How to Make a Resume With No Experience (+Examples +Tips)

1. Prepare to write a no experience resume.
2. Choose a format for your first resume.
3. Pick a template for no work experience.>
4. Add your contact information to your no experience resume.
5. Highlight your strengths in a no experience resume objective.
6. Make a no experience resume skills section.
7. Emphasize your education in your beginner resume.
8. Add a section for licenses and certifications if needed.
9. Add relevant experience to your first job resume template.
10. Add optional sections to enhance your no experience resume.
11. Proofread and save your first resume.

STEP 1Prepare to make a resume with no experiencee

Preparation is essential when making a first time resume. Having your job information ready will save you time in the long run so you can put your best foot forward with confidence.

To prepare a beginner resume, take a close look at the job description and make note of the requirements.

Then think carefully and honestly about what you offer; you might be surprised! 

You could discover that you picked up skills and work experience to add to your no experience resume through

• School activities such as sports or the school orchestra.
• Clubs or organizations, like student council or sorority/fraternity.
• Community activities, such as volunteering at a soup kitchen.

As you reflect on your experiences, make note of awards, honors and other significant accomplishments like graduating magna cum laude or achieving the title of student body president. Consider the skills you gained through those experiences, especially soft skills, such as time management, and hard skills like research.

While you’re at it, make a list of your transferable skills, which are attributes that you can use for most jobs across industries. Examples of transferable skills are flexibility, critical thinking, problem-solving, adaptability and interpersonal skills such as communication. Transferable skills are useful beginner skills for a resume.

Next, match all those skills and experiences you have acquired and your unique personality with the job requirements.

STEP 2 Choose a format for your first resume

Now that you’ve identified your job qualifications, here’s a secret on how to make a resume with no experience that many students and first-time job seekers don’t know about: You have to choose a suitable resume format before you can begin to make a resume for the first time.

There are three standard formats: chronological, functional and combination. Each one uses the same essential resume sections but organizes them differently.

The best resume format for a beginner resume is the functional resume format because it emphasizes skills over work experience. Many functional templates for first time resumes allow space for more than one skills section, so you can display a breadth of skills.

STEP 4 Add your contact information to your no experience resume

When you make a resume with no experience, it’s imperative that your contact information is up to date and easy to find. Always put it at the top, in the header of the no work experience resume template you choose.

Include your:

STEP 5Highlight your strengths in a no experience resume objective

Every resume needs a summary or objective statement. For a beginner resume, we recommend a no experience resume objective, which is a two- to three-sentence statement that explains your job goal and highlights some of the valuable skills you offer. You could write a professional summary for a resume with no experience, but an objective works best for beginners because it states your career goals and intentions for the role.

For example:

Notice how this example objective for a resume with no experience displays a mix of hard (“Educate”) and soft skills (“Outstanding listening and speaking skills”) and technical knowledge (“Adept in Montessori teaching methodologies”). It also tells the potential employer exactly what the job applicant’s goals are, such as “Aims to educate students… while inspiring them.”

STEP 6Make a no experience resume skills section

Since you don’t have professional work experience, you have to let your skills carry you on your first resume, so put them directly below your resume objective where recruiters and hiring managers can see them right away.

We’ve already pointed out that soft skills are a big hit with employers, so if you lack technical skills for the job, play up the soft skills that can help you succeed in the role.

According to Nicky Garcia of talent management company Cappfinity, the top five most valuable soft skills employers want to see on beginner resumes in 2023 are:

• Curiosity: Potential employers want you to ask questions, investigate how things work and be excited about new experiences because it shows initiative. To display curiosity, you might highlight skills such as problem-solving, research or process improvement.
• Learning agility: Hiring managers love it when new employees can pick up new knowledge and skills quickly. To show you are an agile learner, add skills to your no experience resume like decision making and the ability to juggle multiple projects.
• Growth mindset: A growth mindset is a great asset to any company because it conveys persistence and the desire to overcome challenges. Skills such as risk-taking, the ability to see the “big picture” and a drive for self-development convey a growth mindset.
• Critical analysis: Potential employers want new hires who can make informed decisions, so if you can show that you are able to approach problems from several angles and offer a unique perspective, you will stand out.
• Collaboration: Hiring managers get excited when they see first time resumes in 2023 that display collaboration because most jobs require the ability to work with others. Verbal communication, open-mindedness and conflict resolution are three skills that show you’re a team player.

