How to Write a Resume With No Experience: Examples & Guide

How to Make a Resume for a First Job

STEP 1Choose a format for your first resume

Here’s a secret many first-time job seekers don’t know about making a resume without experience: choosing a suitable resume format can significantly improve your chances of landing interviews and ultimately securing a job offer.

We recommend the functional resume format for a beginner resume because it emphasizes skills over work experience.

Plus, many functional resume templates offer flexibility in how you display your job qualifications. For example, you can arrange your skills into categories to highlight the most relevant skills for each job and place your education at the top instead of the bottom of your resume.

STEP 2Select a professional resume template

Writing a resume with no work experience can feel daunting. That’s why resume templates are incredibly useful tools for writing a first resume.

They make it easier to craft a professional resume because they provide a framework for your information, helping to organize your thoughts and display your qualifications. 

What’s more, resume templates save time, ensuring your resume is formatted correctly, ATS-friendly, and visually appealing. This way, you can focus on tailoring your resume for the job you want. See how to make an ATS-friendly resume for additional tips and tricks.

STEP 3Prepare your information

Having your job information ready will save you time in the long run, so you can confidently put your best foot forward. To prepare your beginner resume, review the job description carefully and note 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 through activities such as: 

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 transferable skills such as research, organization, and teamwork, and interpersonal skills like communication and active listening, which 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 4Add your contact information

When you make a resume with no experience, include a header with contact information so recruiters and potential employers can reach you. Consider adding a resume headline under your name to boost your resume.

It’s imperative that your contact information is professional, up to date, and easy to find. Include the following information: 

STEP 5Highlight your strengths in your objective

Start strong with a resume objective that explains your goals for the job and highlights some of your job-relevant skills. Here’s an example of a no-experience resume objective: 

Notice how this example objective for a resume with no experience displays a mix of hard (curriculum development), soft (communication skills), and technical skills (innovative teaching methods).

It also tells the potential employer exactly what the job applicant’s goals are: “Eager to support students’ academic and personal growth….”

STEP 6Make a skills section

Focus on five to 10 relevant skills in your resume skills section. This way, you’re emphasizing your qualifications without overwhelming the recruiter or hiring manager.

Customize your skill section to match the job requirements. Take this sample resume skills section, for instance:

Browse our collection of resume examples for more ideas about how to write a resume with no job experience. You’re sure to find several resume examples for a first job to inspire you!

STEP 7Emphasize your education

Display your educational background prominently to emphasize your readiness for the job. Highlight relevant coursework, academic awards and honors, scholarships, or participation in study abroad programs in this section. Your education section should look like this:

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 resume labeled “Licenses and Certifications” and place it just below your education section. 

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

Here’s an example of an effective certifications section:

STEP 9Add relevant experience

The trick to filling out a first job resume work experience section is to think of work experience in broader terms. Look at your notes, and you will probably find at least one experience to add.

Relevant work experience can come from:

Hiring managers want to know your contributions. For each experience you add to your first resume, add one to three bullet points that highlight measurable accomplishments.

For even more impact, start every bullet point with an action verb. For example, “Implemented a new customer feedback system, resulting in a 20% increase in overall customer satisfaction scores within the first three months of its launch.”

Here are some action words you can include in your resume: 

STEP 10Add optional sections to enhance your resume

STEP 11Proofread your first resume

Typos and grammatical errors are the most common and costly mistakes. 

After you finish writing your resume, proofread it more than once and ask someone else to check it for you before sending it to a potential employer. 

STEP 12Save your resume

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 for the job.

To save your resume, check the job description for the best file type. If a file type is not requested, .doc or .docx are safe choices because most ATS can read Microsoft Word files, and most companies prefer them. Use this formula to name your resume: Your Name-Job Title-Resume-Company Name-Date.

Use this handy checklist to ensure you have everything you need in your resume: