How to Get a Job With No Experience: A Practical Guide for 18–24-Year-Olds

You apply for a job, upload your CV, complete the questions and wait for an answer. Sometimes you receive a rejection. Sometimes you receive no response at all. You then find another vacancy, complete another application and repeat the same process. After enough applications, it can begin to feel as though employers are not simply rejecting your CV. It can feel as though they are rejecting you.

But a CV does not show everything about a person. It may list your qualifications, dates, previous jobs and education, but it does not always show your personality, attitude, resilience, creativity, communication, potential or willingness to learn. It may explain where you have been, but it does not necessarily reveal who you could become. I’M MORE helps people aged 18–24 discover what they can offer, develop the confidence to communicate it and become more visible to employers and opportunity.

The starting point is our monthly two-day Discover. Believe. Become. event.

DISCOVER HOW THE PROGRAMME WORKS

WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO GET YOUR FIRST JOB?

Many young people face the same contradiction. Employers frequently want applicants to have previous experience, but somebody must first provide an opportunity before that experience can be gained.

You may have recently left school, sixth form or college. You may have completed an apprenticeship, NVQ, BTEC or vocational qualification. You may have graduated from university but discovered that even entry-level professional roles ask for previous workplace experience.

You may have held temporary or part-time positions but still be unsure how to move into a longer-term career. You may have been unemployed for a period of time and lost confidence after repeated rejection. You may also be uncertain about what you want to do and feel pressured to make decisions about a future you have not yet had the opportunity to explore.

None of these circumstances means that you lack potential.

The difficulty is often that your capability has not yet been properly recognised, developed, explained, evidenced, communicated or connected with the right opportunity.

This is why simply applying for more jobs is not always the complete answer. Sometimes you must first become clearer about who you are, what you can offer and how to make that visible to another person.

YOU MAY KNOW HOW REJECTION FEELS BEFORE YOU KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT

A 19-year-old may know exactly how it feels to be ignored by employers. They may understand the frustration of completing applications, rewriting a CV and waiting for an answer that never arrives.

However, they may not yet understand the wider employment system. They may not know how the Government, the Department for Work and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus, training providers, colleges, universities, apprenticeship organisations, recruiters and employers connect.

They may not understand why a small business can be cautious about employing somebody without previous experience. They may also struggle to find the language to explain their own skills, qualifications, personality or potential.

That does not mean they cannot learn.

Understanding develops through exposure, guidance, conversation and experience. Confidence grows when somebody is given a safe environment in which to think, speak, practise, make mistakes and try again.

That is transformation. It is the movement from saying, “I do not know what to say,” to being able to say, “I understand what I can offer, and I know how to explain it.”

FINDING A VACANCY IS ONLY ONE PART OF FINDING A JOB

There are official services that can help people search for employment, apprenticeships, training and career information.

The Government’s Find a Job service allows people to search for current full-time and part-time vacancies. The official Find an Apprenticeship service provides access to paid apprenticeship opportunities. The National Careers Service provides career profiles, job-search guidance, course information, CV advice and interview preparation.

These services can help you identify opportunities, but finding a vacancy does not automatically mean that you are ready to compete for it.

Before an employer offers you an interview, your application must help them understand why you are interested, what you can already do, what you have learned and how you approach responsibility. They also need to understand whether you recognise the expectations of the position, whether you are willing to develop and why meeting you could be worthwhile.

The job search therefore has two connected sides. The first is finding opportunities. The second is becoming ready to be seen by those opportunities.

I’M MORE works on the second side while also helping people understand and access the first.

YOUR FIRST STEP IS NOT CHOOSING ONE CAREER FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

One reason young people become stuck is the pressure to make one perfect decision about the rest of their life. You may be asked what you want to do with your future, but that can be an enormous question when you have only experienced a small part of the working world.

A better question is: what could I explore next?

You cannot always know whether you would enjoy website development, construction, landscaping, artificial intelligence, marketing, administration, care, sales, video production, social media or entrepreneurship if you have never experienced those environments.

Research can help you understand different careers, but practical experience often reveals far more. Your first step may be to explore several possibilities, identify what interests you and notice where your natural strengths begin to appear.

You do not need to know your entire future before you begin. You need to identify your next useful step.

WHAT DOES AN EMPLOYER NEED TO SEE?

An employer is rarely looking only at qualifications. Depending on the role, they may also be looking for evidence of reliability, punctuality, communication, initiative, professionalism, teamwork, problem-solving, customer awareness, digital ability, responsibility, resilience and a willingness to learn.

