What should employers look for when recruiting young people?
When recruiting young people, employers should look beyond previous experience and focus on attitude, potential, natural strengths and willingness to learn. Sometimes, the person who doesn’t have the perfect CV just needs someone to give them a chance.
By Benjamin AspinallUK Operations Manager, Motorhome Pig
· Last updated 19 October 2026 · 7 min read
Summary: Benjamin Aspinall, UK Operations Manager at Halifax motorhome brokerage Motorhome Pig, sets out five lessons on recruiting young people drawn from a day meeting jobseekers at a local jobs fair. His view is that, wherever the skills for a role can be taught, attitude, potential, natural strengths and a willingness to learn matter more than previous experience, and employers need to meet nervous or inexperienced candidates halfway.
Employers recruiting young people should look for attitude, potential, personality, natural strengths and a willingness to learn rather than a long CV. Some jobs do require qualifications or specialist experience, but where the skills can be taught, a young candidate without experience can be a strong hire. Interviewers also need to draw quieter candidates out and sell the business to them.
I’m Benjamin Aspinall, UK Operations Manager at Motorhome Pig, and recruitment is a pretty big part of my role. Some weeks I’ll conduct as many as 10 interviews as our family-run business continues to grow here in Halifax.
Recently, my colleague Malachy and I spent the day meeting around 10 jobseekers at a local jobs fair. All but one were under 25 and all were currently unemployed.
Some knew exactly what they wanted to do. Some needed a bit more encouragement to come out of their shell. And a couple walked in and immediately made us smile.
It reinforced something we’ve learnt while building the team at Motorhome Pig: you can teach someone a lot of things, but finding a good person with the right attitude is often the best place to start.
Here are five things I took away from the day.
- Experience is not the only signal. Where a role can be trained, a young person with the right attitude is worth hiring.
- Ask what they are naturally good at, not just whether they have done the job before.
- Confidence is not the same as potential. A quiet or nervous candidate may be very different once trained and part of a team.
- Recruitment works both ways. Candidates are deciding whether they want to work for the business too.
- Someone has to give people their first chance. If employers only hire people who have done the same job elsewhere, nobody gets a start.
1. Should you hire a young person without experience?
Yes, if it is a role where the employer can train them and they have the right attitude. Motorhome Pig has recruited people whose previous jobs included Nando’s, a chicken burger van and selling dog-grooming courses. Some jobs need qualifications or specialist experience, but for plenty of roles, insisting on prior experience means missing out on brilliant people.
Absolutely - if it’s a role where you can train them and they’ve got the right attitude.
This was something we found ourselves saying to candidates throughout the day: don’t worry if you’ve never worked in motorhomes or sales before.
Our team is proof that it doesn’t have to matter.
We’ve recruited people whose previous jobs included Nando’s, a chicken burger van and even selling dog-grooming courses. It’s a pretty eclectic bunch, and that’s something we really like about Motorhome Pig.
We don’t expect somebody to arrive knowing everything. Give us a nice person with a good attitude and we can teach the rest.
Obviously, some jobs require qualifications or specialist experience. But for plenty of roles, businesses could be missing out on brilliant people because they’re looking for somebody who’s already been given the opportunity they’re now applying for.
Everyone has to get their first chance somewhere.
2. How do you find out what somebody is actually good at?
For someone at the start of their career, “Have you done this job before?” is not always the most useful interview question. It is more revealing to find out what they are naturally good at: whether they love talking to people, are creative, enjoy data, are organised, and what they would like to get better at.
One of the nice things about the day was discovering how different everyone was once we got talking.
One candidate was an artist who wanted to pursue something creative or marketing-related. Another was really data-driven and analytical and knew she’d like a role that played to that. Others were looking more towards administration and customer service.
When someone’s at the beginning of their career, I don’t think the most useful question is always: “Have you done this job before?”
I’d rather find out what they’re naturally good at.
Do they love talking to people? Are they creative? Do they enjoy getting stuck into data? Are they really organised? What gets them talking? What would they like to get better at?
Somebody might not know exactly what they want to be doing in five years - plenty of us didn’t at that age - but you can still spot the qualities that could make them great at something.
3. Is confidence the same as potential?
No. Confident, cheeky candidates make an instant impression, but many young jobseekers are much quieter and may have had hardly any interviews. Someone being nervous or quiet for half an hour does not show what they will be like once they are comfortable, trained and part of a team, so employers have to meet them halfway.
There were a couple of people who really stuck in our minds.
We sat down at Ethan’s table and the first thing he said was: “So, you’re the Pigs then!”
We loved it. He’d remembered us, he was excited to chat and there was an instant bit of rapport.
Another candidate was really confident and, just before we left, told us: “Don’t forget to hire me!”
That bit of cheekiness went down well with Malachy and me because it showed personality and confidence.
But not everybody is going to walk into a jobs fair like that.
