In order to safely provide training during the pandemic, First Step is holding 6-week long virtual classes for women interested in working in the human services field. If you have questions about our virtual training or if you would like to sign up for an Informational Session, please call 347-731-2339. Or scan this code:
First Step Job Training Program
First Step helps homeless and low-income women gain the skills, experience and confidence needed to find living-wage jobs.
In order to safely provide training during the pandemic, First Step is holding 6-week long virtual classes for women interested in working in the human services field. If you have questions about our virtual training or if you would like to sign up for an Informational Session, please call 347-731-2339. Or scan this code:
The majority of those living in NYC homeless shelters are families — mostly single mothers and their children. These women face a tremendous array of obstacles to stability, including a lack of full-time employment, low educational attainment, and self-esteem shattered by domestic abuse.
The Coalition’s First Step Job Training Program was launched in 1991 to give homeless and low-income women the training, social support, education and work experience they need to overcome those obstacles, empowering them to build a better life for themselves and their families.
First Step offers six 14-week classes serving roughly 200 women per year. Our innovative curriculum includes over 100 hours of computer instruction, along with literacy workshops, communication and interpersonal skills development, and other hands-on activities that give students a thorough and practical understanding of the job market and workplace. First Step also places students in internships with major corporations or non-profit organizations, and offers ongoing mentoring by experienced professionals.
First Step’s success derives from our holistic approach: We provide the skills training critical to succeed in an office environment, along with the social service support our students need to prosper in their personal lives. We also provide a lifetime of post-graduate services, including job placement assistance, ongoing mentoring from staff and volunteers, support groups, additional training seminars, and numerous networking opportunities with alumni and business professionals.
If you have questions about First Step or if you would like to sign up for an Informational Session, please call 212-776-2074.
How You Can Help
Individuals
- Student Mentor
- Mock Interviewer
- Guest Lecturer
We also accept donations of new or dry-cleaned work attire for women.
Organizations
Join some of NYC’s most renowned corporations, non-profits and law firms by:
- Hosting a Corporate Day.
- Providing internships to students.
- Providing employment to graduates.
How to Get a Job with No Experience: A Job Seeker’s Guide
You can land a job without any experience. Use these strategies to submit your applications with confidence.
Whether you are a first-time job seeker or a career switcher hoping to pivot to a new field, the job search can be equal measures exciting and nerve-racking. A new career is in sight, but how do you get it, especially when you lack relevant experience or have no experience at all?
If you’ve been asking yourself this question, then this article is for you.
Here, you will find eight tips on how to get a job without experience, including actionable explanations and concrete examples to help you get started.
Your next job could be right around the corner, read on to find out how to land it.
How to get a job without experience: tips and examples
A lack of experience doesn’t mean you can’t land a job. It just means you have to go about the job search strategically. The following eight tips have been crafted to help you do just that.
1. Aim for entry-level positions.
Entry-level jobs are the earliest positions on a career path. Unlike more senior positions, entry-level jobs don’t expect applicants to possess years of professional experience. As a result, focusing your search on entry-level positions will improve your chances of getting a job that can lead to something even bigger.
There are several ways you can find entry-level positions online:
- Go to a job platform and search “entry-level [job name].” For example, someone looking for an entry-level marketing position might search “entry-level marketing” on LinkedIn.
- Research the title of a specific, entry-level position in a field that interests you and search a job listing site for that title. For example, someone might search “junior marketer” on FlexJobs.
- Go to the job listing page of a business or company that interests you and search for any available entry-level positions.
2. Tailor your resume.
Your resume is your opportunity to highlight the value you can bring to your next employer. But, not all employers require the same skills, experience, or qualifications – even if they are advertising for the same position.
Employers have different needs and will highlight different aspects of a position on a job description. As a result, it is important that you tailor your resume to each specific position to which you are applying in order to improve your chances of getting an interview.
To tailor your resume, follow the steps below:
1. Create a “master” resume with the qualifications, experiences, and skills you feel need to be highlighted in the type of position you are interested in.