You may already have developed some of these qualities without recognising them as employability skills.

You may have helped care for a family member, managed school, college or university deadlines, created videos or social media content, built a website, organised an event, played in a sports team, raised money, volunteered, repaired equipment, sold products online, helped in a family business, moderated an online community, managed a personal project or learned software independently.

You may also have supported another person through a difficult situation, taken responsibility for something important or solved a problem without realising that the experience demonstrated valuable capabilities.

The challenge is not only to say what you did. You must learn how to explain the situation, the responsibility you had, the action you took, the result and what the experience taught you.

This is how an ordinary life experience can become meaningful evidence of your ability.

YOUR CV IS IMPORTANT, BUT IT IS NOT THE WHOLE OF YOU

A strong CV helps an employer understand your background quickly, but many young people make one of two common mistakes:

• Some submit a CV containing very little information because they have not previously held a formal job.

• Others fill their CV with generic words such as hard-working, motivated, passionate, reliable and good communicator.

Those words are not worthless, but they need evidence.

• Instead of simply writing that you are a good team player: You could explain that during a college project you coordinated tasks between four people, helped keep the project on schedule and presented the final work to the class.

• Instead of saying that you are good with technology: You could explain that you taught yourself how to edit short-form videos, created content using mobile and desktop software and learned how to adapt that material for different platforms.

• Instead of saying that you are responsible: You could explain that you regularly helped care for a younger family member, organised their routine and made sure important tasks were completed on time.

The employer can now see evidence rather than just a collection of descriptive words. Your CV should contain relevant information including your contact details, a concise personal introduction, education, qualifications, employment history, work experience, volunteering, projects, skills, achievements and responsibilities.

WHY YOUR DIGITAL AND VIDEO PROFILE MATTERS

Recruitment has become increasingly digital. An employer may encounter you through a CV, an application portal, LinkedIn, a portfolio, social media, email, a video interview, a Video CV or a personal introduction. Your digital presence does not need to be perfect, but it should support the person you say you are.

A Video CV can help an employer experience more than words on a page. It can reveal how you communicate, what interests you, what kind of opportunity you are seeking and why you would value the chance to meet. It adds another dimension by helping somebody see your personality, attitude, communication, interests, motivation and potential.

This is part of the I’M MORE approach to helping people Be Seen.

THE I’M MORE TWO-DAY EVENT

The monthly two-day Discover. Believe. Become. event is the gateway into I’M MORE. It is designed for people aged 18–24 who may be looking for their first job, leaving school, college or university, applying repeatedly without success, searching for an apprenticeship or trying to decide which career to pursue.

This is not a conventional careers fair, and it is not two days of being spoken at. It is a guided transformational process that helps participants understand themselves, recognise what they can offer and begin turning that potential into visible action.

The public framework contains 21 connected areas across three transformational stages: Discover, Believe and Become.

STAGE 1: DISCOVER

Before you can communicate your value to another person, you must begin to understand it for yourself.

• D — DIRECTION: Direction begins by identifying where you are now, what is working, what is not working and what kind of next step could begin moving you forward.

• I — IDENTITY: Identity explores who you are beyond a qualification, employment status, rejection or label. I’M MORE helps you look beyond those limitations and begin recognising the wider person underneath them.

• S — STRENGTHS: Strengths are the abilities and qualities that allow you to contribute, learn and make progress. Some strengths are obvious, others may be hidden inside everyday activities.

• C — CONFIDENCE: Confidence affects how you apply for a job, enter a room, speak to an employer, and respond when something goes wrong. It can be developed through preparation, evidence, repetition, and achievable experience.

• O — OPPORTUNITIES: Your next step could involve employment, an apprenticeship, training, work experience, volunteering, or self-employment. Discovering those routes helps you make better decisions.

• V — VALUES: Values influence the environment in which you work best and the type of responsibility you find meaningful.

• E — EXPERIENCE: Experience does not only mean previous formal employment; it includes education, volunteering, caring responsibilities, personal projects, sport, and hobbies.

• R — ROADMAP: A roadmap turns ideas into a practical direction, ensuring you leave the Discover stage with clarity rather than unanswered questions.

STAGE 2: BELIEVE

Belief does not mean pretending that every obstacle has disappeared. It means developing enough evidence, confidence and language to take the next realistic step.

