how to create a resume with little experience

How to Write a Resume with No Work Experience in 2024 (With Examples)

Don't worry, we've all been there. Thrown into the job world with little to none work experience and no idea how to start a resume. We're here to help.

With more and more people on the job hunt each year, entering the work force with minimal to no experience on your resume can be a daunting and frustrating task.

However, no need to worry, all is not lost for applicants lacking in relevant work experience.

We've all been there.

This guide is here to help you learn how to shift the focus of your resume onto your skills, unpaid experiences, and education in order to frame your lack of experience in a more appealing manner.

• What Resume Format is Best for Someone with No Experience?

Adding Transferable Skills to Resume

Including unpaid experience on resume, listing education on a resume as a student.

• Finally, Getting Jobs with a No-Experience Resume

What Resume Format is Best for Someone with No Experience

The first and arguably most important decision when it comes to crafting a resume is deciding which format is best for you.

When you are lacking in relevant work experience, using the standard resume format – also known as the reverse-chronological resume – may not be the best idea.

Reverse-chronological resumes are centered around the work experience section, which is precisely the section you want to shift the attention away from when your experience is limited.

Instead, you should consider using either a functional or a hybrid resume .

If you are unsure which resume format best fits your needs, check out our guide on choosing the correct resume format.  

1) What are Functional Resumes?

Unlike reverse-chronological resumes, functional resumes are not designed or formatted to be primarily focused on relevant work experience.

Because of this, the functional resume has become the favored format for applicants who do not have work experience to showcase.

There are a number of reasons why a person may not have work experience to feature on a resume. Common circumstances include an individual being a student or recent grad.

Veterans who lack non-military experience and people looking to re-enter the workforce after a gap in their employment history also may favor a functional format. 

The benefits of using a functional resume include:

• Well-suited for applicants who have gaps in their employment history or lack relevant work experience.
• Greater flexibility in how sections of the resume can be structured, allowing for a skills section to be the main centerpiece of the resume.
• Provides better opportunity to highlight any unpaid experiences or academic credentials an applicant may have. 

2) What are Hybrid Resumes?

A hybrid resume mixes the formatting of functional and reverse-chronological resumes in order to make a resume that includes elements from both.

These kinds of resumes are highly customizable and can be restructured according to the applicant’s needs.

Using a hybrid resume may be wise for someone who has some work experience that may or may not be wholly relevant

For people with no work experience whatsoever, however, sticking to a functional format may be best.

Benefits of using a hybrid resume include: 

• Opportunity to show work experience, even if it is not relevant to the job being applied for
• Good for applicants who have limited paid working experience but have extensive history working in unpaid opportunities, such as volunteering. 
• Hybrid resumes may more closely resemble a reverse-chronological, which is the standard resume format that employers typically expect. 

Beautiful resume templates to land your dream job

Making a resume as a job applicant with little to no experience requires you to take an in-depth personal inventory of your personal skills and talents.

Everything from your communication skills to your time management and teamwork skills matter here and creating a definitive list of your greatest strengths is key.

There are two categories of skills to consider: hard skills and soft skills .

1) Hard Skills 

Hard skills are more quantifiable and are typically gained through some form of education, training, or certification program.

This can include skills such as computer programming, speaking foreign languages, or being a mathematician.

While you may not have gained hard skills through prior work experience, there are still potentially hard skills you obtained through other channels, such as through school or from the military.

Writing down your hard skills is important, as this is where you will find your most relevant skills for a job application. 

2) Soft Skills

Soft skills are less quantifiable and have more to do with your personality, work ethic, and how you interact with other people.

Communication, problem-solving, and cooperative skills all come into play here. 

Though soft skills may not be as easy to directly relate to a job application, they are still necessary and helpful to include in a resume with a limited work experience section.

Additionally, job descriptions often lend hints to the kinds of soft skills an employer is looking for, and including those skills can show you pay close attention to information given to you. 

Examples of Transferable Skills

Below we have provided a list of common transferable skills to help get you started on identifying which skills you possess and how you can frame them on your resume to improve your chances of landing a job interview. 

Of course, there are hundreds of skills that are good to include on a resume.

It is important to choose skills that both accurately represent your talents as well as provide relevance to the job description provided.

For more ideas on good skills to include, check out our guide on 100+ key skills for a resume in 2024.

Here are a few examples of transferable skills and how to list them:

1) Collaboration

Collaboration skills generally indicate your ability to work well with departments, professionals, or teams outside of your own.

This can show employers your ability to form connections with others within an industry

Incorrect: Collaborated with volunteer teams from other counties.

Correct: Learned strong collaboration strategies through participating in volunteer service activities involving multiple groups of volunteers.

2) Teamwork 

While collaboration shows your ability to work with external connections, teamwork emphasizes your ability to work well within your own team.

Teamwork requires you to pay close attention to your teammates and be willing to compromise in order to make things happen.

Incorrect: Gained teamwork skills through community service.

Correct: Achieved effective teamwork through helping to organize meetings for a community service group.

3) Communication

Communication skills largely involve your public speaking abilities and your capability for expressing yourself in a clear and concise manner.

Including examples of how you have honed your communicative abilities is key. 

Incorrect: Strong communication skills

Correct: Developed communication skills through working as a peer mentor at the university. 

See how this Art Director resume example listed Communication as a skill on her resume:

4) Computer Skills

Nowadays, digital and computer skills are a must and the more you know, the more opportunity you may have for employment.

Detailing your computer skills and programs you can properly operate is essential. 

Incorrect: Strong computer skills and knowledge of software.

Correct: Experienced in the use of Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Cloud. Certified in the use of Microsoft Excel. 

5) Dependability

When an employer is considering a job applicant with little to no experience, that applicant’s dependability will be one of their major questions.

As such, including dependability in your skillset is generally a smart idea. 

Incorrect: Provided dependable service as an intern.

Correct: Proved dependability through being on time or early every day on an internship. 

6) Critical Thinking

An employer will want you to be fast on your feet while also being able to think things through thoroughly.

Emphasizing your critical thinking skills helps to show a potential employer your attention to detail and ability to problem solve. 

Incorrect: Gained critical thinking skills through membership in a chess club. 

Correct: Employed critical thinking skills during a chess club competition, placing in second. 

7) Leadership

Taking on leadership roles oftentimes comes with hefty responsibilities.

Showing employers your ability to handle and succeed as a leader can greatly impact their impression of your work ethic and ability to work well with others. 

Incorrect: Grew leadership skills in military training.

Correct: Developed leadership skills in the role of a platoon leader during military training. 

For example, take a look at how Elysse added Leadership skills on her chef resume :

For many job applicants with little to no work experience, there are oftentimes other experiences they have that can be used to emphasize and showcase work done to better hone one’s skills and expertise.

Two common examples include experience gained through volunteering or internships .

When you have no experience or gaps in your employment history, having experiences like these to fill the gaps and give context to your skills is key. 

1) Volunteering

Taking advantage of volunteering opportunities is a great way to both begin to build out your resume while also giving back to your community.

There are all sorts of volunteering positions to consider, from working in a local animal shelter to helping with inventory at a food bank. 

Volunteer service shows not only that you have experience to back up you the skills you claim to have, but it also shows your commitment to your work even if there is no compensation involved.

This can reflect very positively on your work ethic to future employers. 

Incorrect: Volunteered at a local shelter.

Correct: Spent six months volunteering at a local homeless shelter, helping to take daily and weekly food and supply inventories.

2) Internships

Internships are especially common for current students or recent grads to take on, as many jobs require some amount of relevant experience to be considered for open positions.

Internships provide the opportunity to gain relevant working experience for those with little to no prior experience.

Inclusion of internships is important, as though it is unpaid work it still can hold a similar weight to paid work experience, especially when applying to entry or low level positions. 

Incorrect: Interned at a local newspaper for one semester. ‍

Correct: Earned a semester-long internship working as an assistant to an investigative reporter at a locally-run newspaper. 

Aside from internships and volunteer experiences, things such as community leadership or fundraising can be useful to include as well.

Basically any experience that helped you to gain and hone your skills is good to consider adding to a resume. 

See how Marianne added her internship in this graphic design resume example :

When figuring out how to list education on a resume it is important to be mindful of what the job description listed as the educational requirements for the position.

Generally speaking, unless a resume is meant to be more academically focused, it is recommended to keep education sections rather short.

For those with no experience, however, the education section may be a good opportunity to showcase activities, clubs, leadership roles, and other similar experiences.

Showing your involvement on campus can help to fill the time gaps in employment history if you are a student or recent grad. 

Incorrect: Played on an intramural soccer team. ‍

Correct: Participated on an intramural soccer team and earned the role of team co-captain. 

