How Do I Become a Manager Without Any Experience?

Why do you need management experience before you can become a manager? Bad managers have a significant impact because they cause unhappy employees, lower work quality, and even legal issues. So it is understandable that organizations want to hire managers who have experience. However, hiring someone with experience doesn’t mean you won’t end up with a bad manager. Nevertheless, many hiring managers and recruiters have a bias against aspiring managers and often discard their applications. So how do you become a manager without previous experience?

Being a manager is challenging. It takes a long time to learn and to do well. Therefore, it is far easier to look at someone’s experience and assess their ability to manage because you know what kind of manager they are rather than one they aspire to be. In addition, becoming a manager requires constant on-the-job learning, which is easier to do when building upon previous experience.

Take these steps to become a manager without any management experience because they will help your boss and future employers see your potential.

1) Talk to your manager

Talking to your manager is your first and most crucial step if you want to become a manager without previous experience. Tell them you are interested in getting people leadership experience. First, however, make sure you can articulate why you want to become a manager. So many people think they want to lead people, but later realize it is more complicated than it appears when they do.

If you work for a great manager, they will understand that their team wants to grow beyond their current role. Additionally, they will know that retaining good talent requires offering opportunities to develop their skillset. Finally, if they value you and feel you have potential, they will create activities that will give you management experience.

2) Identify your transferable skills

Another step to take to become a manager without any experience is to identify your transferable skills. Managing people is more than just overseeing staff. You have to know how to train, coach, deliver presentations, and analyze data. Additionally, you need to hire, recruit, create schedules, and manage conflict.

You likely have exposure to those responsibilities, but you need to sit down and identify them. From there, you can create your story and get comfortable telling it both in person and on your resume.

3) Ask to lead a project

When you want to become a manager without any experience, ask to lead a project. Leading a project requires planning, organization, setting goals, leading people, and managing competing priorities. Additionally, it requires coordinating the efforts and communication of a group of people. However, it might be hard to lead a project without project management experience. So start small by asking to be on project teams or leading something small.

There are plenty of opportunities to lead or participate in small projects that offer exceptional visibility. For example, offer to participate in planning office events or volunteer day activities.

4) Train, coach, or mentor

Effective managers know how to develop their teams. They know how to onboard, train, and coach them to bring out the best self in their employees. When you want to become a manager without management experience, position yourself as someone who can help train new team members. Of course, to be considered, you have to be very good at your job and have good relationships around the organization.

Outside of your organization, you can gain coaching and mentoring skills by volunteering with different youth groups in your community. Additionally, non-profits are usually looking for business leaders to help create and implement various initiatives. Both of these options will give you exposure and management experience.

5) Invest in additional continuing education

Finally, to become a manager without any previous experience, invest in additional education, training, or certifications. If you struggle to identify transferable skills and volunteering options are scarce, consider taking a management class or working toward certification.

Taking the initiative to sharpen your skills shows your commitment to growing as a professional. Additionally, keeping your skills current will impress your current employer as well as prospective employers. You can include the coursework on your LinkedIn and resume.

There are a bunch of options to become a manager without any experience. However, it is best to start by talking to your manager and expressing your interest in becoming a manager. It is easier to promote into a management role without experience at your current employer. If your current employer doesn’t have room for advancement, it might be best to move to a job that does.

Additionally, when trying to become a manager without any experience, you have to talk about what you have done, not what you will do. The suggestions above will give you practical management experience to add to your resume and talking points in interviews so you can secure your first management position.

Last updated on July 25th, 2021 at 09:26 am