In this video, Natalie Fisher answers a viewer’s question about how a recent graduate with strong academic performance but virtually no hands‑on experience can convince an interviewer to take a chance on them. She argues that the perceived lack of experience is not a fatal flaw but can be reframed as a strategic advantage. Fisher explains that experience alone does not guarantee success; adaptability, enthusiasm, and likability are often more valuable. She illustrates how candidates with less experience can out‑shine seasoned applicants by being resourceful, showing genuine passion, and making interviewers feel good. The video also critiques the traditional “apply‑in‑bulk” job‑search method, urging graduates to shift toward personalized, one‑on‑one outreach, which statistically yields higher response rates. Throughout, Fisher emphasizes mindset, confidence, storytelling, and a strong closing line as key interview tactics. The video concludes with a call‑to‑action for a free guide that teaches how to identify hidden interview questions, craft memorable stories, anticipate concerns, steer the conversation, and seal the deal.
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Hi, I'm Natalie Fisher, and this is the place to be if you want to be excited to go to work every morning. And today we have a question from Alex, and he writes, Natalie, good morning, and thank you for your insight. My question is about The interview. It's simple, but not so simple. See, I'm currently obtaining a technical degree. I will have virtually zero experience in actually doing— I have the capacity to do the job. I comprehend my coursework rather easily, and my grades prove it, but I have little to no hands-on experience with most of the jobs I would be applying for. I do work with computers daily. but more of an office admin role. How do I best explain to the interviewer that I'm worth the gamble? How can I show them that I can do the job when I have no actual proof that I can do the job? Sincerely, Alex. Thanks, Alex! This is an awesome question, and you are not alone on this. Many new grads struggle with feeling like they lack the experience to land a great job right away. And it can often hold them back and affect their confidence in interviews. So in this video, I'll talk about why a lack of experience isn't necessarily a downfall and a little reframe on this topic that I think will set you up for a very different future. So stay tuned. So this is the real problem. The root of your problem is with what you already believe, which controls your level of confidence and how you show up. If you're stuck in this situation, you probably believe that no one will hire you because of your lack of experience. Am I right? This will show through in your interview and could appear like you are already lacking in confidence before you even start talking. The first thing you need to do is start seeing your lack of experience as a strength. Shift your mindset from thinking that nobody wants to hire you to believing that your lack of experience could actually be advantageous to an employer. Now I am going to explain why and how this is. So here we go. It's a common argument: experience versus adaptability and enthusiasm. So let's take a look at this for a second. Little experience doesn't mean stupid or incapable. You are a hard worker. You've proved that in school. You've learned a lot, studied, completed assignments. Work is not all that different. You learn something, study the company's way of doing it, and then you go off and get it done. There are a lot more variables and different situations that you'll encounter, so it's not quite as straightforward as school, but it's essentially the same process. It's challenging in a different way, and I'd argue that prior experience alone is not what makes someone a successful candidate or a successful employee for that matter. Anyone, even with a lot of experience, still needs to learn the lay of the land. They'll still have to figure out how to work and communicate best with each of their colleagues, how to become in tune with the company's policies, and require some level of training no matter what their experience is. So no amount of experience will prepare someone for a brand new work environment because every single one is completely different. People with less experience are resourceful. They know how to do research and they know how to find answers. They just came from a place where that's basically all they did. I know this because I was that person where with no experience, finding my path in the dark. And anything is figureoutable. Thanks, Marie Forleo. And there is a way for you to figure out almost any situation you're stuck in without an answer. Moving on, likability versus experience. This is a big one. The truth is that if someone who has a ton of experience goes into an interview and they ramble, arrogantly or do anything that turns the interviewer off in any way, her experience doesn't do her any good at all. Let's call her Candidate A. Now put Candidate A up against Candidate B, who is someone who has little experience, but they're a delight to speak with. They're enthusiastic, they have great ideas, and they bring those to the interview, and they're filling the room with passion and great energy. They have great answers to great questions. They're asking great questions themselves that are making the interviewer think. The fact that they don't have the experience that Candidate A had doesn't matter. When it comes down to it, people are hired based on emotion. I can't tell you how many times a hiring manager would be torn between Candidate A and Candidate B because in their head Candidate A was the right thing to do, But Candidate B just seemed like so much more fun to work with. And when it came down to it, they listened to their gut and the decision was made. And they made it based on how they felt. So Candidate B will get chosen most of the time in this case. To tell you the truth, that's what goes on behind the scenes when it comes to interviews. This phrase from Maya Angelou will never not be relevant. And it goes like this: I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. So make your interviewer feel inspired and you're golden. All right, next, connecting versus applying. You've got a great resume and cover letter. The career center probably looked at it for you, and you feel confident that your documents are solid. The problem is you don't seem to be getting any action. Your phone isn't ringing off the hook and you're waiting to hear back is all you're doing. A lot of new graduates become discouraged when they apply for several positions and never hear back. So finding a job by applying for a job that hundreds or thousands of other people have also applied for isn't good for your ego or for your results. Your best bet is to connect with people one-on-one. So if done right, an average of 1 in 10 strangers will reply to you, which is a lot better odds than the first option. Most people don't do this. It's because of the conventional no rulebook. But if you do, your odds of success go up hugely. So break the rules. Don't be afraid. Go against conventional wisdom, especially when job hunting. It pays to take a different approach than everyone else is taking. You're worth the gamble because— You're enthused, fresh off the grill, and full of passion. Go in with that belief that you're valuable for the reasons covered in this video, and your attitude, energy, and drive will come across as strength and not as weakness. Passionate people are always interesting people, and they're very hireable. And there you have it! 4 reasons why lacking experience doesn't need to hold you back. Now, if you like this video, feel free to give it a thumbs up, or a thumbs down if you didn't like it. You're not gonna hurt my feelings. If you're interested in learning more from me, I have a free guide. It's called How to Nail an Interview You're Not Qualified For. You can click below to access the guide right away. In this guide, you're going to get You're going to learn, rather, how to identify the questions that they're really asking you, things that they won't always say. You're going to learn how to tell captivating stories that trigger the interviewer to remember you above all other candidates. You'll also learn how to proactively identify an interviewer's concerns even when they don't voice them, and you'll learn how to steer the interview in the direction that you want it to go And what I say at the end of every interview to wrap it up and seal the deal. And that's all I've got for you today. Thank you so much for watching and for being here. Click below to grab the guide, and I will see you on the other side. That rhymes. Thanks so much, guys. See you on the other side.
