Resumes are there to let recruiters and hiring managers see if you have the necessary experience and skills to do a specific job, but what if you’re a career newbie and have never worked before?
You’ve probably asked yourself, “How do I get a job if I don’t have experience?”
You’re not alone. Plenty of recent graduates and entry-level applicants have trouble finding a job description that doesn’t require a minimum amount of experience.
But don’t panic just yet!
There are effective ways to impress potential employers, even if you’re just a beginner in your sector.
For example, you can use tools like our AI-powered builder to generate qualifications that stand out and a no-experience resume template.
In this article, you’ll learn essential tips to help you understand how to create a resume with no experience, including less-known advice that could give you that extra edge you need to get your first career chance.
Keep reading to go over:
- Tips on how to write a resume if you’ve never worked before
- How to craft a resume summary that lets you shine
- Specific advice to guide you through writing the different sections of your resume
- Resume examples for jobs with no experience
Now, let’s begin by taking a look at an example.
Example of a Resume with No Experience
What do you put on a resume if you have no experience?
One of the best ways to learn how to write a resume without experience is to look at an example.
Review the following sample and how the applicant mentions skills, their desire to grow, and results in their internship.
[Robert Richards]
[Dog Sitter]
[NC 27284 | 222-555-8222 | r.v.richards@randomemail.com]
Summary
Resourceful and motivated recent graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. Completed a successful internship at a leading advertising agency, where I increased social media engagement by 20%. Proficient in using digital marketing tools such as Google Analytics, Hootsuite, and Mailchimp. Seeking an entry-level position to utilize my skills and grow in the field of marketing.
Experience
Marketing Intern
Furry Friends, Inc.| Raleigh, NC
2022 – 2023
- Assisted in creating and implementing digital marketing campaigns that led to a 20% increase in social media engagement.
- Conducted market research using Google Analytics, helping the team understand consumer behavior and trends.
- Scheduled and managed social media posts using Hootsuite, maintaining consistent brand presence across multiple platforms.
- Aided in the creation of email marketing campaigns using Mailchimp, contributing to a 10% increase in newsletter subscriptions.
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Marketing
Winston Salem State University | Winston Salem, NC
2019 – 2022
Honors: summa cum laude, GPA 3.9/4.0
Skills
- Proficient in Google Analytics, Hootsuite, Mailchimp
- Understanding of SEO and SEM strategies
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Strong analytical skills and attention to detail
- Ability to work collaboratively within a team
Certifications
- Hubspot Inbound Marketing Certification, 2022
>> Achievements <<
Implemented social media strategies for Furry Friends, Inc. that increased overall engagement by 20%.
Organizations
- American Marketing Association
In addition to our free online resume builder, you can select the High School Student resume template to get a clearer picture of how your resume can be formatted when you have little to no experience. You’ll see how to include education details, what information you can include in an Experience section, and what skills you can include.
Don’t forget, you could enlist the help of AI tools like ChatGPT to help you write your resume entries. Just make sure you tweak the text to make it sound like you rather than a robot!
Choosing the Best Resume Format When Starting Out
Before we jump into the specifics of writing a resume with no experience, it’s time for some insider info: There is not a particular resume format that suits all situations
If you have some relevant internship and volunteering experience, the ideal format is the reverse-chronological type, as recruiters are interested in seeing your work history first.
However, if you don’t have any experience, the functional format is the way to go, as it focuses on your skills and abilities. As a matter of fact, many companies are beginning to care more about applicant abilities than degrees.
What if you’re somewhere in-between and, for example, completed one internship, but your skills truly stand out? Then the hybrid resume format is right for you. With this format, you can equally highlight your experience and skills.
What to Include in a Resume if You Have No Work Experience
According to LendED, 36% of college seniors don’t feel prepared for their career, if you’re one of them, it’s good to know that if you add your qualifications correctly, you can still impress a hiring manager.
For example, even if your work history is thinner than the air on Mount Everest, you probably have some experience worth including in your resume.
You’ll need to focus on these experiences and the skills you’ve developed from any internships or class projects. Being employable isn’t just about formal job experience. It’s also about your skills, enthusiasm, and dedication.
Review the following list to know what to include in your resume as a career beginner:
- Internships, class projects, extracurricular activities, volunteer work: They all count as experience and valuable ones at that. For instance, you might have spearheaded a class project that required leadership, planning, and teamwork.
- Micro internships: These are short-term assignments that help you build your skills, expand your network, and enhance your resume without a long-term commitment.
- Skills: It’s your chance to spotlight your superpowers. Maybe you’ve picked up Photoshop or Excel during a class project or developed stellar communication skills while interning.
- Quantifying achievements: Whenever possible, use numbers to quantify your contributions and results. This could be percentages, dollar amounts, or other concrete metrics.
- Education: Listing your education on your resume is a must, especially when starting out, as it’s through it that you typically acquire professional skills.
