Resume Without Experience
Experience - what every employer wants, but most candidates who are new to the workforce don’t have. Learning how to write a resume without experience is essential in successfully entering the workforce and landing your first job. Here are a few tips on how to put together yours.
How To Write a Resume With No Experience
1. Use Proper Structuring
When building a resume, no matter how much job experience you have, it needs to be impeccably formatted. Otherwise, it will be difficult for a potential employer or recruiter to read, resulting in them disqualifying you immediately.
You can work with several professional resume formats, but the most important aspect is ensuring the resume is easy to read. Resumes will typically feature the following divided into legible sections:
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Contact information
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Summary
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Skills
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Relevant work experience
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Education/Certifications
2. The Summary
At the top of your resume, provide a quick summary of who you are as a worker. You can even touch on your career goals and what you would bring to the company - tailoring it to the position you’re applying for. Don’t get wordy here, though - instead, be concise and confident.
3. Present Relevant Experience
You should include any relevant experience you have for the job, even if it's from a part-time position you worked in college or volunteer work you did back home. Look to tailor your experience to the position and avoid adding irrelevant information.
4. Utilize Keywords
Certain words stand out more to employers when they are reviewing resumes. Try to use these words to make your resume more noticeable to the hiring manager - including them will also help you stick out to the applicant tracking system.
Review the job description and include words highlighted under the “Must Have” section to better match up with what the employer is looking for (but only if you have that experience or skill). Below are some of the more general keywords to include in your resume:
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Problem-solving
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Leader
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Punctuality
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Team building
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Organized
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Eager
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Analytical
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Attentive
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Enthusiastic
5. Tailor It for the Job
It takes extra time and effort, but tailoring and editing your resume for the specific position you are applying to can help you get noticed and hired!
The best way to do this is to take keywords and hints from the job posting (as mentioned in the keyword section above).
If the job description says you need leadership qualities, state that you’re an excellent leader. If the job posting says people need to be timely, express your punctuality. This helps you appear as the ideal candidate in the employer’s eyes.
6. Emphasize Your Education
Without the necessary work experience, you want to emphasize another important aspect of your background, your education.
Rather than just writing "High School Graduate” or “Masters in Business”, you can detail your excellent grades and classes that taught you relevant skills for the position.
7. Mention Key Skills
This ties into using keywords and tailoring the resume toward the job. Create a list in the skills section that showcases what you have to bring to the table, whether soft or hard skills.
These include scriptwriting, APA or MLA formatting and citing, Microsoft Excel skills, finance knowledge, legal knowledge, and other learned skills that will set you apart from other applicants. You’re trying to sell yourself and your skills as assets to the company.
8. Add relevant Sections
Without much work experience, you might need to get a little creative to fill out your single paged resume fully. Consider including any of the following sections if you have the experience:
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Volunteer Experience
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Mentoring
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Projects
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Internships
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Extracurriculars
9. Compose a Cover Letter (Optional)
A cover letter is optional for many jobs, but it could give you a leg up on other applicants. It allows you to speak directly to the hiring manager, recruiter, or employer and express why you’re the perfect candidate.
Related:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Do I need a resume for my first job?
Any decent job will require a resume. Even if the employer doesn’t ask for one, which is very unusual, provide a resume as it shows professionalism and eagerness.
How long should a new grad's resume be?
At this point in your career (as it kicks off), your resume should fit on one page - keeping things concise and clear. This is because, as a recent graduate, you likely have limited work experience and should focus on highlighting your education, skills, and relevant coursework or internships.
A one-page resume allows you to present this information clearly and concisely without overwhelming the reader with too much information.
That being said, there may be exceptions to this rule depending on the specific job you are applying for and the relevant experience you have. If you have a significant amount of pertinent experience or accomplishments, it may be appropriate to have a longer resume. However, in most cases, a one-page resume is sufficient for a new graduate.
Should I include references?
Nowadays, most resumes say ‘references available upon request’ somewhere near the bottom. This is an excellent practice to keep your resume neat and devoid of unnecessary information. But have references ready in case they ask.
Should I put recent graduate on a resume?
As a recent graduate we don't typically recommend including the fact that you are a recent graduate on your resume. This is something that can be discussed during the interview process.
Save room for what matters on a resume. It's more important to focus on your work experience and relevant accomplishments to the role.
“Referrals are 5x more effective than all other means of hiring.”
— Legal Jobs
Wrapping Up | How to Write a Resume For a Job With No Experience
Entering the workforce can be intimidating, especially without the proper work experience. But building out a solid resume can help make yourself an appealing candidate.
Keep things short, but also be persuasive in your writing.
While this article provides some general details about how to put a resume together, there’s another resource we built that will guide you step-by-step in creating your resume. You can find that article here: How to Write a Resume (Complete Guide)
If you leave this task to a professional resume writer, we recommend this service. They do great work and even provide a free resume review before having you commit.
Best of luck in the job search!
Title: How to Write a Resume Without Any Experience
Category: Resume Resources
Tags: how to write a resume for a job with no experience, how to write a resume with no job experience, how to make a resume for first job, do i need a resume for my first job, resume without experience
Co-Author: Becky is a contributor for theJub. She’s a writing and talent acquisition specialist who loves to apply her skills through creative writing and editing.