A lot of the candidates we met were much quieter, and with some of them we had to ask plenty of questions to get the conversation going.
I’m used to interviews but a young person looking for their first proper opportunity might have done hardly any.
So I think employers have to meet people halfway.
Someone being nervous or quiet for half an hour doesn’t necessarily tell you what they’ll be like when they’re comfortable, trained and part of a team. Sometimes you’ve got to do a little digging to find the good stuff.
4. Are candidates deciding whether they like you too?
Yes. Recruitment is not just an employer asking “Why should I hire you?”. Candidate number seven deserves the same energy as candidate number one, and the business has to give people a reason to want to work there. At the jobs fair, Motorhome Pig’s local, family-run roots, technology and rewards scheme all sparked interest.
This was a big one for me.
If you’ve already had five or six conversations that day and none of them have quite clicked, it’s easy for your energy to start dropping.
But candidate number seven hasn’t had those conversations. They’re meeting you for the first time - and they could be brilliant.
So it’s important to keep the same energy and give everybody a fair shot.
And remember: you’re trying to impress them too.
Most of the people we met didn’t know much about Motorhome Pig beforehand. A few remembered the name - which we’ll absolutely take! - but they didn’t necessarily know what happened behind it.
Once we explained that we’re a local, family-run business with big ambitions, people seemed genuinely excited by that. Some hadn’t realised we were based just around the corner in Halifax.
Our technology and use of AI sparked interest too, as did our rewards and recognition scheme.
It was a good reminder that recruitment shouldn’t just be an employer asking, “Why should I hire you?”
You’ve got to give somebody a reason to think, “I’d actually really like to work there.”
5. Why give young people a chance?
Because if employers only ever recruit people who have already done the same job somewhere else, nobody gets a start. One Motorhome Pig salesperson previously worked on a chicken burger van and has since become one of the business’s leading salespeople, handling motorhome sales worth millions of pounds each month.
If there was one thing I’d have loved to see a little more of, it was people who were simply up for giving something a go.
A lot of candidates were looking predominantly for admin roles. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but when I’m recruiting I love meeting someone who enjoys talking to people, has a bit of energy about them and is open to seeing where an opportunity might take them.
At the same time, businesses have to be prepared to provide that opportunity in the first place.
Every person we met that day was unemployed. If employers only ever recruit people who’ve already done the exact same job somewhere else, how is somebody supposed to get their start?
We’ve seen what can happen when you give someone that chance.
One member of our team came to Motorhome Pig having previously worked on a chicken burger van. He’s since developed into one of our leading salespeople, handling motorhome sales worth millions of pounds each month.
That’s the sort of progression we’re proud of.
He didn’t arrive with years of motorhome experience. He arrived with something we could build on.
So, what should employers look for when hiring young people?
Attitude, potential, personality, natural strengths and a willingness to learn. Experience matters for some jobs, but where the skills can be taught, a long CV should not be the only way a young person can prove they are worth taking a chance on.
For me, it’s attitude, potential, personality, natural strengths and a willingness to learn.
Experience matters for some jobs, of course. But if the skills can be taught, don’t make a long CV the only way somebody can prove they’re worth taking a chance on.
Ask enough questions to find out what makes them tick. Don’t write somebody off because they’re nervous. Keep an open mind about where they’ve come from. And remember to show them why your business might be a good place for them to grow too.
At Motorhome Pig, the team has grown quickly and come from all sorts of places. That’s part of what makes it what it is.
Sometimes your next brilliant employee doesn’t need the perfect CV. They just need someone to spot what they could become.
FAQs about recruiting young people
What should employers look for when hiring a young person with no experience?
Look for attitude, willingness to learn, communication skills, natural strengths and genuine interest in the opportunity. If the skills required for the role can be taught, somebody's lack of direct experience doesn't necessarily reflect their potential.
How should you interview a young person with little work experience?
Don't base the whole conversation around previous jobs. Ask what they're good at, what they enjoy, what interests them and situations where they've shown useful qualities. And be prepared to draw them out - a nervous interview doesn't necessarily mean a poor candidate.
Is attitude more important than experience when recruiting?
It depends on the job. Some roles genuinely require specific qualifications or experience. But where the skills can be taught, a great attitude and willingness to learn can give an employer something very valuable to build on.
How can small businesses attract young employees?
Give candidates a reason to be excited about the business. Talk about the people, culture, opportunities to learn and progress and where the company is going - not just the list of responsibilities in the job description. Recruitment works both ways.
About Benjamin Aspinall
Benjamin Aspinall is UK Operations Manager at Motorhome Pig, a family-run motorhome brokerage based in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Ben regularly recruits for its growing 21-person local team and helps bring new people into a business where attitude, development and giving people an opportunity matter. Meet the rest of the team.
Keep reading
A Halifax team that came from all sorts of places
If you're thinking of selling your motorhome, these are the people who'll look after it.
No upfront cost · No sale, no fee · One central UK team, 7 days a week