You can get a job with no experience by aiming at roles that expect to train new hires (retail, food service, childcare, hospital support), by counting the unpaid work you have already done, and by adding one quick piece of proof such as a CPR card, a food handler card, or a few weeks of volunteering. Employers filling entry-level jobs mostly want to know two things: will you show up, and can you learn. A good first application answers both in plain terms.
The “need experience to get experience” loop is real, but it only applies to a slice of the job market. Plenty of employers budget for training because turnover in hourly work is high. Your job is to find those employers, make your availability and reliability obvious, and give them a reference or two who can vouch for you. Below are the roles worth targeting, what they pay, how to describe skills from school or home life, and how apprenticeships let you skip the unpaid stage entirely.
Jobs that hire people with no experience
Search postings for “no experience required,” “will train,” “entry level,” and “paid training.” The table uses Bureau of Labor Statistics median pay from its May 2025 wage survey. A median means half of workers earn more and half earn less, and starting pay in your area may be higher if your state’s minimum wage is above the federal $7.25.
| Role | BLS median pay (May 2025) | How you are trained | What gets a beginner hired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail salesperson | $17.03 per hour | On the job, usually a few days of shadowing | Weekend and holiday availability, comfort talking to strangers |
| Cashier | $15.81 per hour ($32,880 a year) | On the job | Punctuality, accuracy with money |
| Fast food and counter worker | $15.00 per hour | On the job | Open availability, early mornings or closing shifts |
| Restaurant host | $15.00 per hour | On the job | Calm manner, good phone voice |
| Childcare worker | $16.82 per hour | On the job; many states require a background check and CPR | Babysitting history and a parent who will give a reference |
| Hospital orderly (patient transport) | $38,290 a year | Short on-the-job training, often a CPR or BLS card | Stamina, reliability, a clean background check |
Retail and restaurant jobs are usually the fastest to land, sometimes within a week of applying during busy seasons. Hospital support jobs take longer because of background checks, drug screens and health clearances, but they pay more and lead to other healthcare roles. If you have a car, delivery and moving-help jobs also hire beginners, though many of those are gig arrangements with their own trade-offs.
Count the experience you already have
Employers hiring for entry-level jobs care about behavior more than job titles. Caring for a younger sibling shows reliability. Running a club fundraiser shows you can handle money and people. Reselling sneakers online shows you can track inventory and answer customers. These belong on your resume under a heading like “Relevant experience,” written the same way you would describe a paid job: what you did, how often, and a number if you have one.
- Family caregiving or babysitting: hours per week, ages of children, tasks such as meals, homework and pickup.
- Sports teams and clubs: practice commitment, any captain or treasurer role, events you helped run.
- Side gigs: lawn mowing, pet sitting, tutoring, tech help for neighbors. Say how many regular clients you had.
- School projects: group work with a deadline, presentations, anything with a measurable result.
- Helping in a family business: register work, stocking, scheduling, answering phones.
Example: Maria is 19 and has never had a paid job. For three years she watched her two younger brothers after school, about 15 hours a week, and last spring she organized a bake sale with four other students that raised $640 for her school’s robotics club. Her resume lists “After-school care for two children ages 6 and 9, about 15 hours a week for three years (homework help, meals, school pickup)” and “Organized a two-day bake sale with four volunteers; handled cash and raised $640.” A grocery store manager reading those lines can see that she is dependable and can count a cash drawer, which is most of what the job asks.
Build proof quickly with volunteering and short certificates
If you have very little to list, spend two to four weeks adding something concrete. The goal is a reference who has watched you work and a credential that removes one worry from the employer’s mind.
Volunteering works best when you pick a role with a regular shift and a supervisor. Food banks, libraries, animal shelters, thrift stores run by charities and hospital volunteer programs all fit. Three or four hours a week for six to eight weeks is usually enough for a supervisor to give a real reference. Hospital programs often have a minimum age and an application process, so start early if you want healthcare experience.
Short certificates that hiring managers recognize include:
- A food handler card, which many states and counties require for restaurant workers. Courses are short and often online.
- CPR and first aid, useful for childcare, lifeguarding, camps and hospital support jobs. Classes usually take a few hours.
- OSHA 10 for construction and general labor, a basic safety course that some job sites ask for.
- A typing test score or a free office software course for front desk and customer service roles.
Pick one that matches the job you are targeting. Five unrelated certificates look less convincing than one that a specific employer asks for.
Apprenticeships and other paid training
A registered apprenticeship is a job where you are paid from the first day, trained by a mentor, and given classroom instruction, with pay raises as you gain skills. Programs commonly last one to five years depending on the trade and end with a nationally recognized credential. According to the Department of Labor, 93 percent of apprentices keep their employment after finishing a program. You can search openings by occupation and ZIP code at Apprenticeship.gov.
Electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians and carpenters are the classic examples, but programs also exist for IT support, healthcare, manufacturing and logistics. Many union and employer programs open applications only a few times a year, and most ask for a high school diploma or GED, a driver’s license, and a basic math and reading test. If you are not ready for that test, a pre-apprenticeship program can prepare you and often guarantees an interview with a sponsor.
Example: Devon, 20, works part time at a hardware store and wants into the electrical trade. He finds a local program on Apprenticeship.gov that takes applications twice a year, spends six weeks reviewing algebra before the aptitude test, and lists his hardware store job on the application because it shows he knows tools and can deal with contractors. Many electrical programs start apprentices at a percentage of the fully trained worker’s rate, with a raise at each step, so he checks the program’s published wage schedule before committing to a multi-year plan.
Outside formal apprenticeships, some employers pay you to train: hospitals that train sterile processing or patient transport staff, call centers with paid training classes, and utilities with trainee lineworker roles. These postings often say “trainee” in the title.
How to apply when you have no experience
- Pick one or two job types. A resume aimed at retail reads differently from one aimed at childcare, and scattering applications across ten fields wastes time.
- Write a one-page resume with a short summary line, a skills list, your relevant unpaid experience, and education. Put the strongest item first.
- Decide your real availability and state it clearly. For hourly jobs, open weekend and evening availability is often the first thing a manager filters on.
- Line up two references, such as a teacher, coach, volunteer supervisor or a family you babysat for. Ask them first.
- Apply to 10 to 15 jobs a week that fit your target. Quality applications to the right jobs beat 50 rushed ones.
- For stores and restaurants, visit in person at a slow time (mid-afternoon on a weekday works well), ask for the hiring manager, and leave a printed resume.
- Follow up five to seven business days after applying with a short call or email that restates your availability.
- Prepare three short stories from your unpaid experience that show you being reliable, handling a difficult person, and learning something quickly.
What to say about not having experience
Do not apologize for it. Say it once and move to what you can offer. A line that works in interviews and on applications: “This would be my first paid job. For the last two years I’ve volunteered every Saturday at the food bank, where I check in about 80 families a shift, so I’m used to being on time and staying friendly when it gets busy.”
Avoid “I’ll do anything” and “I’m a fast learner” unless you follow it with a specific example. Managers hear both phrases constantly. A concrete story about learning a new task in a weekend is more convincing.
Example: Jordan applies to 12 retail jobs over two weeks and hears nothing. He changes one thing: his availability went from “weekdays after 3 p.m.” to “weekdays after 3 p.m., all day Saturday and Sunday.” He reapplies to four stores that still have postings up, walks into two of them, and gets two interviews the following week.
Red flags in “no experience needed” job ads
Some ads target beginners because beginners are easier to mislead. Walk away from any job that asks you to pay for training, a starter kit or a background check up front, or that pays only commission while calling the role “management training.” Be careful with offers that come after a text-only interview, and never deposit a check from an employer and send part of the money back. Unpaid internships at for-profit companies must meet a federal test showing the intern, and not the company, is the main beneficiary. If an “internship” is just unpaid regular work, it likely fails that test.
Common questions
What is the easiest job to get with no experience?
Fast food, retail and grocery jobs usually have the shortest hiring process because they hire often and train on the job. Seasonal hiring before the holidays and before summer makes them even easier to get. Open availability is the biggest advantage you can offer.
Should I put volunteer work on my resume?
Yes. Treat it like a job entry with the organization’s name, your role, dates and what you did, including numbers where possible. For a first job, volunteer work can be the strongest section on the page.
Do I need a cover letter for an entry-level job?
For most hourly retail and restaurant jobs, no. For office, healthcare and apprenticeship applications, a short cover letter helps because it lets you explain why you want that work and what you have done that relates to it.
Is an unpaid internship worth it?
It can be if it gives you real training, a reference and a credential for your field, and if you can afford it. Paid internships and apprenticeships are better when available. For-profit employers can only use unpaid interns in limited cases where the training mainly benefits the intern.
How do I get experience if every posting asks for one to two years?
Apply anyway if you meet most of the other requirements, because “preferred” experience is often flexible. Meanwhile, look for postings labeled trainee, apprentice, associate or entry level, which are written for people starting out.
Before you apply
- Choose one or two job types and read five real postings for each.
- Write a one-page resume with a “Relevant experience” section for unpaid work.
- Get one quick credential that matches your target job.
- Ask two people to be references.
- Write down your true availability and make it as open as you can.
- Check pay for your area on the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook so you know a fair offer.
Editorial note: This article is general information. Pay figures are BLS May 2025 medians and other details were checked as of November 2026; confirm current requirements with the employer, your state labor department or Apprenticeship.gov.