Entry-level position. Experience needed: 1-2 years.

Sound familiar? Michele Wahlder, Dallas-based life and career coach for Life Possibilities LLC, knows first-hand what it's like to attempt the balancing act when you need experience to get experience - and still pay the bills. While working at Marriott Hotels during the day, she was working toward a Master's degree in counseling and development at night. She also had an internship working with individuals with HIV/AIDs and their families on nights and weekends and a non-paid position at the YMCA counseling women in career transition.

"It was very challenging to hold a full-time job, and go to school and have an internship and a life!" she says.

As securing a job placement has become more competitive, the balancing act also may become increasingly common for recent graduates and those seeking a career change. Trapped in the "need experience to get experience" cycle, candidates must find creative ways to nail jobs.

"In bad economies, employers can be choosy so they can afford to be pickier," says Caroline Ceniza, a partner at the New York City career and consulting firm SixFigureStart. "I have clients who have very good general experience who lose out because they don't have experience in that specific sector." Entry-level positions in sought-after industries such as media, financial services, consulting and advertising and for companies with well-known names often require experience. "Bigger brand names can be more selective than the local mom-and-pop or even a mid-sized company," Ceniza says. "Size and market cachet is also a factor."

As a result, Ceniza says a down market separates good job search technique from bad. Passive job seekers rely on résumés and recruiters rather than doing the heavy lifting of researching industries, companies and the challenges they are facing. Active seekers, on the other hand, do the legwork and position themselves as people who can help.

"With all of the competition it is necessary to have every advantage possible and the more experience the better," Wahlder says. "Internships are important, but you need to identify your specific purpose for wanting an internship," Think about what you want to learn and the questions you want answered. Wahlder suggests making a list of "dream jobs" and then investigating which ones fit your natural talents, passions and lifestyle. For a less time-intensive approach, she also recommends job shadowing to learn more about a career path.

Next, make a strategy for compiling those interests strategically with experience.

"Target a specific industry and a functional area," Ceniza says. "If you have a part-time administration job in an ad agency, volunteer with the PR society of your region and spend weekends content-managing an events blog to paint the picture that you are serious about PR and marketing."

Students may want to include extracurricular involvement, student government, community service and academic research. Ceniza recommends joining the trade group of the industry in which you have interest and then volunteering for a committee related to what you hope to do.

Building the right combination of experiences may mean taking side jobs to make ends meet or sacrificing a cut in pay for a more fulfilling opportunity.

"There are compromises for sure," Wahlder says. "Sometimes a cut in pay is secondary to the rewards and joy that comes from using your life in a purposeful way. When people are living out their passions they get recognized and rewarded." Wahlder described a client who worked a large corporation but wanted to be a photographer. "She got training and started her Web site and business," Wahlder says. "She decided to focus on weddings first as they take place on the weekend and don't interfere with her bill-paying job."

However, she says, even a passionate seeker must be aware of reality that bills still need to be paid. Ceniza recommends solving the problem by performing parallel job searches if you have to, to look for both your money job and your dream job.

"For the money job, pursue temp work and ways to make some money to prolong your search," Ceniza says. "For the dream job, research very carefully the sector you want, and take your time to go after the best companies knowing researching and networking can take time."

If you hit the "lack of experience" wall, don't lose hope. A little hard work to fit the pieces together now will pay off later.

Says Wahlder, "If finding your life's passion and purpose was easy, everyone would be doing it."