Trying to get your foot in the door of a company is often the only thing preventing you from kick starting your career or finding your dream career.

Have you ever applied for a job that you really wanted and thought to yourself if only I could convince the hiring manager that Im the right person for this job, Id REALLY show them what I am capable of.

In other words, it sometimes seems that getting the job getting your foot in the door is the hardest part. You know that once you got the job though, youd be fine!

What can you do to get your foot in the door of a company you are interested to work for especially when youre having trouble moving forward? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Depending on your financial situation, your level of experience and the nature of the job you are looking for, you could offer to work as an intern.

Basically, you work for free for a period of time. The goal here is to at a minimum, gain experience in a company you are interested in. If the company doesnt have the budget to hire someone, you might offer your time for free in exchange for them giving you some industry experience that you might parlay into a fulltime job if not at this company, somewhere else. This could be a good option if you are trying to switch industries and move to one you have no experience in.

2. Dont turn down temporary positions if you have no other job to go to at the time.

When I finished university, I moved overseas and it took me a few months to find a job and when I finally found one, it was a temp position with the biggest employer in the company. Initially, I was brought on board for 3 months. 8 months later I was still there and was offered a fulltime position at that time. I ended up getting promoted three times and worked there fulltime for 3 years. Imagine if Id turned down the temp opportunity at the outset thinking that it wouldnt lead to anything else? Id have missed out on a great opportunity that really got my career off to a great start!

3. Consider contract work if it is available.

There are two possible downsides to accepting contract work. First, taking a contract may prevent you from accepting a fulltime job that arises while you are in the middle of the contract unless you can leave your contract early. Second, some employers might be wary of hiring you for a fulltime job if they see a lot of contract jobs on your resume if they think you might end up leaving them to take another contract. Contractors tend to make better money if they are paid on an hourly basis so you can get used to the nice money pretty quickly and fulltime employers know this! Still, working on a contract and earning some money is better than sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring. Plus, a contract might be a way to get your foot in the door and put yourself in the running for a fulltime job with the company.

4. If your financial situation allows for it, you might consider something radical.

If you really want to join a company but they currently have no open position available or if you are interviewing for a job but the hiring manager has stated some reservations about hiring you, you could offer to work for them for free for a period of time, perhaps 30 days. Sort of like a free test drive where the employer can try you out at no cost to them! By offering up your services for perhaps 4 weeks free, you could really show an employer your desire to work for them once you get your foot in the door. You just might open the door a bit and make them try really hard to find a job for you once you show them what youre capable of.

The effort you exert to get your foot in the door can really pay dividends when your effort is spent on the right opportunity.

Once you get your foot in the door and start to establish yourself, you've often made it past one of the most difficult hurdles career-minded individuals face.

Carl Mueller

My name is Carl Mueller and I'd like to thank you for learning a bit more about me!

I feel that I have numerous relevant experiences during my career that come in useful when helping people with their careers:

I know what it’s like to work internationally, having worked overseas (in New Zealand, from 1994-1998).

I've survived several corporate downsizings while many of my colleagues were being laid off.

I have also experienced being laid off twice myself during corporate downsizings.

I know what it’s like to be self-employed.

I've helped many people find better jobs. I started to work as a professional recruiter in 2000 first as an Information Technology (IT) recruiter and then in general recruitment across many industries including IT, manufacturing and marketing. Since this time, I have helped many people find their dream career and it’s a great feeling.

I experienced one of the slowest hiring periods in recent memory especially during the general hiring slowdown that followed the Y2K frenzy in 1999, the bursting of the dot com bubble in early 2000, and then the employment market bottoming out following September 11, 2001.

These were certainly not great times to be a job searcher in most industries nor was it a particularly good time to be a recruiter.

Following this, I began running the day to day operations of an Internet-based company in early 2003 that focused on developing online software and subscription-based websites for consumers. It was then that I fully realized the power, usefulness and potential of the Internet which really spurred me to set up my own website which you can view in my Personal URL section below this bio.

I’m also a Platinum Ezine Articles Expert as recognized by EzineArticles.com, one of the most visited websites on the Internet. This special designation is earned by having consistently high-quality articles published and viewed on their website. All of my submissions are related to helping you find your dream career and many of my articles get reproduced on other websites by their webmasters.

Good luck with your career and I hope I have been of assistance to you!