2. Once you have identified positions that interest you, read through each job description and highlight the skills, experiences, and qualifications that match your own for that specific position.
3. Tailor your “master” resume for each job by highlighting the specific skills and experiences that were emphasized by their respective job postings. Try to mirror the language used, when possible, to help get through automated hiring tools like applicant tracking systems.
4. Tailor your cover letter by highlighting the same skills and experience you highlighted in your resume, again using similar phrasing to the job.
5. Apply and repeat for future positions.
3. Highlight your transferable skills.
Your transferable skills are the skills you bring with you from one job to another. These can be everything from technical (“hard”) skills like coding and wireframing to sought-after personal (“soft”) skills like communication, problem solving, and the ability to deal with complexity and ambiguity.
When you lack prior work experience in a field, highlighting your relevant transferable skills is a good way to demonstrate your value to an employer. For example, someone applying for an entry-level IT support job might highlight the communication skills they previously developed in a sales position or as a member of their high school debate club.
Whether you realize it or not, you likely already possess some of the skills you need to do your next job, even if you haven’t worked in the field before.
4. Emphasize your education and extracurriculars.
Work experience isn’t the only thing that prepares us for a job – our previous education and extracurricular activities do too.
If you lack relevant work experience, consider emphasizing the skills you developed through your studies or as a part of an organization. For example, someone applying to an entry-level UX design position might emphasize the specific skills they learned in design-oriented courses they took as an undergraduate. A recent high-school graduate applying for a job as a server might highlight the communication skills they honed as a member of a community leadership organization.
5. Build experience by interning, volunteering, or doing it yourself.
If you are struggling to identify any relevant skills that prepare you for your dream job, consider interning or volunteering at an organization that could provide the necessary experience.
Through internships and volunteer opportunities, you can familiarize yourself with the field and gain an understanding of day-to-day tasks, while also padding your resume with relevant experience.
For instance, someone looking to find work as a project manager might volunteer at a charity that organizes citywide cleanup efforts to gain experience working on large-scale projects. An aspiring social media manager, meanwhile, might intern with the marketing manager of a start-up to get hands-on experience handling a business’s social media accounts.
You can take matters into your own hands by working on a portfolio that showcases your abilities. This can be a good way to highlight your abilities to potential employers with real-world examples.
6. Build a network.
Your personal network has the potential to be one of the best ways to find job opportunities and actually meet face-to-face with employers.
A 2018 study by the HR consulting firm Randstad USA found that although different age groups tended to use different channels to find job openings, people of all ages agreed that their personal networks were paramount to finding employment [1]. In addition to providing references, network contacts can also let you know about openings before they are advertised.
Whether you already have an established network or not, you should make a habit of taking time to build and nurture relationships with contacts throughout your career. Some common ways to connect with people in an industry that interests you include:
- Attending industry networking events
- Reaching out to companies or individuals in the industry directly
- Creating your own group focused on the industry
7. Take courses to build in-demand skills.
Another way to build your skills and qualifications is to take educational courses, obtain a professional certificate, or pursue a degree.
Today, there are many options available to help you further develop your skillsets. While community colleges provide cost-effective courses and associate degree programs, four-year colleges offer the opportunity to study a subject in-depth and obtain a bachelor’s degree. Professional certificates, meanwhile, train individuals in a specific skillset, such as Cybersecurity.
Many universities and organizations also offer online educational opportunities. Coursera, for instance, has partnered with over 170 leading organizations and universities to provide over 7,000 world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs. You can even earn a degree online from such world-class universities as the University of Pennsylvania.
8. Keep at it and evaluate your tactics.
Every job search is different. While some might land a job in a few weeks, others find that it can take many months. A 2018 study suggests that the average time it takes to get a job is over five months, but in some cases, it can be even longer [2].
There are many factors that can impact the job search, so don’t get disheartened if it’s taking longer than expected. You can get a job. However, you might consider adjusting your strategy. For example, perhaps you should spend more time growing your personal network. Or, you might consider getting an internship or taking an educational course.
Empower yourself by being proactive during your job search.
