6 examples of jobs you can do with no experience

It’s pretty hard to get experience of working in a bar, restaurant or hotel without actually doing it, which means that these roles make good options for those without previous work experience. It’s not a coincidence that many of your favourite cafes or bars are staffed by younger Kiwi – these positions typically make great student jobs because they require little to no experience.

Of course, there are exceptions to this. You’re unlikely to be able to land a job in a really high end restaurant or fancy cocktail bar if you don’t have experience, as these places typically require a certain level of specialisation. But, ultimately, those establishments tend to be the exceptions, rather than the rule, meaning there are plenty of no experience hospitality jobs out there.

Nearly all businesses, and many private individuals, employ professional cleaners to keep their premises or homes looking spick and span. Like customer service jobs, cleaning roles often involve a lot of learning as you go, meaning that you don’t need to have much, or any, experience when you first start.

If you work for a cleaning business that takes care of other businesses’ offices, chances are you’ll be working with at least one other person, or perhaps you’ll work with a colleague for the first few shifts, until you feel comfortable going it alone. One of the great things about these cleaning roles is that there are often a variety of different shifts you can take on, allowing you to fit your work around the rest of your life.

It’s pretty common to see construction and roading roles advertised on Trade Me Jobs, where the employer is happy to take on staff who don’t have previous experience.

Again, these entry level roles will involve lots of on the job training, and you’ll usually be working in large teams, so there will be plenty of experienced folks on hand to oversee what you’re doing and, importantly, ensure you stay safe.

Because there’s so much to learn in these roles, and plenty of different specialisations you can follow, construction and roading positions make for great first jobs from which you can launch your career. What’s more, as you start to climb the career ladder, you'll find that construction and roading positions can be very well paid – win win!

With the proliferation of services like Uber Eats, DoorDash and Delivereasy, there’s an almost constant need for delivery drivers, particularly in larger centres such as centres like Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Nearly all delivery driver roles require no previous experience, meaning that, as long as you have a means of getting from A to B quickly (a car, bike or perhaps even an e-scooter), you should be good to go.

A real benefit of working these types of delivery jobs is that you’re usually free to work as and when you want. This means you can fit work easily around the other things that are going on in your life, or only work during periods when you know there’s going to be high demand.

Professional landscaping or gardening roles often work similarly to construction jobs in the way that new-starters get trained up as they go.

While you’ll need a certain amount of physical fitness to be able to do this kind of work, there’s a lot to like about it. Firstly, you’ll be outside, so if the thought of a desk job makes you want to run for the hills, this could be a great avenue to explore. In addition, you’ll typically work in teams, meaning that landscaping and gardening jobs can be fun and sociable environments to work in. Finally, once you’ve worked your way up, there are also opportunities to earn good money, or start a business of your own, giving you the freedom to work on your schedule and only take on projects that interest you.