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Back to Work? U.S. Jobs With No Experience Required

Topics: Career Profiles

Even in a healthy economy, returning to the workforce after being a stay-at-home parent can feel like signing up for a marathon when you haven’t so much as stretched a hamstring in years.

Yet a spouse’s layoff and mounting bills have prompted many at-home parents — the U.S. Census Bureau reports there are 5.5 million of them, predominantly women — to do exactly that.

Ideally, “You need to start building your skills well before you start looking for a job,” says Christine Durst, co-founder and CEO of Staffcentrix, a training firm that helps at-home parents return to the workforce.

Many at-home parents rely on volunteer or temp jobs to revive a dusty resume before they begin pounding the pavement in earnest, Durst says. Same goes for taking a quick adult education class to freshen up those computer skills.

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But what if you didn’t have much employment experience to begin with and can’t afford to train for a new career now? Other than bagging groceries and tidying up dressing rooms, are there jobs with no experience required available for at-home parents who’ve been out of the paycheck game three, five, even 10 years?

Happily, yes. Our list of some of the most accessible gigs for those returning to work after an extended hiatus follows.

Executive secretary or administrative assistant. If your written and verbal communication skills are top-notch and you know your way around word-processing, database, and spreadsheet programs, this could be the job for you. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) considers this one of the country’s largest occupations. To prove your proficiency in any aspect of admin work, Durst suggests using the certification tests on the site BrainBench.com. Average salary for an executive secretary or administrative assistant: $37,931.

Security officer. If you would rather work in a lobby, shopping mall, or museum and don’t mind being on your feet all day, you might consider a security position. “Those never go out of fashion and it’s something that [can’t be outsourced],” says Dr. Laurence Shatkin, author of more than 20 books for job hunters, including “150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs.” According to the BLS, many security jobs offer flexible hours, feature on-the-job training, and require no previous experience. Average salary for a security officer: $35,538.

Pharmacy technician. Are you detail-oriented? Do you enjoy working with the general public? Then you might try your hand behind the pharmacy counter, helping pharmacists prepare prescriptions for patients. According to the BLS, about 71percent of these jobs are found in retail pharmacies, grocery stories, department stores, and mass retailers. Many pharmacies don’t require previous experience and will train you, but they often will require you to take a certification exam every two years. Average salary for a pharmacy technician: $31,919.

Human resources (HR) assistant. “You must be outgoing and discerning for this work,” says Shatkin. In this variation on the administrative theme, he explains, you could help screen job applicants by reviewing resumes or questioning them by phone. And according to the BLS, many HR assistants maintain or retrieve employee salary, benefits, and performance data. As with other administrative jobs, the better your communication and computer skills, the better your odds of landing such a job. Average salary for a human resources (HR) assistant: $39,299.

Personal/home care aide. “What ails the baby boomers aids the healthcare job market,” says Durst. In fact, the BLS considers helping the elderly with their errands, meals, cleaning, dressing, and grooming one of the country’s fastest-growing occupations. As a bonus, one in three home care aides works part time. Many home care aides work through agencies, which often provide on-the-job training, including how to respond to emergencies, the BLS reports; however, some states require additional training. Average salary for a personal/home care aide: $28,503.

Court, municipal, or license clerk. If you’ve never considered working at city hall, the local courthouse, or the DMV, maybe you should. The job outlook is excellent for these positions, says Shatkin. And according to the BLS, city and county governments employ more than twice as many workers — many of them in support roles — as state governments. What’s more, the benefits packages for these government positions with no experience required tend to trump those offered by their private sector counterparts. Average salary for a court, municipal, or license clerk: $33,816.

Police, fire, or ambulance dispatcher. In 2002, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the country had about 87,500 local governments, with many communities served by more than one of them. In other words, the job outlook is good. In fact, the BLS is projecting that dispatcher jobs will have increased by 12.5 percent between 2006 and 2016. And again, because these are government jobs, you can expect a solid benefits package. Average salary for a police, fire, or ambulance dispatcher: $36,019.

Source: Salary data from PayScale.com. The salaries listed are median annual salaries for full-time employees with 5-8 years of experience and include any bonuses, commissions, and profit sharing. For up-to-date salary information, click on each job title to see its listing in the Career Research Center.

Michelle Goodman is a freelance writer and author of “My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire.”

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Yolande Kjellberg
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Yolande Kjellberg

It’s very hard to get a job in the U.S.A

I’m from France and I have a Masters degree in HR plus 10 years of experience. But I have never worked here. Could someone help me? Actually I can also work everyday as volunteer.
Thank you for your help.

P.S: I got my green card.

Penny
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Penny

Sorry, no, these jobs demand years’ worth of verifiable work experience these days – even if you try to go through a TEMP agency.

Iddi Richard Ndayishimiye
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Iddi Richard Ndayishimiye

Hello, I have only a dipomer but no experience in any job. I’m from Burundi and I wuld like to work in the USA, please if ther is anything you can help me I will apreciate.

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