• B — BELIEFS: Beliefs influence what you apply for and how you present yourself. The programme helps you examine which beliefs are supported by facts versus difficult circumstances.

• E — EVIDENCE: Evidence gives confidence something solid to stand on. The event helps you identify examples from your life and explain them in a way that demonstrates capability.

• L — LANGUAGE: Language turns hidden capability into words that another person can understand without feeling uncomfortable or false.

• I — INNER VOICE: Your inner voice influences how you respond to rejection. The programme helps you challenge unhelpful thinking without pretending that the difficulties are not real.

• E — EMPLOYER PERSPECTIVE: The event helps you begin seeing the recruitment process from both sides so that you can present yourself more effectively.

• V — VISIBILITY: Ability can remain hidden when nobody sees it. The aim is to help the right people see enough of your potential to consider giving you an opportunity.

• E — EXPECTATIONS: Belief must be supported by appropriate standards. The programme helps you understand what standards you must expect from yourself.

STAGE 3: BECOME

Understanding and confidence matter, but transformation requires action.

• B — BRAND: Your personal brand is the consistent impression created by your attitude, communication, ability, presentation and actions.

• E — EMPLOYABILITY: Employability is the way your skills, attitude and behaviour come together inside a working environment.

• C — COMMUNICATION: Communication affects your CV, applications, and interviews. You do not need to become the loudest person, you just need to become clearer.

• O — OPPORTUNITY: Target your actions to put greater effort into opportunities that genuinely connect with your interests, abilities and direction.

• M — MOMENTUM: Momentum is created through repeated action. Small actions, repeated consistently, can create meaningful transformation.

• E — EXECUTION: Execution is the point at which intention becomes action. Potential changes only when it is activated.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE TWO DAYS?

The 21 elements are brought to life through guided conversations, practical exercises, personal reflection, communication practice, profile development and action planning.

DAY ONE: DISCOVER AND BELIEVE

During the first day, participants begin examining where they are now, what they have experienced, what they can already do and what may be limiting them. They consider what type of future could interest them, how rejection may have affected their confidence, how to describe strengths with evidence and how an employer may currently experience their application.

• The objective of the first day is clarity.

DAY TWO: BECOME AND BE SEEN

The second day moves into practical application, communication and visibility. Participants begin working on their employment direction, personal introduction, CV, supporting evidence, interview responses, professional presentation and personal action plan. They may also begin exploring a Video CV or personal profile.

• The objective of the second day is movement.

WHAT WILL YOU LEAVE WITH?

The event is intended to help each participant leave with a better understanding of their strengths, a clearer employment or training direction and stronger language for explaining what they can offer.

What we can provide is a structured environment in which participants can become more aware, prepared, confident and visible.

CLARITY ➔ CONFIDENCE ➔ COMMUNICATION ➔ VISIBILITY ➔ ACTION

THE EVENT IS THE GATEWAY. THE ROOM IS THE CONTINUING JOURNEY.

The two-day Discover. Believe. Become. event is where the I’M MORE journey begins. The Room is a separate follow-on environment being developed with the support of sponsors, employers, specialists and community partners.

It will give people the opportunity to explore different areas of work, interest and capability. One day may introduce artificial intelligence, technology and coding. Another may focus on construction, practical work or landscaping. Another may explore website development, content creation, social media, film or video.

Sometimes you need to experience different possibilities before one begins to feel right. The Room is intended to place a range of possibilities within reach so that participants can test their interests, develop skills and begin discovering where they could grow.

EXPLORE THE ROOM | SPONSOR SKILLS, EQUIPMENT OR A DESK

PRACTICAL STEPS YOU CAN TAKE NOW

• Research Options: Use the National Careers Service to compare different roles, entry requirements, daily responsibilities and progression routes.

• Search Smart: Use GOV.UK Find a Job, recognised employment platforms, employer websites and established agencies using terms like trainee, junior, entry-level, no experience, and apprentice.

• Explore Apprenticeships: Explore setups that combine paid employment with structured training and a recognised qualification.

• Practice Explaining Experience: Use examples from school, university, volunteering, sport, or family responsibilities using the Situation-Responsibility-Action-Result method.

• Check DWP Support: People receiving Universal Credit can access additional employment, apprenticeship and training support through the Youth Guarantee Journey.

• Take Action: Attend the monthly Discover. Believe. Become. event to shift from searching for opportunities to becoming prepared to pursue them.

FOUNDED AND LED BY BRADLEY Chapman

The Discover. Believe. Become. event is led by Bradley Chapman, founder of I’M MORE. Bradley has spent more than 35 years building businesses, developing people and helping individuals recognise and communicate their potential. He has trained, coached and mentored more than 20,000 people.

During his career, Bradley has worked with businesses, media organisations and individuals connected with high-profile entities and has created documentary film productions distributed through Amazon. Across the organisations and individuals he has advised, Bradley estimates that his work has contributed to approximately £6 billion in combined sales, business valuations and company exits.

I’M MORE brings the employer’s needs and the individual’s capability perspectives together.

READ THE STORY BEHIND I’M MORE 

THIS IS NOT ABOUT BECOMING SOMEBODY ELSE

Employment preparation is not about pretending or creating a false personality. It is about becoming able to recognise and communicate the strongest, most capable and most responsible version of yourself. You do not need to become somebody else to have value. You need to discover what is already there, believe that it can grow and begin becoming visible through action.

YOUR NEXT OPPORTUNITY MAY BEGIN BEFORE THE APPLICATION

Your next opportunity may begin when you recognise a strength you previously ignored, record your first Video CV, or decide that rejection will no longer be the end of your story. A job application asks an employer to make a decision. The I’M MORE journey helps you become more ready for that decision.

DISCOVER. BELIEVE. BECOME.

QUICK LINKS & RESOURCES

• Explore Jobs for 18–24-Year-Olds in Essex

• Read Young People and Work in the UK

• Discover The Shift

• Learn About Video CVs

• Explore The Room

• Reach Out to I’M MORE

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW CAN I GET A JOB WHEN I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE?

Begin by identifying skills and evidence from your education, projects, volunteering, hobbies, caring responsibilities and personal experiences. Apply for relevant entry-level, trainee and apprenticeship positions, tailor each application and practise explaining your experience clearly. Experience does not only come from previous paid employment.

WHY DO I KEEP GETTING REJECTED FOR JOBS?

Rejection can result from competition, the quality of the application, limited evidence, automated screening, availability, location or another applicant being a closer match. It does not automatically mean that you are incapable. Review your CV, target roles more carefully and improve how you demonstrate your relevance.

WHAT SHOULD I PUT ON MY CV IF I HAVE NEVER HAD A JOB?

Include your education, qualifications, projects, volunteering, caring responsibilities, achievements, practical skills, digital capabilities and examples showing responsibility, teamwork or problem-solving. Explain what you did, what abilities you used and what happened as a result.

CAN I GET A GRADUATE JOB WITHOUT WORK EXPERIENCE?

Yes, although competition can be strong. Translate university projects and achievements into evidence of research, communication, problem-solving, organisation and teamwork. Also consider internships, junior roles, trainee positions and higher apprenticeships.

IS THE I’M MORE EVENT A JOB FAIR?

No. It is a two-day personal and employment-development experience. It helps participants understand their strengths, build confidence, communicate more effectively and prepare for opportunities.

WILL ATTENDING THE EVENT GUARANTEE ME A JOB?

No. Employment decisions are made by employers. The event is designed to improve your preparation, confidence, communication, profile and ability to pursue suitable opportunities.

WHO CAN ATTEND THE I’M MORE EVENT?

This employment pathway is designed for people aged 18–24. It includes school leavers, college leavers, graduates, apprenticeship seekers and people currently outside employment.

WHERE IS THE EVENT HELD?

The first events are being developed in Chelmsford. Current dates, venue information, availability and registration details will be published on the main Event page.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE EVENT?

Participants leave with a personal action plan and can engage with relevant I’M MORE opportunities. The Room is being developed as a separate continuing environment for skills exploration and specialist learning.

DO I NEED TO KNOW WHAT CAREER I WANT BEFORE ATTENDING?

No. Many participants may not know which career or sector is right for them. The programme helps people explore their strengths, values, interests and possible routes.

CAN I ATTEND IF I HAVE A UNIVERSITY DEGREE?

Yes. The programme is relevant to graduates who have qualifications but are struggling to gain their first professional opportunity or communicate their transferable skills.

CAN I ATTEND IF I AM ALREADY WORKING?

Yes, where event eligibility permits. Some people may already be employed but want to change direction, improve their confidence or move into a more suitable career.

WHAT IS A VIDEO CV?

A Video CV is a short video introduction that helps an employer see and hear more about who you are, what you can offer and what type of opportunity you are seeking. It can support, but does not replace, a traditional CV.