Learn How To Write A Resume With No Job Experience

No Experience Resume Format

If you’re writing a resume for your first job and don’t have any work experience, you’ll need to know how to structure it.

A resume with no experience should have sections for:

Contact information: This is so the reader knows who you are and how to contact you.
Objective statement: This states your goals for the position and what skills you will bring.
Education: This reveals your educational background and related information.
Relevant experience: Even if you never had a paid job, you likely still have valuable experiences, such as school projects, extracurricular activities, internships, and volunteer work.
Skills: Showcasing your skills, especially transferable skills, is crucial to presenting yourself as a valuable candidate.
Additional information: You may have other relevant information to include in your resume, such as certifications, awards, and hobbies.

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Chronological Resume Example
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Combination Resume Example

There are three types of resume formats that vary in how they present your information. They are:

Reverse chronological: The reverse chronological format focuses on the work experience section.
Functional: The functional format focuses on multiple skills sections.
Combination: A combination resume focuses on both the work experience and skills sections.

Traditionally, functional and combination resume formats are recommended for applicants with no experience.

However, in this article, we will show you how to write a reverse chronological resume because this is the format most recruiters and hiring managers expect. Don’t worry! Even if you are looking for your first job, you can still write a great reverse chronological resume.

Before You Write A Resume With No Experience

Preparation is key in resume writing, so before you begin, make sure to take the following actions:

Make a list of your skills and experiences

Just because you lack professional experience, that doesn’t mean you can’t pull valuable information from your past. Consider everything that you have done that can be useful in the workplace, such as:

School projects.
Volunteer work.
Unpaid internships.
Extracurricular activities.
Hobbies.

These types of experiences, along with your educational background, result in a wide variety of skills:

Communication.
Time management.
Organization.
Teamwork.
Creative thinking.
Problem solving.

Look into your past and compile a list of every skill and experience you can imagine having some professional value. You may not use all of them on your resume, but it puts you in the right mindset when you start writing.

Study the job description

The job you are applying for should come with a description that lists all the desired qualifications and responsibilities of the position. This acts as a guide to how you will write your resume.

Take a look at the job description and look for keywords for specific skills and experiences. You will want to try your best to match your own skills and experiences with these keywords.

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Nurse Assistant Resume Example

How To Write A Resume With No Experience

After your prep work, it is time to make your resume. To write a great resume, you will want to follow seven simple steps:

Step One: Contact Information

Your contact information goes at the top of your resume and includes:

Your full name.
Your location (city and state/country).
Your phone number.
Your professional email address.
Your LinkedIn profile and/or any other professional social media.

Please note that a “professional email address” is an email address that is appropriate and professional in tone. An example of a professional email address would be [your first name].[your last name]@fakeemail.com, such as tom.smith@fakeemail.com. Refrain from using any type of silly, inappropriate, or confusing language.

Make sure your contact information stands out and is easy to read without taking up too much valuable space. The reader should be able quickly gather all that they need.

Here is an example of the contact information section on a resume:

Kaytee Winston

San Francisco, CA

(555) 555 – 5555

k.winston.98@fakeemail.com

Step Two: Resume profile, Resume Objective Statement

The resume profile, also known as a resume heading or headline, is a brief statement that introduces yourself and explains why you are qualified for the job. In general, there are two types of resume profiles you can choose:

Resume summary: A resume summary discusses your past work experiences and the most relevant skills or achievements for the job. Therefore, if you are writing a resume with no experience, you will not use the resume summary.
Resume objective: A resume objective reveals why you are applying and what transferable skills and experiences you have to offer. This is what you will want to use when writing a resume with no experience.

The resume objective is your pitch to advertise yourself as an excellent candidate. You will use it to highlight your transferable skills and experiences such as school projects, extracurricular activities, or volunteer work.

A successful resume objective will create a clear picture of your value and what you wish to gain from employment.

Here is an example of a resume objective for a resume:

Current high school graduate seeking to use skills to gain professional experience. An honors student with experience volunteering at the local community center and a passion for helping others.

Step Three: Education

When you write a resume for your first job, you will want to highlight your educational background. Your experience is valuable because it shows your ability to complete tasks and follow through on assignments.

Your education can include:

High school.
College or university.
Night school or continuing education programs.

When it comes to education, list your most recent educational degree or experience. For example, if you are in college, list the name of your school and that you are currently enrolled.

The education section of a resume will contain:

Name of the institution.
Location (city, state/country).
Type of degree.
Area of focus.
Years attended or graduated (optional).
Honors (optional).
Relevant coursework or projects (optional).
GPA (if notable).

Here is an example of the education section on a resume:

Springfield Community College

Springfield, USA

Currently enrolled

Step Four: Relevant Experience

Now it’s time to showcase your experience. You may think you don’t have any, after all, that’s why you are reading this article.

However, there are plenty of life experiences that provide important transferable skills to any professional, such as:

School projects.
Extracurricular activities.
Volunteer work.
Internships.
Hobbies or interests.
Sporting events.
Seminars and conferences.

It’s important to include as much relevant experience as possible on your resume. This builds credibility by providing evidence for your skills. Additionally, it provides important context for the reader to get a better understanding of who you are.