Keep in mind, that it’s also essential to tailor these qualifications to the job description. If you are looking for your first remote role, for example, highlight all the long-distance work collaborative tools you have used, such as Teams, Slack, Asana, Zoom, or Google Workspace.
By mentioning how you’ll carry out your responsibilities and backing it up with the information above, you’ll win over the hiring manager!
Let’s look at these in turn with examples.
Listing Volunteering on Your Entry-Level Resume
Volunteering is an effective way to build skills that are relevant to a work environment. Adding your experience as a volunteer on your resume might look something like this:
Right ✅
Community Food Drive Coordinator, Neighborhood Food Bank City, State | June 2023 – August 2023
- Organized and managed a community food drive that collected over 2,000 lbs of food for local families in need.
- Recruited and coordinated a team of 20+ volunteers, assigning tasks and schedules for the event.
- Promoted the event using social media and local press, resulting in increased community awareness and participation.
- Implemented a new sorting system to manage food donations more efficiently, reducing setup and distribution time by 25%.
The use of quantifiable results gives a clear picture of the responsibilities by illustrating competence and effectiveness.
Additionally, the use of resume power words, or dynamic action verbs, such as “organized” or “recruited”, along with relevant skills like team coordination and efficiency improvements, make the candidate attractive to employers across industries.
Wrong ❌
Volunteer Experience
Volunteer, City Food Bank City, State | Jan 2023 – Dec 2023
- Volunteered at the local food bank.
- Assisted with general tasks and activities.
The role “Volunteer” is too generic and doesn’t provide a clear picture of the responsibilities held during this volunteering stint.
The descriptions are too vague, making it difficult for employers to ascertain what was done or what skills were used.
Also, the lack of measurable results and action words is a missed opportunity to demonstrate the tangible impact made during this volunteer experience. By not providing concrete figures or outcomes, the candidate is failing to feature their effectiveness in real-world situations.
Don’t worry if describing some of your experiences is a little long, just keep in mind that the average number of words in a resume lies around 489.
Using Internships to Enhance Your Resume
When you have no formal work experience to list on a resume, an internship is the next best thing. Most internships are completed under the direction or supervision of a professional, so it’s basically work without the monetary compensation.
The skills you developed and the exposure to a professional atmosphere will often be enough to satisfy a recruiting manager.
An internship added to the experience section of a resume might look like this:
Experience
Social Media Intern
John’s Major Corporation
September 2019 – December 2019
- Developed and managed content across social platforms, boosting Instagram followers by 850+ within a week and doubling the Twitter follower base during the internship.
- Contributed to the Pinterest account management for three key clients.
- Enhanced product visibility through digital photography and concise summaries.
- Leveraged Google Analytics for comprehensive social media performance reports.
With this listing, you can showcase your managerial, communication, and technical skills. This also shows your ability to work in a team setting and to handle various tasks across multiple social media platforms.
Adding a micro internship
If you’ve completed a micro internship, you’ll want to maximize your achievements, especially since it was carried out in a small space of time, like in this example:
Experience
Micro Internship
Software Engineer Intern, Startup Solutions, May 2023 – June 2023
- Collaborated on software development projects for a Chicago-based SaaS platform targeting marketing professionals.
- Contributed to a team developing a new feature that enhanced user engagement, resulting in a 10% increase in customer retention.
- Utilized JavaScript and React for front-end development, and contributed to back-end APIs using Node.js.
Featuring Academic Projects on Your Beginner Resume
There is a reason to add academic projects to your resume if you don’t have experience. An extensive project could have helped you develop a skill set that many managers covet.
An academic project could emphasize:
- Leadership
- Creativity
- Critical thinking
- Decision-making
- Analytical skills
If you worked in a team, then add collaborative skills to the list.
An academic project could emphasize leadership, creative, critical thinking, decision-making, and analytical skills.
Following is an example of how you might add an academic project on your resume:
Projects
Robotics Project
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA
January 2020 – May 2020
- Spearheaded a 3-member team to design and program a robotic wheelchair prototype, meeting all academic criteria and showcasing application of core robotics and systems engineering principles.
- Created thorough documentation of the project’s progress from planning stage to prototype completion
Or if you conducted research, there is certain info that should be included, here’s an example:
Projects
Research Experience in Behavioral Economics,
University of Chicago, Chicago, IL,
September 2021 – May 2022
- Conducted a comprehensive study on the impact of socioeconomic factors on spending behaviors, under the guidance of leading economics professors.
- Collaborated with a team of researchers to collect data from over 500 participants using both field experiments and controlled laboratory settings.
- Analyzed complex data sets using statistical software like SPSS and R, providing actionable insights that contributed to two peer-reviewed academic papers.
- Presented findings at the annual university research symposium, highlighting methodological approaches and key results.
A recruiting manager can assess that you have strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills based on this information.
