How to Write a Resume With No Work Experience

Here’s a common question we get asked all the time. How do you write a resume with no work experience? It seems like you’d end up with a blank page, but the fact is you can still write an effective resume that gets interviews even without traditional experience.

Sample Summary for Resume with No Experience

First question you might ask is should your resume have a summary? Although you shouldn’t write a lengthy summary considering you don’t have work experience, you can still write a quick overview to provide a potential employer an overview of what you have to contribute. Here are some examples:

• General But Focused: "Recent communications graduate with a passion for storytelling, seeking an entry-level marketing coordinator position."

• Skill-Specific: "A computer science major with experience in Java, Python, and website development, ready to contribute to a software engineering team."

• Transferable Skills Emphasis: "Highly organized and adaptable individual with proven leadership and project management experience within student organizations, seeking a junior administrative assistant role."

Resume with no experience

Resume Skills List

The most important thing you can do is highlight the relevant skills you have for the job. It's one of the 5 key principles of the resume success formula. Review each job description and tailor your resume to match. Include both technical “hard” skills and “soft” skills. Here are some examples:

Hard Skills:

• Technology: Specific software (Adobe Creative Suite, Google Analytics, Salesforce, etc.), coding languages (Python, Java, HTML/CSS, SQL), project management tools (Trello, Asana).

• Industry-Specific: Lab techniques, medical terminology, accounting basics, mechanical knowledge
  

Soft Skills:

• Communication: Written, verbal, presentation skills

• Problem-Solving: Critical thinking, analysis, troubleshooting

• Collaboration: Teamwork, conflict resolution

• Adaptability: Learning new things quickly, flexibility

• Leadership: Initiative, decision-making, mentoring

• Time Management: Prioritization, meeting deadlines

Resume on targer

Education on Your Resume

With no formal work experience, your education becomes a centerpiece of your resume. Include:

• Relevant Coursework: List classes directly aligning with the job's requirements. Examples:

  • "Social Media Marketing," "Web Design & User Experience," "Introduction to Data Analytics,” “Business Communications"

• School Projects: Showcase how you applied knowledge. Examples:

  • "Developed and executed a social media campaign for a student club, resulting in a 30% increase in followers."

  • "Designed and developed a mobile-first website for a local non-profit, featuring their services and donation portal." "Collaborated on a research project analyzing consumer behavior patterns, presented findings to class and faculty panel."

Resume with no experience

Showcase Relevant Skills Outside of School

Experience isn't limited to jobs. Think broadly about where you've developed valuable skills:

• Volunteering:

  • "Managed social media for a community fundraiser, increasing awareness and donations by 15%."

  • "Organized logistics for a supply drive, streamlining the donation and distribution process."

• Clubs and Organizations:

  • "President, Programming Club — organized hackathons, led development projects, and mentored new members."

  • "Treasurer, Student Film Society – Managed budget, negotiated venue contracts, and tracked fundraising."
    

Hobbies and Side Projects:

Adding hobbies and side projects is also an option but only if it's somehow relevant to the role you're applying for. An example of this for a writer could be: "Built and maintained a personal blog using WordPress with 1000+ monthly visitors."

Additional Tips for a Resume with No Experience

• Keep it Concise: One page is still ideal. Focus beats length.

• Action Verbs: Use words like “developed,” “designed,” “managed”, “led”, and “organized”.

• Proofread Meticulously: Typos signal a lack of attention to detail.

• ATS Compliance: Check to make sure your resume is ATS compliant so it gets past the initial automated filters.

You can still write an effective resume even without direct work experience. It just takes a creative approach showcase your relevant skills effectively. For additional support in perfecting your resume, sign up for a resume review or have your resume professionally written to ensure you have the best possible change of landing those interviews.