Here is an example of how you would add relevant experience to your resume:

Volunteer

Springfield Community Center

Springfield, USA

March 2022 to November 2022

Managed information desk to help visitors and provide administrative support to community center staff
Collaborated with staff to organize 3 different fundraising events that raised over $5,000 dollars for the center
Entrusted as assistant counselor to staff during 8-week summer camp

Step Five: Skills

There are two types of skills that are included on resumes:

Hard skills: Hard skills relate to specific abilities and are quantifiable. They generally result from specific types of job experiences. Hard skills stand out on resumes, so include your most relevant ones. Examples include technical skills, programming languages, project management software, or certified procedures.
Soft skills: Soft skills are personality traits that influence how you work with others. They are harder to quantify which means they are harder to prove on a resume. However, they are also transferable, which is essential for your resume when you don’t have any experience.

Since you don’t have any experience, all the skills you include will be transferable. This means you can use your skills at a job, even if you learned it somewhere.

Here is an example of listing skills on a resume:

Hard Skills

Proficient in Microsoft Office and Google Suite
Experienced in Adobe Photoshop

Soft Skills

Communication: email, text, phone
Customer service: assistance and conflict resolution
Time management: scheduling and calendar generation
Flexibility: familiar with changing plans during projects

Step Six: Additional Information

Sometimes you may need to include additional sections to your resume to showcase your qualifications better. Such sections include:

Awards.
Certifications.
Volunteer work.
Research projects and publications.
Conferences attended.
Relevant hobbies.

This is a good place to add any additional relevant skills or experience you may have to show that you can be a trusted employee.

For example, if you have taken any training courses or certificate programs, you can include them here.

Tips For Writing A Resume With No Experience

As you write, keep in mind some of the following best practices to make your resume great:

Be consistent and use standard format choices.
Use one-inch margins with single to 1.15 spacings.
Use a professional typeface such as Arial or Times New Roman.
Use 14 to 16-point font for headings and 11 to 12-point for regular text.
Have both DOC and PDF file versions available.
Tailor your resume to the job.
Be applicant tracking system (ATS) friendly.

Key Takeaways

Study the job description and tailor your resume with keywords for skills and experience.
Use relevant experiences, such as school work, extracurricular activities, or volunteer experience, to demonstrate your abilities.
Remember to showcase your transferable skills from previous experiences that you can use for your first job.

Pro Tip:

Use the chronological or reverse-chronological format to make your resume ATS-friendly and easier to read.

No Experience Resume FAQ

Updated: July 20, 2023

Yes. Unless you work at a family member’s business, every employer will ask you for a resume. More importantly, a resume will always benefit you since it demonstrates your seriousness about the position and shows your valuable professional skills and experience.

Nonetheless, a lack of work experience shouldn’t discourage you either — this page teaches you how to write a great no-experience resume based on your professional skills.

Yes! A template for your resume is a great way to ensure it is formatted correctly. Additionally, resume templates will help your resume look more professional.

Save yourself from the headache and let our free and premium resume templates make your next resume look professional and engaging.

Even a teenager needs a resume if they want to get hired. Writing a high school resume comes with its own set of rules, but the key is to focus on a format that highlights your specific skills and experience. The information on this page or our high school resume guide will be helpful in determining how to write your resume for your particular situation.

Soft skills are also known as social skills, core skills or interpersonal skills. These skills are formed and honed during daily interactions with friends, family and colleagues. The most common skills include communication, listening, time management, organizational and collaborative skills and are valuable in collaborative work environments.

Hard skills are experience and expertise in specific tasks or external tools and programs. These skills are developed through frequent use and familiarity with that task. The most common of these skills include computer skills, analytical skills, marketing skills and project management skills.

You can write an effective cover letter with no work experience by talking about academic or even personal experiences that have

Transferable skills are any soft, hard or technical skills that allow you to perform different jobs in multiple industries.

For example, let’s say you developed communication skills when you were a member of the debate team in school. You can highlight this transferable skill in your resume if you’re applying for a receptionist job, even if you haven’t worked in that position before.

Why? Because communication skills are useful when you’re greeting clients, scheduling appointments, and relaying important messages. The importance of transferable skills lies in showcasing your ability to be an adaptable employee no matter the job you’re doing

You can write an effective cover letter with no work experience by talking about academic or even personal experiences that have shaped you into a skillful professional.

A cover letter is a document that complements your resume by expanding on the experiences you mention in your resume. This document gives you more space to explain how you developed each skill beyond a simple list of phrases. That makes it an excellent choice for candidates with no experience since it gives you a chance to communicate your achievements thoroughly.

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Conor McMahon, CPRW

Conor is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) for Hloom.com. He has over three years of professional writing experience as well as experience in professional development training. As a member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches (PARWCC) Conor has written on career development topics ranging from resume and cover letter best practices, employer/employee communication, job seeking help, and more. He received his degree in Music Industry at Northeastern University and plays guitar in his free time.

How To Write A Resume With No Experience - Template, Guide, Examples

No Experience Resume Format

Before You Write A Resume With No Experience