You can add more than one skills section to your resume template for your first job, but aim for a maximum of 20 words overall, or about five critical skills per section. Too many skills in a skills section might overwhelm recruiters and hiring managers and backfire, so be concise and focus on the required skills and soft skills that can help you succeed without experience.

Take this beginner job sample resume skills section, for instance:

Browse our collection of more than 800 resume examples for more ideas We have several resume examples for a first job to inspire you!

STEP 7Emphasize your education in your beginner resume

Display your education prominently on your first job resume template to emphasize your readiness for the job. On resumes with no experience, especially student resumes with no experience, highlight relevant coursework or participation in a study abroad program in this section.

The education section of a first job resume is where you show off academic honors and recognitions like graduating magna cum laude or summa cum laude below your school’s name.

Your education section should look like this beginner sample resume education section:

STEP 8Add a section for licenses and certifications if needed

If you are working toward or have specialized certifications and licenses for a job like nursing, accounting or teaching, you can create a separate section on your no experience resume  labeled “Licenses and Certifications” and place it just below your education section.

Here’s how to make a licenses and certifications section for a resume with no experience effectively.

Create a bullet point for every license or certification you have and list them in reverse-chronological order with:

• The title of the certification, course or license.
• The name of certifying agency or body.
• The date you obtained each certificate.
• The expiration date of your certificate, if applicable. If you have not yet finished the course, write “In progress” and the expected date of completion.

For example:

STEP 9 Add relevant experience to your first job resume template

If you’re thinking of leaving the work experience section off of your no experience resume, don’t sell yourself short. Every potential employer will scan your beginner resume for some kind of relevant experience, so take the time to fill it out.

The trick to filling out a first job resume work experience section is to think of work experience in broader terms.

Remember when you were preparing how to write a resume with no experience way back at the beginning of this guide? Look at your notes and you will probably find at least one experience to add to your work history section.

For example:

• Internships
• Student teaching
• Coaching or mentoring
• A role in a student organization
• Community service
• Volunteer experience
• A personal project

Studies show that 34% of hiring managers reject resumes that do not display quantifiable achievements in the work experience section, so whatever you do, highlight your accomplishments, not your responsibilities.

Hiring managers want to know your contributions, so for each experience you add to your first resume, add one to three bullet points that highlight measurable accomplishments, and start every bullet point with an action verb for even more impact.

Excellent Action Words for a Resume With No Experience

STEP 11 Proofread and save your first resume.

Typos and grammatical errors are the most common and costly beginner resume mistakes. According to the Motley Fool, around 77% of hiring managers reject resumes that contain errors, so don’t set yourself up to fail. After you make a resume with no experience, proofread it more than once and ask someone else to check it for you before sending it to a potential employer.

Making a resume with no experience is about more than how you organize and write it. A polished first-job resume means you also have to name your document professionally and save it in an appropriate file format.

Here’s how to name and save a no experience resume correctly.

Write a cover letter to accompany your beginner resume

Now you know how to make a resume with no work experience and create an attractive document with a beginner resume template and our Resume Builder.

But wait! There’s more.

Landing a job interview takes more than a perfect first job resume. If you want to beat the competition, you need a strong cover letter to complement your resume.

Approximately 53% of hiring managers prefer candidates who write cover letters because they show motivation, so writing one for every no experience resume you send can boost your chances of getting hired.

Plus, a well-written and correctly formatted cover letter can give you the chance to tell employers more about your background than a resume can — a bonus for first-job applicants. Use a cover letter as a chance to introduce yourself and connect with prospective employers by telling them why you want the job and why you are the best match for it.

We can show you how to write a cover letter with inspiration from our professional cover letter examples. When you’re ready, choose a cover letter template and use our Cover Letter Builder to make a professional cover letter with no experience effortlessly.

How to make a resume with no experience: Important takeaways

Now you know how to build a resume with no experience! But before you run off to build the perfect resume and cover letter, take these key points about writing a resume with no experience.