Listing Student Organizations
List any positions you might have held within an organization. Vice president of a student council, treasurer for an arts society, president of a sorority, or project lead for an academic project are all worth noting. An example would be:
Alpha Kappa Psi | New York, NY
September 2019 – May 2022
Member & Project Lead
- Oversaw a 12-member team to develop marketing materials for AKP
- Designed a social media campaign on Facebook and Instagram in 2021 for product promotions
- During my time as marketing project lead (2020), generated more than $5,000 in sales of promotional materials during the academic year
How to Display Your Educational Background
Often, recruiters will check your education section when evaluating your fit for a position. With limited work experience, featuring your education at the top of your resume right after the resume summary can be beneficial.
Add a “Relevant Coursework” heading, list pertinent courses like “Introduction to Marketing” or “Global Marketing”, summarizing key learnings.
Review the following example to get a clear idea of how to do it:
Bachelor of Science in Marketing
XYZ University | City, State
Aug 2019 – May 2023
- GPA: 3.7/4.0
- Graduated Summa Cum Laude
Relevant Coursework:
- Introduction to Marketing: Explored foundational marketing principles, including market segmentation, targeting, positioning, and the marketing mix.
- Global Marketing: Studied the impact of global trends on marketing strategies, including the role of culture, politics, and regulations.
These details can provide valuable insight into your potential as a candidate by demonstrating your academic performance and achievements.
Now, let’s move on to another important aspect – the resume summary.
The Importance of Resume Summaries and Objectives
As we’ve mentioned, new graduates have some trouble finding work. A Reddit post titled “Can’t get a job without experience, can’t get experience without a job” mentions how this user is caught in a catch-22.
The Redditor in question is never considered for work due to their lack of experience and doesn’t seem to be able to get experience without working. Sound familiar?
So, what do you say when applying for a job with no experience?
In addition to adding your qualifications correctly, you can do your convincing by including an eye-catching summary or objective.
Think of your resume’s summary/objective statement as your opportunity to make a first impression. It’s your introduction to a recruiting manager.
While a summary emphasizes your career achievements and is ideal for highlighting your accomplishments during an internship or project, an objective is ideal for career beginners with no relevant experience. So if you’re writing your resume for the first time, keep this in mind.
In both cases, the statement should reflect your abilities, attitude, and professional goal. Use specific achievements and successes when possible.
Instead of stating “skilled at organizing events”, state “oversaw a fundraising event for my community center that drew 5,000 attendees and raised $10,000 for recreational programs.”
Look at this example of a resume summary:
Dedicated professional seeking opportunities in child care. Boasts three years of experience caring for children under 10. Utilized inventive skills to develop an array of educational games that boosted children’s language and motor skills by 25%. Seeking an entry-level position in early childhood education. Committed to providing safe and educational environments for children in daycare centers or preschools.
Now, review this example of a resume objective to see the difference:
Enthusiastic and dedicated educator with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, seeking a teaching position at the elementary level. Committed to creating an engaging and inclusive learning environment to stimulate students’ interest. With a deep understanding of child psychology and development, looking to inspire and make a positive impact on students’ lives.
Other Sections You Could Include in Your Resume with No Experience
Does there appear to be too much “white space” on your resume despite filling in the experience, skills, and education sections? There’s only so much spacing you can do between sections before your resume looks sort of bare.
Here are some sections you could include in your no-experience resume.
Hobbies & Interests
Including your hobbies and interest can reflect your personality and additional potential skills not detailed in the preceding sections. It could even support your experience.
For instance, if you add painting to your hobbies and are applying for a position in graphic design, this could reflect artistic skills that could stand out to an employer.
Leave out any hobbies or interests that might be seen as violent or affiliated with any specific political party or religion. Hunting, for example, might be better left off your resume, or your attendance at a particular church.
Awards & Certifications
Were you named Employee of the Month at your part-time job? Have you received any professional certifications?
This type of information can and should be revealed on a resume with no experience. An Awards & Certifications section will display your abilities and traits such as dedication, work ethic, perseverance, and teamwork.
Examples of awards you could highlight here include:
- Fellowships
- Sports awards
- Military honors
- Performance awards
- Published writings
- Community service awards
Certifications from professional agencies or associations are added here as well. These might be in the areas of IT, marketing, project management, software, or even first aid.
To list certifications, you would add the certification title, the name of the organization granting the certification, and the date earned.
No-Experience Resume Keypoints
As you’ve noticed, you probably have more chances as a career beginner than you initially thought. It’s all a matter of perspective and how well you sell yourself.
Remember the following points when crafting your no-experience resume:
- Choose your resume format depending on your particular situation
- Leverage any internships, micro internships, and volunteering positions
- Tailor your resume to the job description
- Highlight your college projects and research results
- Add any additional sections like Hobbies or Awards that might help hiring managers to get to know you better
- Always describe your skills and experience with quantitative data
Also, remember to use online tools and customizable templates, to make your rookie resume look like a seasoned application.
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