Success Story
New York, USA
Susana has taken part in our Get Hired program twice – once as a jobseeker and then again, just one year later, as a recruiting employer.
Susana, 25, from the US works as a youth development coordinator with a New York nonprofit organization, supporting school students with life skills and college readiness. She got the role – her first salaried job – after taking part in our first ever Get Hired program in the US.
“In New York it’s very difficult to find someone to hire you, it’s extremely competitive… Employers are often not willing to take a chance on young people because they have a fear of them not having experience.” Susana explains. “The King’s Trust event connected me with the company I now work for. It bridged that relationship.”
Launched in 2024, Get Hired is delivered through our partner City Year. It connects work-ready young jobseekers with employers that have entry-level vacancies, and prepares candidates for interview success. The program targets young AmeriCorps members who are concluding their year of service with City Year, earning a modest stipend, and are looking to move into paid work.
“Get Hired is a good opportunity to build yourself up professionally and to build relationships and connect with employers,” Susana explains. “The program lets you build those relationships then and there with multiple people in one day, and it prepares you to represent yourself in the best way.”
During their service year, many Get Hired participants, like Susana, helped City Year deliver our Enterprise Challenge program in schools in high-need communities, enabling students to build entrepreneurship and teamwork skills. The Get Hired program reflects City Year’s commitment to investing in these young leaders, supporting Corps members to leverage the skills they have built and to transition from a service year to full-time employment.
For Susana, the program forged the connection that provided her pathway into work. After honing her resume and interview skills on day one, she signed up for interviews with several participating employers on day two, and one promptly called her back. Susana didn’t pursue the opportunity immediately due to study commitments, but proactively followed up a few months later. Drawing on the skills and confidence she’d gained, she successfully interviewed for her current job.
“Before, interviews would make me anxious”, Susana recalls. “Since doing that program, with the tips and the practice from doing four or five interviews in one day, I can walk in and be confident… When I did my interview for this job, I think my performance was higher because of that practice.”
Susana was one of 25 participants in our first Get Hired event, and 21 were in work or training within three months of the event. Building on this success, in 2025 we expanded Get Hired to run in Detroit and Chicago as well as New York.
Susana returned to Get Hired, this time representing her new employer, and a second young candidate joined her organization. Having experienced the program twice from two different perspectives, she highlights the value of the connection opportunities it offers employers as well as jobseekers.
“Get Hired allows recruiters who are specifically looking for young candidates for junior roles to spend time in that space and connect with potential recruits,” Susana explains. “It’s good for employers to meet lots of young people especially when, like us, you are looking for people with a combination of skillsets.”