Finally, How to Get Jobs with a No-Experience Resume

When it comes to writing the perfect resume in 2024 , there are lots of considerations to keep in mind.

With so much competition, it can sometimes feel disheartening for those of you with no experience.

However, there is a lot of power in the format and wording of your resume and learning how to optimize your resume is key to overcoming a lack of experience.

Here are three key takeaways for writing resumes with no experience:

1) Be Extra Attentive to Formatting

When you are using a functional or hybrid resume format, it may be immediately noticeable to employers that you have chosen against using the standard reverse-chronological format.

As such, you need to be extra careful with your formatting and design in order to ensure your resume looks clean and is easy to follow. 

2) Contextualize Your Information for Specific Jobs

Since your resume will likely be centered around you skills rather than your experience, it is very important to relate your skills back to the job you are applying for and contextualize for the employer how you will apply you skills if given the position. 

3) The More Detail the Better

You don’t want to leave employers feeling like they’ve been left hanging.

While you should still strive to maintain clarity and conciseness in your descriptions, do not be shy in adding heftier amounts of detail than you might in a more standard resume.

You want to stand out to employers and showcase exactly how you are perfect for the role being offered.

Our Last Thoughts

Landing a job with no experience can be tricky, but it’s nowhere near impossible.

The key to crafting a resume when you lack relevant experience is to identify and showcase your relevant and transferrable skills. 

If you are unsure how to get started formatting your resume, check out our resume templates and examples !

Browse more resume templates that fit your role

Get inspired with more resume examples

Read our how-to guides on making your resume perfect, how to write your resume in reverse-chronological order.

When setting out to write the perfect resume, choosing a format is an important decision. Reverse-chronological resumes are the standard format, so knowing how to craft one is key! This guide will teach you how to write the best reverse chronological resumes.

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How to Make a Resume With No Experience

You can lean on internships, class projects and extracurricular activities.

Making a resume early in your career feels like a classic catch-22: A good resume highlights relevant work experience, which you don’t get until you land a job.

The truth is you don’t always need professional experience for entry-level jobs. By highlighting your existing skills, coursework and extracurricular activities, you can craft a resume that will impress employers — even without work experience.

Writing a Resume With No Experience

• Start with a professional summary 
• Emphasize your education 
• Include relevant experience like internships and extracurriculars
• Highlight your accomplishments
• Showcase your skills 
• Don’t include a headshot, hobbies and other unnecessary details

Even if you don’t meet all the requirements described in a job description , there are still ways to write a resume that catches a company’s eye. First, you may want to get your hands on a resume template (word processors like Google Docs and Microsoft Word have resume templates to guide you with a general structure). From there, you can fill in the details by following the tips below.

1. Start With a Professional Summary

Career coaches have mixed opinions on including a short professional summary at the top of your resume. Lesa Edwards, founder of  Exclusive Career Coaching and the former director of the career center at  Truman State University , is in favor of a professional summary because it can set the stage and contextualize the experiences that follow. It also allows you to set yourself apart in a large stack of resumes. 

If you decide to include a professional summary, ask yourself: What do I bring to the table? What soft skills could I transfer over to this role? What do I have that other candidates don’t have? If written well, this two-to-three-sentence summary could encourage recruiters and hiring managers to take a closer look at your resume and cover letter.

2. Emphasize Your Education

If you recently graduated from college, put your education experience as one of the first headers on your resume. You should list your major, any academic honors and your GPA (if it is 3.5 or higher). The education section of your resume can also include a subsection for industry-relevant certifications . As your career progresses, you can bump your education section further down the resume to make room for more relevant professional experiences.

3. Include Relevant Experience and Activities 

Instead of focusing on the requirements you don’t meet, think about any transferable skills or experiences you might have gained from internships , extracurricular activities, part-time jobs, volunteering or school projects.

Jill Silman Chapman, director of early talent programs at Insperity , said she favors candidates who have a well-rounded set of experiences. It shows they are able to multitask, work in different types of environments and adapt to changing circumstances.

“In today’s workplace, we’re changing all the time,” she said. “That ability to adapt is critical.”

Internships

Internships are the best way to gain relevant work experience before entering the professional world. They offer an opportunity to apply the lessons you’ve learned in the classroom in real-world situations.

Part-Time Jobs

If you worked in a service industry job and you are seeking your first professional job after college, you could highlight soft skills , like time management skills needed to juggle school and work responsibilities. Customer service is an especially underrated skill, Silman Chapman said, because it translates to customer-facing roles and  interpersonal skills within the workplace.

Extracurricular Activities

This could include student government, fraternities and sororities or any number of campus organizations or community activities. Athletics is also a resume-booster in some industries, especially sales and other professions that tap into a competitive spirit. You might also note if you were an Eagle Scout, helped out at a peer tutoring program or volunteered your time in other ways that show you are engaged in your community.

Class Projects

Projects you worked on as part of a class or online certification program can also be incorporated into your resume. This could include your marketing class working on a semester-long campaign that culminated in a big presentation. If your class partnered with a company on a large project, that could be a relevant real-world experience for your resume.

Online certification programs are also a good way to gain professional experience, and often provide a chance to apply your learnings to a project, which can then be highlighted on your resume, said Karen Scully-Clemmons, assistant director of career services and employer relations at the  University of Texas at Austin . You’ll want to detail what you accomplished, what technologies you used and what you learned . If possible, you should also link to your project on your resume.

Related Reading How to Use the STAR Interview Method to Land a Job

4. Highlight Your Accomplishments

For each experience you list, showcase the results in bullet point format, and look for ways to quantify your results. For example, don’t just rattle off what you did as president of a school organization, highlight how many new members joined during your tenure or how much money you raised while leading fundraising efforts.  

These accomplishments don’t need to be groundbreaking, but you might have to reflect deeply and think creatively to recognize and articulate the value you provided in each role. Just be sure to align these accomplishments with the responsibilities in the job description. 

“Sometimes I think the hardest thing for students is to think of an achievement, because they think it has to be a super big deal,” Edwards said. “So much of it is a shift in mindset of what constitutes an achievement.”

5. Showcase Your Skills

For a skills section, you can include your software proficiencies, as well as soft skills like organization, time management, communication, adaptability to change and the ability to work as part of a team . If you are going to highlight soft skills, though, you should also include evidence of a role or situation in which you demonstrated those skills.

“It may not be numbers, dollars or percentages,” Edwards said, “but maybe you could talk about how you took a leadership role in a class project that was presented to a community organization.”

Related Reading 5 Things New Grads Need to Know About the Job Market

6. Don’t Include These Elements

You only have so much space on your resume, so be sure to leave off these unnecessary details. 

Objective Statement 

Don’t include an “objective” statement that lays out what you are looking for in a job. Instead of talking about what you want, use that space to describe what value you can offer the employer. 

Hobbies and Interests

While you might think a job is related to your hobbies and interests, Edwards said these are of little practical interest to recruiters and hiring managers. Leave them out of your resume.  

A GPA below 3.5 is not likely to win over a company, and a GPA below 3.0 could only hurt your chances. Only include your GPA if it’s above 3.5.   

Headshot or Photo

Recruiters and hiring managers don’t need or want to see what you look like. Unless you are applying for an acting job, don’t attach a picture to your resume because it could be potentially used to discriminate against you. 

Your Full Address

In the electronic age, there is no need to put your address on your resume. Providing your city and state is typically enough, unless an online application requires your full address.  

Graphics  

Don’t employ resume templates with fancy graphics: most companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) , which can’t read resumes that are decorated with graphics, special fonts, columns and other formatting tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can i put on my resume if i have no experience.

In lieu of professional experience, you could highlight your education, skills, internships, extracurricular activities, part-time jobs, volunteering experiences and school projects.

How to write a professional summary for a resume with no experience?

A well-written professional summary will draw upon the experience you’ve gained from school, internships and other extracurricular activities to demonstrate the impact you have made and the value you would bring to your desired role.

How do you say you have no experience but are willing to learn?

Employers are often willing to train entry-level candidates who have shown initiative and a hard work ethic in school, internships and extracurricular activities. You can emphasize your willingness to learn through your professional summary statement on the top of your resume or through the cover letter that accompanies the resume.

Do I need a resume if I don't have experience?

Yes, you need a resume when applying for a job, regardless of your experience. Most word processors, like Google Docs and Microsoft Word, offer free resume templates to get you started.

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• Guide to Writing a Great...

Guide to Writing a Great Resume with No Work Experience

16 min read · Updated on August 01, 2024

No work experience? No problem.

