident, you have worked hard, you've got the results and now you’re ready to enter an environment which will enable you to take it to the professional level. So get excited about it. It's not like you’re the first man to walk on the moon, literally hundreds of thousands of people have already succeeded at doing what you are about to do, so it is a fact, it can be done and there is absolutely no reason why you can't do it.

People want to hire you because you've met all the challenges and succeeded, you know how to get results otherwise you wouldn't be here today competing with others for a job as an LA. People want to hire you because you are a very capable individual who wants to succeed and continues to challenge yourself.

You are not wasting their time, as you have skills to offer them, skills that will help their business make a profit, and you are bringing something positive and constructive to the table. Further more you are their link to the present day education system, you are fresh and will have alternative viewpoints that they don't already have in the office. You are not just in a position to get a job; you are in a position to negotiate wages, conditions and involvement. (Maybe a little bit too ambitious).

People just like you do this every day, they are no more special then you and passed the same level of challenges you passed. It is a fact it can be done, it is a fact you can do it. Getting that first job is about attitude and not experience. Who do you want on your team, someone who is passionate, driven and eager to work or someone who has been getting average results for the past five-ten years. Let's be honest if somebody with lots of experience was that good would they be looking for a new job to draw up construction details for someone else along with a few sketch-up models. I'd rather have the first guy working for me and that's who you are!

Good luck getting that first job, it will be challenging, you will feel like giving up and you will fail repeatedly before you succeed, all you have to remember is this:

• It can be done
• It has been done
• And it will be done!

"If I had to select one quality, one personal characteristic that I regard as being most highly correlated with success, whatever the field, I would pick the trait of persistence."
Richard DeVos"

Co-Founder of Amway