Episode 43: Starting Work - Getting work with no experience

In this episode, Amal speaks with Minnie from Invictus Wellbeing about one of the biggest challenges young people face: how to get work experience when you don’t have any yet.

They unpack why entry-level roles still demand experience, how repeated rejection can knock your confidence, and what counts as experience beyond paid jobs - from caring for family and school projects to gaming, volunteering, and running social media.

Minnie shares practical, accessible ways to build “micro‑experiences”, translate hidden skills into employer language, and protect your mental health along the way. The conversation also looks at how schools, colleges, and employers can change the system so opportunities don’t just depend on who you know or how much money you have.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why getting experience feels so hard - and why it’s not your personal failure
• How to recognise hidden skills in everyday life (home, school, gaming, caring)
• Micro‑experiences: small steps that build a real CV and portfolio
• Coping with rejection and protecting your mental health
• The role of confidence and why you shouldn’t wait to feel “ready”
• Alternative routes into work: apprenticeships, traineeships, freelancing & more
• How schools, colleges, and employers can remove the “no experience” barriers

---

Useful Links for Young People

You can add these to your show notes as appropriate:

• UK Work Experience & Careers Support

  • Youth Employment UK – guides on skills, work experience and youth‑friendly employers: https://www.youthemployment.org.uk
  • Prospects (careers advice, CV tips, work experience ideas): https://www.prospects.ac.uk
  • National Careers Service (job profiles, CV and interview help – England): https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk

• Apprenticeships, Traineeships & Alternative Routes

  • Apprenticeships (England): https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk
  • UCAS apprenticeships hub: https://www.ucas.com/apprenticeships
  • Princes Trust – employability and enterprise programmes: https://www.princes-trust.org.uk

• Volunteering & Social Action

  • Destination: https://destination.org.uk
  • Do‑it (volunteering search): https://doit.life
  • Volunteering Matters: https://volunteeringmatters.org.uk

• Mental Health & Wellbeing

  • YoungMinds (mental health support for young people): https://www.youngminds.org.uk

This project is a part of Wellness Work programme funded by One Community Foundation Kirklees https://one-community.org.uk/ and is being delivered in partnership with TSL Kirklees https://tslkirklees.org.uk/ and Kirklees Council https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/default.aspx.  

Wellness Works Small Grants is part of Healthy Working Life, a joint programme of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board. Healthy Working Life aims to deliver the region’s work and health plan and its vision for West Yorkshire to have the healthiest residents and workforce in England by 2040.

 

Don't forget to subscribe for new episodes or sign up to the Destination information & opportunities web-app for teens and young adults at www.destination.org.uk where you can find loads of useful life-benefiting content for young people.    

You can also follow up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/whatthefridaypod/ or TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@whatthefridaypod(@WhatTheFridayPod)

Special thanks to Locala and Kirklees College for supporting this episode, Jimi for editing and Youth Social www.youthsocial.co.uk for pulling everything together.

Finally special thanks for Paul A Jackson for the music.