Trying to Write a Resume without Work Experience? Do This!

When it comes to making the necessary steps for landing your first job,^[1] writing a good resume is a crucial one and yet often is the most confusing. It is difficult enough when you change jobs and already have a career background. Writing a resume with no experience seems hardly possible and a lot of new job-seekers feel completely lost.

However, it doesn’t have to be that hard, as the first resume should be all about your goals and targeted audience. Lack of background, in this case, is not an obstacle. This short guide will help you to follow the basic rules of resume writing and allow you to find out how to make a resume with no experience.

Easy to Perceive

According to a research, a recruiter spends about 6 seconds reviewing a resume.^[2] Thus, the primary goal is to make the content easy to scan and emphasize the important information to increase its visibility. To make a layout clean, the font type should be the same.

The structure will be better if the dates and locations are mentioned. It is a good idea to check some examples of a perfect resume^[3] to get the inspiration for creating your own.

Set Clear Goals

There is a stereotype that young workers might be immature and disorganized. To convince the employers that you are a determined candidate, it is better to indicate clearly your job goals and desires. Try to mention precisely what position you expect to get or, at least, your area of interest. Your skills and education should be closely related to your goals. This will make a resume coherent.

Show Your Strengths… But Stay Honest!

The productivity of a resume does not depend on the amount of material you present, it is all about how you do it. Thus, be sure to concentrate on your strengths and advantages. For example, in an entry level IT resume with no experience, you may emphasize your excellent computer skills (languages, operating systems, networking).

It is also possible to mention your achievements in this area. For instance, resolving technical issues, video editing, creating a website, applications developing etc. Even if it was just your hobby or you helped your friend, it will make a great impression.

Any Experience Matters

Most people who write their first resume already have some job experience, but it is often not related to the area of their interest. It might be babysitting, tutoring, or a part-time job in a shop or a restaurant. They might consider this information useless and avoid putting it on a resume.

In fact, any experience is great and should be mentioned, if you describe it properly. It might be placed in one of the last sections at the bottom of the page. When you mention a job, indicate what skills you’ve gained.^[4] For example, the position of a cashier in a fast food restaurant made you stress resistant, good at multitasking and developed great communicative skills.

High School and College References

As you start your career, it is appropriate to refer to your high school and/or college achievements. It might be the information about scholarships, awards, participation in clubs, sports or being valedictorian.

It is great if these activities are related to the job vacancy, but it is not obligatory. The aim of this section is to present your personality and show all-round development. Including this material will create an image of an active, well-rounded person.

Recommendations

When young job-seekers think about how to write a resume with no experience, they often worry about recommendations section. A career starter is unlikely to have any connections yet and there is no former boss to ask for feedback.

As a solution, a lot of candidates write a line “References available upon request” and hope that it will be ignored. There is no need to waste a resume space like that. The employers may ask about recommendations during the interview and what they might expect from you is a letter from a teacher or a mentor. It could be provided by almost any student. Thus, there is no reason for panic.

Featured photo credit: Andrew Neel via unsplash.com