Just because you don't have skills that are relevant to the job, or experience in a traditional work setting, doesn't mean you can't craft a convincing first job resume. Whether you're a high school or college student, you may be wondering: how do you write a resume with no work experience? Well, we'll tell you with these expert tips.

1. Choose the best format for a resume with no experience

There are a few dominant resume templates in use today:

Chronological

Hybrid - a blend of the chronological and functional formats

A  chronological resume format  lists a candidate's work experience in reverse-chronological order and a functional resume format focuses on highlighting the candidate's hard and soft skills and achievements, rather than work experience. While the functional and hybrid resume formats can be attractive options for job seekers with little relevant experience, most employers and hiring managers prefer a chronological format.

Aside from hiring managers preferring it, it's best to use a reverse chronological resume for two additional reasons:

It's the most used format in the US, making it easy for hiring managers to review and find the information they're seeking

It's the most liked by employers' applicant tracking systems, or ATS. If an ATS can't read your resume properly, it might not get into the hands of a human reader - even if you're the perfect candidate for the job

The primary sections of a reverse chronological resume are:

The heading (with your contact information)

Resume summary

Work experience (which will be substituted with other sections when you have no work experience)

Education 

2. Incorporate your contact information 

Now that you've chosen the best format for a resume with no experience, it's time to complete each section. The first section of your resume is the header section. This is the section that includes your name and contact information. In this section, you'll provide:

Phone number

Email address

Location and zip code

LinkedIn  or professional website URL (optional)

Your name should sit above your contact information in a larger font size than the rest of the information included in the header. You also want to ensure you use a professional sounding email address. Using something like “[email protected]” or “[email protected]” will likely come across as unprofessional and won't gain you any points for the “yes” pile. A good choice is to use your name (or a combination of your initials and surname), instead. 

Here's an example of how to list your contact information at the top of your resume:

Joseph Smith

555.555.5555 | [email protected] | WV 26250 | linkedin.com/in/jsmith28

3. Include a strong summary statement

The next section of your resume, your Resume Summary, will fall just below your contact information. Your resume summary is not to be mistaken for a resume objective. 

Resume objective statements , where you state exactly what career goals you wish to achieve, have mostly fallen out of fashion. This is largely because you want to focus on what you can do for the employer, not what the employer can do for you. A resume summary statement, on the other hand, sums up who you are professionally at the top of the page in two to five sentences and serves as the first impression you give a hiring manager to entice them to keep reading. 

For a resume with no experience, your resume summary can still pack a punch. Include some of the key skills you have relevant to the job, while emphasizing your major and any type of experience that speaks to your ability to succeed.

Here's an example of a resume summary for a recent grad with a human resources degree:

Human resources graduate with diverse knowledge base in employee relations, benefits design, employment law, and policy design. Avid learner with solid written and verbal communication skills and a strong desire to support all levels within an organization for improved employee morale and productive collaboration. 

4. Substitute the Work Experience section with other types of experience

Writing a resume with no experience can feel like a daunting task. Fortunately, recruiters and hiring managers are seeking candidates that have a robust background, regardless of experience level. Here are some sections you can substitute in lieu of a Work Experience section:

Internships

Graduate assistantships, extracurricular activities.

Volunteer Work

Hobbies and Interests

When you include these additional types of experiences on a resume, you can include them as a standalone section or create a “Relevant Experience” section. Depending on the type of experience you're including, you might find it's best to use a section heading that aligns with the type of experience (“Internships” for internships, “Volunteer Work,” for volunteer work, and so on). 

Landing paid or unpaid college internships  are one of the best weapons you have against "experience required." Not only do they give you some real-world work experience, they also allow you to network and make connections that can put you in a job later. When applying for a job without experience, be sure to list any internships you've completed. 

If you haven't had an internship, consider applying for one as a step before an entry-level job.

Here's an example of how to include an internship on your resume:

Finance Intern

New York Secretary of State Office, New York, NY

Jan 2021 - May 2021

Reconciled budget sheets for quarterly processing

Supported accounting team in year end tax return audits 

Analyzed 15 budget reports over a two-month period to ensure accurate data reporting 

Similar to internships, a graduate assistantship secured during school is also a great way to gain valuable experience to include on a resume. Graduate assistantships are paid opportunities provided to graduate students. They typically involve part-time teaching or research within their field of study. 

Here's an example of how to include an assistantship on your resume:

HR Graduate Assistant

West Virginia University School of Business and Economics, Morgantown, WV

August 2020 - May 2021

Reviewed 100 collective bargaining agreements to identify and document similarities and inconsistencies throughout

Worked with academic Professors to develop research guidelines for future assistants

Volunteer work

When surveyed, the majority of employers say that they take  volunteer experience listed on your resume , such as being a soup kitchen volunteer, into consideration alongside paid work experience. So any volunteer work that highlights your talents or a new skill should be put on your well-prepared resume. 

You'll list volunteer work in a similar way to how you would list internships and actual work experience:

Animal Transport Volunteer

Friends for Life Animal Shelter, Philippi, VA

April 2022 - Present 

Working with local shelters to transport animals to and from shelters and foster homes

Assisting in cleaning kennels and common areas to support sanitation efforts

Spearheading animal supply drive, collecting $10K worth of supplies

Though it might not seem like it at first, extracurricular activities can add a lot of value to your resume in lieu of work experience, if you can relate them to the job you're applying to. For example, if you were an officer for a club during college or a captain of a sports team, these roles speak to leadership ability. 

In general, these types of activities show you have the ability to collaborate with others. It also shows you have the ability to keep up with school work while being involved in other areas outside of school, which speaks to time management and organizational skills. 

Here are some of the top extracurricular activities to include on a resume with no experience, as well of some of the skills they help to highlight:

Artistic endeavors: speaks to creativity, problem solving, perseverance, ability to learn 

Sports: speaks to teamwork, collaboration, hard work, problem solving, conflict resolution

Club leadership roles: speaks to leadership, organization, perseverance, time management

General club membership: speaks to time management, community involvement, prioritizing

Student government: speaks to leadership, public speaking, time management, problem solving, organization

Here's an example of how to list extracurricular activities on a resume with no experience:

Student Council Vice PresidentBelington High SchoolAugust 2020 - May 2021

Spearheaded clothing drive to support the homeless in the state of Virginia

Wrote and delivered 3 speeches to the student body focused on student wellbeing, fundraising events, and life beyond high school

Special Projects

If you completed job-related projects during high school or college, they can be a valuable addition to your resume. Personal projects are also game for a resume with no experience, if they're relevant to the job. 

Here's how you might list a personal project on your resume:

Social Media Campaign

Sparkle and Shine Fundraising Event

February 2022 - Mar 2024

Created social media campaign to support fundraising efforts for local children's shelter, supporting education in underprivileged youth

Increased followers by 25% in two months

Generated leads that converted to $3,000 in donations

Here's how you might list school projects on your resume:

Beaumont University

Masters in Counseling and Development

Career counseling planning design for women with chronic fatigue syndrome

Group counseling proposal for friends and family members of those who have mental health challenges

Behavioral health program design to work with males ages 18 to 30 with adverse childhood experiences

Hobbies and interests

It's more common today than ever before to include hobbies and interests on a resume - they help to provide insights into who you are as a person, to enhance your resume story. Hobbies and interests require soft and hard skills, many of which are required to succeed on the job, and they can especially be useful to fill in gaps when you lack work experience.  

For additional information on how to list hobbies and interests on your resume with no experience, refer to “ How to List Hobbies and Interests on a Resume (With Examples) .”

An award can signal to an employer to take note, since they're a distinction that speaks to your skills, abilities, and accomplishments. Adding an Awards section is an excellent way to showcase your ability to succeed in lieu of work experience. 

When you list an award, include the award and issuing institution. For example:

2023 Science Olympiad Award recipient, Science Olympiad Foundation

Certifications

Acquiring certifications provides an excellent opportunity to add value and fill in gaps in terms of skills and work experience. There are a lot of opportunities to secure certifications for free through sites like LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, and  Grow with Google . Certifications not only highlight your skills but also show that you're focused on personal and professional development, which employers appreciate in candidates.  

You can list certifications in a standalone Certifications list or with your Education section. For more information on how to best include certifications on a resume with no experience, refer to “ How to List Certifications on a Resume (with examples) .” 

5. Include your education 

When you have work experience, it's common to include your Education section after your Work Experience section. However, on a resume with no experience, many opt to list and emphasize their education after the resume summary. This is largely due to the fact that your education is what's most relevant to employers when you're straight out of school. 

Also, in lieu of a Work Experience section, especially if you're running thin on any of the relevant experience options listed above, you can expand and focus on the  education section on your resume  to highlight the marketable skills you've developed. What can you do well that this job requires? What will be useful to the hiring company? What have you done in school and what have you studied that has prepared you for assuming this job?

This is generally a little easier if you're a college graduate with specialized education, but even a high school graduate can talk about their electives and relevant coursework, why they wanted to take them, and what they learned from the class. It's also acceptable to include any awards, scholarships, honors, or any student clubs and committees you participated in. For example, if you were on the Dean's list, include it. 

Many also wonder if they should include their GPA on their resume. The short answer is yes, if it's 3.5 or higher. This level of achievement highlights your potential and the hard work you're willing to put in for success. 

Here's the order to list items in your Education section, with items 5 to 8 being optional:

Degree issued

Issuing institution

City and state of institution 

Graduation date (or expected graduation date, if in progress)

Relevant coursework

Student committees

Here's how your education might look laid out on your resume:

Bachelors of Science - Psychology (3.5 GPA, magna cum laude)Maryland State University

Relevant coursework: human growth and development, assessment, treatment planning, abnormal behavior

6. Emphasize your skills

Even when you don't have actual work experience, you have definitely acquired skills to support you on the job, which can set you apart from the competition. Be sure to highlight both hard and soft skills on your resume. You can do this by including a Skills section near the end, or by adding a Core Competencies section just below your Resume Summary. 

You also might be wondering what the difference is between hard and soft skills. Hard skills are technical skills that are measurable and learned. Softs skills are tangible skills that are difficult to measure. 

Examples of valuable hard skills on a resume include:

Mathematics

Computer skills

Data analysis

Project management

Social media

Language skills

Here are some common soft skills employers seek in their employees:

Communication

Problem solving

Organization

Interpersonal skills

Time management

Working well under stress

7. Add a cover letter

Even if one isn't required, it's generally a good idea to send a short cover letter along with your resume. Cover letters are where your personality comes out and you can use them to make the case for why you're the perfect candidate for this job. 

A standout cover letter can convince an employer to bring you in for an interview, even if your resume itself doesn't have all the things they'd like to see. Your cover letter provides you with the opportunity to show a bit of personality and express why you're interested in the job, as well. Be sure your cover letter uses the same font and style as your resume, for consistency. 

Elements you should never include on a resume

While there are many elements you should consider adding to your resume, career experts say there are a few things you should never include because they waste space, don't tell the employer anything relevant, or could damage your personal brand. This list includes, but is not limited to: 

Employment references

Writing samples

Photos  of yourself

Do not add this information to your resume unless an employer or recruiter asks you to provide it. 

Additional tips for a resume with no work experience 

As you develop your resume with no experience, here are a few more tips to consider. 

Take stock of your achievements and activities

Make a list of absolutely everything you've done that might be useful on a resume. From this list, you'll then need to narrow down what to actually include on your resume. Different things might be relevant to different jobs you apply for, so keep a full list and pick the most relevant things from it to include on your resume when you send it out. This will help you to identify which sections to include in lieu of work experience.

Pay attention to technical details

When editing your resume, make sure there are no punctuation, grammatical, spelling, or other errors that will make your resume look unprofessional. Then, have a friend or family member read it again to catch any mistakes you might have missed — you can't afford a typo or missing word as a candidate with no prior work experience. Also, be sure to vary your language and use action verbs throughout your resume to keep your reader engaged.

Keywords, keywords, keywords!

Most employers use some form of  applicant tracking system (ATS) to scan and sort resumes . This may seem unfair, but it's the reality of modern-day hiring. To combat this, you'll want to come up with, and include, a list of keywords in your resume when applying for any job. The best place to  find these keywords  is in the job post itself, or in ads for similar jobs. One caveat: don't use meaningless "buzzwords," such as "go-getter," "team player," and “detail-oriented." Unfortunately, sometimes these buzzwords are the only keywords listed in the ad. If that's the case, you'll need to sneak them in alongside your detailed accomplishments and academic achievements.

Customize your resume for each job you apply to

The last and most important thing to remember when creating a good resume is to  customize it for every job to which you apply . Different job postings are going to have different keywords, different job duties listed, and so on. Appealing to each individual employer's needs and job requirements is the best strategy for getting your application noticed and hopefully landing your first job.

Relevant experience goes beyond work experience

At the end of the day, the only perfect resume is the one that gets you the interview. Regardless of whether you have work experience or not, it's still possible to stand out by highlighting other types of experience that relate to the role. 

Even once you're comfortably employed, be prepared to tweak and update your resume to get noticed with each job application you submit. In the meantime, use any type of relevant experience to help you shine and land an interview. Sooner or later, you'll land that job - and gain that much-coveted relevant work experience.

Tackling this kind of resume isn't easy. If you've recently graduated or are in an entry-level job search, a  professional resume writer  can prepare you for success.

This blog was originally written by Riya Sand and has been updated by Ronda Suder. 

Recommended reading:

5 Things You Should Always Include on Your Resume

Should You Include Social Media on Your Resume?

How to Be a Great Candidate Even If You're Under-Qualified for the Job

Related Articles:

How to Maximize Your Resume Action Words to Wow the Employer

Is Your Resume Inspirational? If Not, Here's How to Fix It

7 Ways You Try Too Hard in Job Applications

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• Career Blog

25 Things to Put on a Resume When You Have No Experience

Creating a resume with no experience can seem daunting, but it’s not impossible. Our goal with this article is to provide you with the information and guidance you need to create a compelling and effective entry-level resume that will get you noticed by hiring managers.

We understand that starting your career journey can be challenging, especially when it comes to highlighting your strengths and abilities without previous job experience. This article will cover various strategies and tips that will help you build a solid foundation for your resume and showcase yourself as a desirable candidate for your dream job.

We aim to provide you with practical insights on how to outline your skills, education, volunteer work, and other relevant experiences even if you don’t have direct job experience. This article will also dive into the importance of tailoring your resume to the position you’re applying for and optimizing it for applicant tracking systems (ATS).

Our goal is to show you that a lack of experience does not have to hold you back from landing your dream job. By the end of this article, you will be equipped with the knowledge and confidence to create a top-notch resume that highlights your shining qualities and sets you apart from other applicants.

So, let’s get started!

Understand the Importance of a Strong Resume

The job market can be a competitive and challenging space, especially for those who are just starting out or have little to no experience. In such situations, having a strong resume is an essential tool for anyone to succeed in their job search. Understanding the importance of a well-written resume can mean the difference between landing your dream job and never getting past the application process.

Why a resume is important for a successful job search

A resume serves as your personal marketing tool; a document that introduces you to prospective employers and communicates your skills, experience, and achievements. It is your opportunity to present yourself in the best possible light, showcase your strengths, and convince employers that you are the right person for the job. A well-crafted resume can help you stand out from other candidates, create a positive impression, and get your foot in the door.

What employers look for in a resume

Employers have specific criteria when it comes to screening resumes. They want to see that you have the relevant skills, experience, and qualifications for the job; that you possess the qualities that match their company culture; and that you can contribute to the organization’s success. To make a good impression on employers, it is crucial to tailor your resume to each job you apply for, highlighting your relevant skills and experience.

Employers typically look for the following things in a resume:

• Clear and concise presentation of your skills and experience
• Relevance to the job you are applying for
• Consistency in all the information provided
• Evidence of your achievements and contributions
• Attention to detail in formatting and style

How a good resume can increase your chances of getting hired

A well-crafted resume can significantly increase your chances of getting hired. It can catch the employer’s attention by presenting a clear, concise, and compelling snapshot of your experience, skills, and qualifications. Additionally, a good resume can help you pass the initial screening process and make it to the next stage of the hiring process.

A good resume can help you:

• Stand out from other applicants
• Demonstrate your potential value to the employer
• Highlight your most relevant experience and achievements
• Show that you are a professional and take your career seriously

A strong resume is an essential tool for anyone searching for a job, especially those with little or no experience. A well-crafted resume can make all the difference in securing your dream job. Ensure that your resume highlights your most relevant skills and achievements, is tailored to each job application, and presents you in the best possible light to increase your chances of getting hired.

Identify Your Relevant Skills and Qualifications

One of the biggest challenges for individuals with no work experience is identifying their relevant skills and qualifications. However, it is important to note that prior work experience is not the only factor employers consider when evaluating candidates.

Here are some tips on how to determine your relevant skills and qualifications:

1. Consider Your Education

Your education can provide insight into the skills and knowledge you have acquired. Make sure to include any relevant coursework, academic achievements, and extracurricular activities. For example, if you are applying to a job in marketing, you may want to highlight any coursework in advertising, market research, or business strategy.

2. Assess Your Transferable Skills

Transferable skills are skills that can be applied to various settings and industries. Some examples of transferable skills include communication, leadership, problem-solving, and organization. Assess your own transferable skills by thinking about experiences in your personal life or volunteering activities. For example, if you have volunteered at a community organization, you may have developed leadership and communication skills that can be applied to the workforce.

3. Use Job Descriptions as Inspiration

Reading through job descriptions of positions you are interested in can provide insight into the skills and qualifications employers are looking for. Take note of any recurring requirements such as computer proficiency, attention to detail, or customer service.

How Soft Skills Can Play an Important Role in Your Resume

Soft skills, often referred to as people skills, can be a valuable asset in any professional setting. While technical skills such as coding or accounting are important, soft skills demonstrate personal qualities that can set you apart from other candidates. Here are some examples of soft skills to include on your resume:

1. Communication Skills

Communication skills are essential in almost any job. Being able to convey ideas and actively listen to feedback can lead to better collaboration and more successful projects. Highlight your communication skills by mentioning any public speaking or debate experience as well as any strong writing capabilities.

2. Leadership Skills

Leadership skills can also differentiate you from other candidates. Even if you haven’t held a formal leadership role, experiences such as leading a project or working in a team can demonstrate these skills.

3. Problem-Solving Skills

Being able to approach problems with creativity and adaptability is a sought-after trait. Showcase your problem-solving skills by mentioning any experiences where you had to troubleshoot a tricky situation or come up with an innovative solution.

While job experience is a valuable asset, it is not the only factor employers consider when evaluating potential candidates. Identifying your relevant skills and qualifications and highlighting your soft skills can make you a strong contender for a position.

Highlight your Education

One of the best ways to showcase your potential as an entry-level candidate when you don’t have work experience is to highlight your education. Your education section is prime real estate on your resume, as it gives employers insight into your capabilities, potential and desire to learn.

How to showcase your educational background

When it comes to highlighting your education on your resume, be sure to include the following information:

Name of the institution  – Start with the name of the institution where you received your degree. Be sure to spell it correctly and include the official name, as well as any commonly used abbreviations.

Degree name and level  – Include the name of your degree, such as Bachelor of Science in Accounting. Also, indicate the level of the degree, whether it’s an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree.

Major/field of study  – Indicate your area of focus, such as marketing, psychology or computer science.

Graduation date  – Include the date you received your degree.

Relevant coursework  – If you don’t have any work experience, your coursework can help you showcase your abilities and qualifications. Include any relevant courses that you took in college that relate to the position you’re applying for.

GPA  – Including your GPA is optional, but can be helpful if you have a high GPA or if the employer asks for it.

Honors and awards  – If you received any academic honors or awards, such as Dean’s List, Phi Beta Kappa, or scholarships, be sure to include them.

Including relevant coursework and achievements in your education section

When it comes to highlighting your relevant coursework and achievements, be strategic about what you include. Only include coursework and achievements that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. Here are some tips:

Focus on skills and competencies  – Instead of listing individual courses, focus on the skills and competencies you developed in those courses. For example, if you took a course in project management, you can highlight your ability to manage timelines, budgets and resources.

Quantify your achievements  – If you received high grades in your coursework, mention your GPA or any academic awards you received. If you completed a project, mention the scope of the project and any measurable outcomes.

Speak to the job requirements  – Look at the job description and identify the key requirements. Then, tailor your education section to highlight the coursework and achievements that demonstrate your ability to meet those requirements.

By highlighting your education in your resume, you can demonstrate your potential and willingness to learn. Don’t shy away from showcasing your relevant coursework and achievements, as they can help you stand out in a competitive job market.

V. Emphasize Your Extracurricular Activities

One of the best ways to showcase your skills and potential when you have no professional experience is to highlight your extracurricular activities. From leadership roles to volunteer experiences, including these on your resume can demonstrate your commitment, passion, and ability to excel in various areas.

When featuring your extracurricular activities and involvement, be sure to include specific details about your role and responsibilities. For example, if you were a member of a club, mention the projects you worked on, the events you organized, and the skills you gained through your involvement. If you volunteered at a non-profit organization, highlight the impact you made, the challenges you faced, and the lessons you learned.

In addition, don’t forget to mention any leadership roles you held. Clearly state the position you held and the size of the team you managed, as well as any accomplishments or initiatives you spearheaded. This can demonstrate your ability to take charge, delegate tasks, and motivate others.

Finally, if you have received any awards or recognition for your extracurricular activities, make sure to mention them. This can add credibility to your accomplishments and prove your dedication and excellence in a particular area.

Including your extracurricular activities and involvement on your resume can help you stand out from other candidates and give potential employers a more well-rounded view of your skills and potential.

Highlight Any Relevant Internships or Work Experience

One way to compensate for a lack of direct experience in a particular field is to refer to relevant internships or work experience, even if they occurred in other industries or areas. Such experiences can still be valuable in terms of teaching transferable skills that can be applied to the job at hand.

For instance, highlighting that you interned as a sales associate in a retail store can illustrate key skills such as customer service, teamwork, and handling money. If you worked as a waitress, you might have developed communication skills, multitasking abilities, and attention to detail. You can then demonstrate how you can apply those acquired skills to a different role or industry.

Be sure to highlight any relevant work or internships in your resume by including detailed descriptions of your responsibilities and accomplishments. Use active verbs and quantify your achievements to give potential employers a clear understanding of your contributions. Additionally, you can showcase your transferable skills learned from previous experiences through your cover letter, emphasizing how they can translate into relevant tasks and requirements of the job you’re applying for.

Even if you don’t have direct experience related to the field you’re applying for, highlighting previous relevant work or internships and demonstrating transferable skills can still make you a strong candidate for the job.

Showcase Your Relevant Achievements and Accomplishments

When listing your achievements on your resume, it is important to do so in a clear and concise manner. Rather than simply listing your responsibilities, focus on highlighting the impact you had on previous projects or positions. This will demonstrate to potential employers that you can contribute to the success of their organization. Here are some tips to showcase your achievements effectively:

Highlight quantifiable successes

Using numbers and data to quantify your successes can be a powerful way to showcase your achievements. For example, instead of saying “increased sales,” you could say “increased sales by 20% within the first quarter.” This adds context to your achievement and demonstrates your ability to impact a business. Other examples might include reducing costs, increasing productivity, or improving customer satisfaction.

Be specific

When listing achievements, be specific about what you achieved and how. Simply saying you “improved a process” doesn’t give potential employers any real insight into your abilities. Instead, say something like “streamlined a process that reduced production time by 50%.” This provides a clear picture of your accomplishments and how they benefited the organization.

Focus on relevant achievements

When listing achievements, make sure they are relevant to the job you are applying for. If you are applying for a marketing position, list achievements related to marketing or advertising campaigns you have worked on. This will demonstrate that you have the necessary skills and experience for the job.

By following these tips, you can effectively showcase your achievements and make your resume stand out to potential employers. Remember, your accomplishments demonstrate your value as an employee and can make a big difference in landing your next job.

Utilize Resume Keywords

In today’s job market, it is crucial to have a resume that stands out. One way to achieve this is by utilizing keywords throughout your resume. Keywords are specific words or phrases that are relevant to the industry, job, or skills you possess. By incorporating these keywords your resume, it can help you stand out from the pack.

Understanding how to use keywords in your resume to stand out

To make the most of keywords, it’s important to understand how to use them. One way to do this is by reviewing the job posting to identify the keywords that the employer is looking for. You can then incorporate these keywords into your resume in the relevant sections to ensure that your resume matches the job requirements.

Another approach is to use keywords that reflect your skills and achievements. Think of words or phrases that describe your strengths and experience. For example, if you’re a graphic designer, some keywords might include design software, branding, layout, and typography.

When using keywords in your resume, it is important not to go overboard. Don’t just list a bunch of random words or phrases that are not relevant to your industry or experience. Instead, be strategic about where and how you use them. This may include integrating them into your professional summary, work experience, or skills sections.

Examples of relevant keywords for various industries

Here are some examples of relevant keywords that you might consider using in your resume based on the industry:

• Social media
• Advertising
• Marketing campaigns
• Brand management
• Market research
• Content creation
• Lesson planning
• Classroom management
• Curriculum development
• Student assessment
• Differentiated instruction
• Educational technology
• Parent-teacher communication
• Programming languages
• Database administration
• Network security
• Agile methodology
• Cloud computing
• Cybersecurity
• Electronic health records
• Patient care management
• Medical terminology
• Diagnostic procedures
• HIPAA compliance
• Healthcare regulations
• Clinical trials

By using relevant keywords in your resume, you can demonstrate your skills and experience more effectively to potential employers. It helps you stand out and gets you noticed in the hiring process. Make sure to avoid overusing them and follow best practices to tailor them to each application you submit.

Structure and Design of a Strong Resume

When it comes to creating a strong resume, formatting and structure are essential for making sure that your document is easy to read and well-organized. Not only will a well-designed resume grab the attention of potential employers, but it will also make your experience and qualifications stand out.

Here are some tips for formatting and structuring your resume for maximum impact and readability:

How to Format and Structure Your Resume

• Use a clear and consistent font throughout your document. Arial, Calibri, and Times New Roman are all good options.
• Limit your use of bold, italic, and underline to highlight important information like headings and job titles.
• Break up large blocks of text with bullet points to make your resume more reader-friendly.
• Use white space to separate different sections and make your resume easier to navigate.
• Use a chronological format to showcase your work experience, with your most recent job listed first.

Tips on Choosing a Resume Template

When it comes to choosing a resume template, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, you want to choose a template that fits your style and personality. If you’re applying for a more creative job, you might want to choose a template with a more design-focused layout. If you’re applying for a more traditional job, a clean and simple template might be a better choice.

Here are some additional tips for selecting a resume template:

• Look for templates that match your industry or career level. You don’t want to choose a template that’s too casual or too formal for the job you’re applying for.
• Use color sparingly. A pop of color can help your resume stand out, but too much color can be distracting.
• Use a template that’s easy to edit and customize. You don’t want to spend hours tweaking a template that doesn’t quite fit your needs.

By following these tips for formatting and structuring your resume, as well as selecting a template that fits your style and needs, you’ll be well on your way to creating a strong and effective resume even if you have no prior experience.

Tips for Writing a Compelling Resume Summary or Objective

When it comes to writing a resume, a common section that’s often included is a summary or objective statement. These statements serve as an introduction to your potential employer and give them an idea of your background and goals. However, it’s important to know the difference between a resume summary and objective.

Resume Summary vs. Objective

A resume summary is a brief paragraph or bullet points at the top of your resume that highlights your professional accomplishments and experience. It’s a great way to give a quick snapshot of who you are as a candidate and what you bring to the table.

On the other hand, a resume objective is a statement that outlines your career goals and what you hope to achieve. It’s typically used by job seekers who have little to no work experience or are transitioning into a new industry.

Tips on Crafting a Strong Statement

Whether you’re writing a resume summary or objective, there are certain things to keep in mind to make your statement compelling and memorable. Here are a few tips:

Keep it concise: Your statement should be no longer than 2-3 sentences or bullet points. You want to quickly capture the reader’s attention and not overwhelm them with unnecessary information.

Focus on your strengths: Highlight your most relevant skills and achievements that make you a standout candidate. Tailor your statement to the job you’re applying for and emphasize what you can bring to the role.

Use keywords: Make sure to include keywords and phrases that are relevant to the job description. This can help you get past applicant tracking systems and catch the attention of the hiring manager.

Show your personality: While it’s important to keep your statement professional, don’t be afraid to inject some personality and showcase your unique voice. This can make you more memorable and help you stand out from other applicants.

Your summary or objective statement should give a clear picture of who you are as a candidate and what you can bring to the table. With these tips and a little creativity, you can craft a compelling statement that will make a lasting impression.

Incorporating Relevant Examples in Your Resume

When it comes to resumes, listing your skills and qualifications is important, but it’s not enough. In today’s competitive job market, recruiters and employers are looking for candidates who can provide tangible evidence of their abilities. That’s where incorporating relevant examples in your resume becomes crucial.

Providing examples of your accomplishments, skills, and experience is an effective way to stand out amongst other job applicants. It allows you to showcase your strengths and capabilities, instead of simply stating them. Including examples in your resume can help to give recruiters and potential employers a better understanding of your abilities and achievements, making you a strong candidate for the job.

Here are some examples of relevant and resonant examples to include in your resume:

1. Academic Achievements

Include any academic achievements such as awards or scholarships you’ve received. If you were involved in any academic competitions, mention your achievements and your role in the team. For example, if you competed in a science fair and won an award, mention that in your resume.

2. Volunteer Work

Volunteering can give you valuable experience and skills that you can highlight in your resume. If you volunteered in a leadership role, be sure to mention that. If you volunteered for a non-profit organization and helped raise money, include the amount you raised and how you accomplished it.

3. Internships

Internships are a great way to gain work experience in your field of interest. Highlight your contributions to the company you interned at and any projects you worked on. Be sure to mention any new skills you learned while on the job.

4. Freelance Work

If you have done any freelance work, be sure to include it in your resume. This could include anything from designing a logo to writing an article. Mention the project you worked on, what you accomplished, and the impact it had on the client.

5. Personal Projects

If you recently completed a personal project, it’s worth mentioning in your resume. This could include a website you designed or a YouTube channel you started. Highlight your skills and the impact your project had.

Incorporating relevant examples in your resume is a powerful tool to showcase your abilities, accomplishments, and potential. By providing tangible evidence of your skills and experience, you can make yourself stand out from other job applicants and increase your chances of securing the job of your dreams.

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How To Write Your First Resume With No Work Experience

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Find a Job You Really Want In

You may think your lack of work experience pulls you out of the running for most jobs. While having limited or no work experience may narrow your job search down, it doesn’t eliminate you entirely. Just because someone has a lot of experience, doesn’t mean they will have stellar application materials.

Whether you’re right out of college or have no work experience, we’ll go over how to write your first resume with no work experience, we’ll go over what counts as work experience, and provide an example resume with no work experience to help get you started on yours.

Key Takeaways:

You will want to focus on your education and any experiences you have when you don’t have any work history.

If you do not have a college education, list your most recent education experience, like the date of your high school graduation or when you received your GED.

It’s important not to lie on your resume to make it seem like you have more experience than you do because it can come back to haunt you.

Tailoring your resume and using keywords is a great way for your resume to stand out.

How to write a resume for a first job with no experience

First resume with no experience example, what counts as work experience for your resume, what do you put on your resume if you don’t have a college education, how a career objective is different than a career summary, should i send a cover letter, tips for writing your first resume with no experience, writing a resume with no work experience faq, final thoughts.

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When you write a resume with little or no experience you will have to craft it differently, and you will want to focus on your education and skills section. Here is a more detailed list of how to write a resume for a first job with no experience:

Contact information. The first thing you want to add is your contact information. You should include:

First and last name

Phone number

Email address

A link to a professional profile

It’s important to keep in mind that if you have been using a school email, or your email isn’t professional, create a new one. Once you have graduated that email won’t be active anymore and no employer wants to see an email from when you were in middle school.

Include a career objective. This is a statement that summarizes what you have to offer the company and why the position fits well into your career goals.

Education. This is the section you really want to emphasize. On a regular resume you would include your work experience, but since you don’t have any, this section should be at the top.

If you have a college degree or a technical degree, the experience you have gained from that alone is important to emphasize on a resume. And since those experiences are likely recent, you have fresh, up-to-date knowledge about the field, which is a great asset. Here’s what to include in this section.

Name of degree

Name of institute or university

Location of institute or university

Graduation date

GPA (optional)

Relevant coursework (optional)

Honors (optional)

Work experience. Now since you don’t have much work experience you can add any relevant experience for the job. This could include internships, part-time work, or any organizations that you have been in. We will go over more on what you can consider work experience later on.

Skills. Your resume’s skills section is where you can really line up your background with the job, even if you don’t have any formal experience. First, review the job description and highlight all of the action verbs and skills. The two types of skills to include and highlight on your resume are:

Hard skills are generally things that you must be taught to do through schooling or on-the-job training. These skills are measurable.

Soft skills are the intangible interpersonal qualities that make you pleasant to work alongside. They cannot be taught, but you can certainly improve your soft skills through experience.

For a resume with no work experience, you likely have more soft skills than hard skills. That’s okay — just be sure that you’re highlighting the soft skills that the employer values most, based on what you find in the job description (time management, collaboration, and communication are popular ones).

Awards and certifications (optional). This is the place to add anything you think might show off some of your skills to the employer. This can replace any degrees that you might not have completed yet. Having them shows that you are eager to continue learning and you have some experience.

Here is an example of writing a first time resume with no experience. Be sure to tailor your resume to each job you are applying to.

John Smith [email protected] 123-456-7890 September 12, 2023 OBJECTIVE Recent graduate with a degree in English seeking a position as a High School English teacher . Strong skills in written and verbal communication and the ability to work in a team environment. EDUCATION Penn State University Major: English Graduation Date: May 2023 GPA: 3.4 Honors: Deans List Fall 2020 through Spring 2023 SKILLS Strong written and verbal communication skills developed through coursework and extracurricular activities. Ability to work effectively in a team environment, as demonstrated in group projects and team sports. Proficient at identifying and solving problems logically and efficiently. Excellent time management skills honed through balancing schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and personal commitments.

Past experiences or short-term work can count as work experience for your resume. Here is a more detailed list of what both of those include:

Past experiences. There are all kinds of acceptable forms of work experience you can put in a section titled “experience” versus “work history.” It’s all about the framing, folks. Some of these include:

Internships

Volunteering

If you are still feeling uncomfortable about the blank space under your experience section, start filling it up. Yes, you read that right — find some new experience to put in the experience section.

Short-term work. If you are facing a resume deadline that is quickly approaching, gathering experience might not be feasible. If you know you will be applying for a job in the next few months and don’t have any experience, then it’s the perfect time to be on the lookout for short-term work opportunities .

There are many short-term opportunities that are open to freelancers. Anyone can become a freelancer . It is essentially a position in which you get paid to do contract work with no benefits and rarely guaranteed hours.

But that’s okay — because you don’t need all the perks of a full-time job yet. Think of doing freelance work as your stepping stone to a full-time job or internship . So work a few extra hours to bulk up some small gigs to add to the experience section.

Other options include volunteering , writing articles, and internships. Anything to help make it look like you’ve been putting some effort into getting real-world experience for this type of job.

If you are in college currently and have not graduated, include your expected graduation date on the resume.

Maybe you have a college education or a high school diploma, but you are worried about your GPA. If you do not have a competitive GPA (a GPA of 3.5+) you can opt to not include your GPA on your resume . If you are many years past your graduation date, you can also consider not including your GPA.

When writing a resume for a first job with little or no experience, you will want to write a career objective instead of a resume summary statement . You are probably wondering what the difference is between the two. And yes, there is definitely a difference.

A career summary is a statement that summarizes your work history section and gives some details about what type of worker you are and how you will fit the role. A career objective, on the other hand, is a statement that summarizes what you have to offer the company and why the position fits well into your career goals.

Examples of Career Objectives:

Career objective example

A dedicated worker with a BA in Marketing from the University of Connecticut. Looking to join the XYZ Inc. marketing team to aid in developing digital marketing campaigns that drive traffic and increase conversions. Background in consumer psychology and collaborative projects, including creating materials for UCONN’s writing center.

Highly motivated graphic designer hoping to obtain an entry-level position to leverage skills with Adobe Suite. Trained in modern graphic design elements and integration.

Recent graduate with a degree in Finance seeking a position at a reputable financial institution. Strong skills in mathematical modeling, market research, and personal finance tools like Quickbooks and Excel.

The only time you shouldn’t send a cover letter is if the company specifically asks applicants not to. A cover letter can help boost your application’s chances of success if you don’t have much work experience.

A resume answers the “who, what, where, when” while your cover letter answers the “how” and “why.” A cover letter should show the hiring manager how you’ll do the job better than the competition, as well as show off your intrinsic motivation

You should tailor to the job for each cover letter you send. Do some research on the company’s culture , mission, and values, and try to show how you’re the perfect cultural fit.

Just keep your cover letter to under one page long and about 200-400 words ( shorter is usually better ).

You should proofread your resume and don’t lie or exaggerate any of your skills. Here are some more tips to keep in mind when making your resume:

Proofread. It’s so important to proofread before you submit your resume. Take an extra few minutes and look over for any spelling or grammar mistakes. Make sure all of your dates and information are correct.

It can come across as unprofessional to submit a resume with mistakes. You can even have a friend look it over for anything you might have missed.

Don’t lie. Don’t lie about anything on your resume. If you don’t have any work experience or didn’t join any clubs while in school, it’s okay. Everyone has to start somewhere. If you do end up lying, be prepared for your boss to find out and potentially fire you.

Tailor to each job. Take a few minutes are reread the job description to include any relevant skills to your resume. Doing this will help your resume get noticed by a hiring manager and show that you are the right candidate for the position.

Pick a simple format. You want to make sure your resume is easy to read. A hiring manager usually only takes about six to seven seconds to read a resume before moving on. You don’t want them to spend that time trying to figure out what your text says.

Use keywords. Take some time and look over the job description and look for keywords. It’s a great way to tailor your resume to each job while highlighting the skills that they are looking for.

Apply for the roles that fit your skills. When you don’t have experience, you want to find jobs that fit your skills. This means focusing on entry-level jobs or internships. These jobs are often looking for candidates with little or no experience.

How do you say you have no experience but are willing to learn?

An example of saying you have no experience but are willing to learn is “While I don’t have the necessary experience, I believe my enthusiasm and willingness to learn makes me a strong candidate for this position.” This answer shows the interviewer that you are excited and enthusiastic about the position and you are highlighting your willingness to learn.

Can you still get a job without experience in the field?

Yes, you can still get a job without having experience in the field. When applying for jobs without experience, you want to apply for entry-level positions and highlight all of your transferable skills. You should also consider any volunteer work or internships that you have done.

What can be used on your resume when you don’t have experience?

When you don’t have experience for a job, you can use the following on your resume:

Past experience such as internships or volunteering.

Short term work such as freelancing.

Extracurricular activities such as clubs and sports

Many hiring managers want someone who has the experience to prove a candidate has a good work ethic, but not too much experience that they can’t be molded to the job. Luckily for you, with the tips listed in this article, you will be able to show hiring managers that you are just that person.

It can be scary to apply with other candidates who have a lot more experience, but when it comes to applying for jobs, one of the best skills you can learn is how to frame yourself as the perfect candidate.

Emphasize what you can bring to the position. Be honest but don’t sell yourself short. Highlight what you have accomplished and your enthusiasm for the position and you will be one step closer to landing the perfect job. In the meantime, check out Zippia’s resources for finding your first job.

Champlain College Online – Writing a Resume When You Have No Relevant Experience

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Heidi Cope is a former writer for the Zippia Career Advice blog. Her writing focused primarily on Zippia's suite of rankings and general career advice. After leaving Zippia, Heidi joined The Mighty as a writer and editor, among other positions. She received her BS from UNC Charlotte in German Studies.

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• Career Advice >
• Resume For First Job No Experience

The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Resume with Little to No Experience

If you’ve read anything online about writing a resume , the examples can appear a bit daunting if you have little to no experience:

“ Won the O. S. Card award for journalistic achievement. ..”

“ Optimized administrative processes to save 15% on annual costs …”

“ Uncovered $25,000 in annual savings through cost analysis …”

I know what you’re thinking: “I’ve never done anything like that and I don’t have that kind of experience .”

Job hunting is already, well… a job in itself. 

Add on top of that the conundrum of getting a job before you have any experience to help you write an awesome resume and win the job…

And it gets harder. 

Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to format and write your resume in a way that pulls from what you do have.

( And you’ve got a lot more to offer than you might think. )

The result?

A resume that will help you get the job, even if you have little to no experience. 

Whether you:

• Just graduated high school and are looking to get your first job
• Are fresh out of college and want to know how to position yourself to compete against people who have more experience than you
• Or you’re making a career change and need to know how to write your resume using what you have to make a smooth transition

No matter what you’re starting with or where you’re at in your career, the guide below will show you how to craft a resume that makes you look like the best person for the job.

So, let’s get started.

What this guide will cover

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• How to format and write a resume when you have little to no experience
• The best tool for hooking recruiters the moment they look at your resume (and how to write it)
• The #1 most important step before writing your resume (that can be completed in under 5 minutes)
• A step-by-step method for writing a cover letter
• How to use your education experience and other relevant details as assets on your resume
• Tips for formatting and writing your resume if you’re making a career change
• How to get your resume past ATS
• And much more

Putting together a killer resume takes work, so don’t waste the time and energy you invest in crafting it by using a bad resume design. Save hours of hassle by choosing from one of Resumebuild’s ready-made and professionally-designed templates .

Check out our full library of template examples here.

Part 1: How to write a resume when you have little or no work experience

There’s a lot you can do to write a great resume even if you have little to no work experience.

However, you need to know the right tricks to employ, particularly ones that allow you to shift the focus from your lack of experience to your abundance of other positive qualities such as:

• Quality education
• Relevant skills
• Unpaid experience
• Additional training and certifications
• And other details

Let’s start with how to format your resume, where every good resume should start, but especially if you don’t have much experience.

1. How to format your resume so you stand out, even with limited experience and achievements

Formatting your resume in a way that displays your strong points is key, especially when you lack experience.

Typically, most resumes use a reverse chronological order.

Which looks like this:

• Summary or objective statement
• Other details (Certifications, accolades or honors, additional training, hobbies and interests, etc.)

In a reverse chronological structure, it’s your experience that is displayed most prominently immediately after your profile (whether that’s a summary or objective). 

Clearly, that’s a problem. 

If you don’t have much (or any) experience, you need to shift things around, even potentially doing away with the experience section altogether.

That pretty much comes down to one of three different formats , each shifting a different section of your resume up above your experience section:

• Skills-first
• Education-first, or
• Other details-first (such as certifications or special training)

Which is the best fit for you depends on your situation and strong points:

• Are you just out of high school/not yet started college ? Skills-first is probably best unless you’ve picked up a few bits of volunteer experience (and even then). 
• Currently in college? Use your education and completed coursework thus-far as a selling point. 
• Recently graduated from college ? Education-first is best.
• Making a career change and you don’t have much relevant experience in your new industry? Skills-first can help you show recruiters what relevant skills you’ve picked up from previous jobs.
• And if you’re going into a career where certification or special training is important (such as a firefighter), making a special section titled “Certifications”, “Special Training” or something similar and putting it above your experience is probably best.

We’ll be talking about strategies for both recent grads and career changers later, so let’s go with another example. 

Let’s say you’re currently in college , so you don’t have your degree just yet.

If that’s you, list your education but with the date section as: “[Date Started] – Present” so you make it clear you haven’t graduated yet.

University of California

Accounting / 2018 – Present

Relevant coursework:

• Payroll management
• Accounts receivable/payable
• Account analysis
• Tax management
• Profit and loss

List out all relevant coursework you’ve completed so far so they can see what skills you’ve learned. 

That allows you to get most of the benefits of listing out your education, which will really help your case if you don’t have any relevant experience yet.

We’ll talk later about how to format your resume if you’ve just graduated or are making a career shift and don’t have any relevant industry experience.

But before we do that, let’s talk more about what you can do in general to amp up your resume if you have little to no experience.

And no matter how much experience, education, or relevant skills you have, that always starts in the same place: learning how to target your resume to each individual job post. 

2. How to customize your resume for each job you apply to

Want to know one of the single most important keys to writing a great resume ?

Find out what recruiters are looking for (and how they’re wording it) and include that in your resume.

No, I’m not saying to lie or make things up. Rather, I mean that you should include points for those things which:

• They mention wanting
• And you have

The below is taken straight from the job description for an administrative assistant:

“ Duties and Accountabilities :

• Efficient handling of the quote and sales order processes
• Provide information, reports and support to outside sales representatives
• Compile and create sales reports for sales and management team
• Compose letters and emails as needed
• Manage calendars and schedules for sales teams
• Book travel as needed
• Answer phones and direct questions to proper team member

Interpersonal Skills :

• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Effective relationship management
• Self-motivated
• Bi-lingual is a plus

Great, that gives us a lot to work with, even if you don’t have relevant experience yet.

How to target your resume: An example

Let’s say you’ve done some volunteer work acting as an assistant to the person in charge of running a fundraiser, special event, or in some other capacity.

Point is, you have relevant skills and experience that match much of what they’re asking for here.

That’s a big selling point.

Let’s say you’re going with your skills section first, right after your objective.

You might write it like this:

• Wrote 50+ emails per day for OC5k
• Answered 75+ phone calls and managed multi-line phone for local charity, helping direct questions to proper team members 
• Provided technical information and support to participants during local volunteer event
• Used interpersonal skills to manage relationships with charity managers and participants
• Bilingual (Spanish, Fluent)

Imagine starting your resume off like that?

It certainly doesn’t look like you have no experience to me.

Let’s break down exactly what we did there. 

First, we went in and cherry picked some of the experience they got from their past volunteer work that was relevant to the job post and included it.

Specifically, these points:

But we didn’t stop there.

There’s a second very important step that helps you communicate those relevant skills to the recruiter:

Why you should use recruiter’s own language

What do I mean by “using a recruiter’s language”?

I didn’t just write:

• Averaged 75+ daily phone calls and managed multi-line phone for local charity 

Typically, that’d be fine.

It’s written using specific numbers and is relatively compelling.

But to make it even better, pull in some of the exact language the recruiter used in their description to speak directly to them.

So, instead, write it like this:

(Bold used to point out where we used exact wording)

Just two small changes, but the difference it will make is sizable.

Particularly the addition at the end, “helping direct questions to proper team members ”, taken almost word-for-word from the original description.

You don’t want to get too crazy and start doing this on every line, but a few times in each key section can really help communicate that you have what they want. 

Because you’re speaking their language . 

People respond best when you speak in a way that they’re familiar with, which is what we did above. 

And if you’re worried about the amount of work this might take, don’t be.

A resume targeted to a specific job post is worth 10 blindly sent out in mass (or more), so it’s well worth the effort.

Plus, in your research if you notice a common trend, you can modify your base resume to include those phrases you keep seeing pop up across different job posts, making any mass sends you end up doing that much more effective. 

Now, let’s jump into the actual writing of your hotly anticipated new resume , starting with your resume objective.

3. Why an objective statement is key and how to include it in your resume

Every good resume starts with a resume objective or summary, and that’s no different here.

As opposed to a resume summary, which is best when you have lots of experience/accomplishments, a resume objective is specifically good when you have little or no experience. 

So, that’s what we’ll be using here.

An objective includes:

• A short summary of your relevant experience, education, and/or skills
• A statement expressing your interest in obtaining a position and applying your skills with the company

No matter how good your resume is, a recruiter is only going to skim over it for a few seconds.

That means you need to hook them fast– which is where your well-written objective comes in.

What does a good resume objective look like?

Let’s look at some examples:

New programmer with knowledge in programs like Java, CSS, and Ruby. Seeking to apply my coding knowledge in a position with your company. 

Well! They’re definitely trying. 

Let’s give that objective a bit of a makeover:

Entry-level programmer skilled in Ruby, Java, CSS, and back-end design. Won local programming competition creating an app that allowed community volunteers to schedule and map time for city events. Seeking to apply my growing coding knowledge in a position with Machina Digital. 

Are you sure that’s the same person?

Big difference, right?

First, “New” sounds bad. “Entry-level” means essentially the same thing, but sounds much more professional. 

In other words, be careful what words you choose when you’re writing your resume and what effect they might have on how recruiters view you. 

Next, the first example really needed some more meat.

Fortunately, that doesn’t have to mean industry experience. So, they went with an example that showed the application of some of their relevant coding skills in a real-world context.

Lastly, the addition of the company name in your objective statement is a super simple edit that can make a very good impression.

Why? It tells them you tailored your resume specifically to them and weren’t just spamming it out to 100 potential employers.

Next, let’s talk about whether you should include an education section in your resume. And, if you do, how to do it right.  

4. Should I include an experience section? How to list internships and other relevant experience

Only you can decide if it makes sense to include an experience section.

However, if you have any of the following, the answer is likely yes:

• Internship experience 
• Relevant volunteer experience
• Other experience

Internships are ideal. 

After all, whether paid or unpaid, experience is still experience. 

And you can list it in exactly the same way as any work experience.

For example:

WORK EXPERIENCE

Marketer Internship

June 2019 – June August / Rocket Funnel

• Assisted in putting together marketing campaigns for a new product launch
• Managed 15+ daily email correspondence with influencers and outreach candidates
• Wrote daily content (3+ blog posts a week) for several of the agency’s clients
• Crafted a list of suggested changes to apply in the marketing department as a whole

The recruiter called– they’re listening. 

Any aspiring marketer would be proud of that experience on their resume. 

However, internships are the easy part.

The truth is, most aren’t so lucky to have snagged a nice internship, the valuable experience and resume fodder that comes with it. 

That’s where volunteering comes in (as long as it’s relevant experience).

By relevant volunteer experience, I mean volunteering you’ve done where you’ve applied skills that are relevant to your profession.

For example, if you’re an accountant and you managed the cash generated from a fundraiser event or the finances used to pay for the event, that’s relevant experience. 

That kind of experience is great to include in a resume, either in a separate “Volunteer work experience” section below your work experience or within it and clearly labelled “Volunteering” or “Volunteer work”. 

Let’s say you didn’t get that coveted internship afterall, but you picked up a bit of volunteer (plus personal life) experience applying your newfound skills in anticipation of your job hunt.

Your experience section might look like:

VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE

• Managed a small team taking payments and answering customer questions at the gate during the Sherman City Summer Fair
• Helped a local church create marketing materials for its annual event
• Ran a fan-based Facebook Group for 2 years, including managing new members, interacting with the community, resolving issues, and putting on several online events
• Helped craft a marketing plan for the family business to draw in more foot traffic to its restaurant

If you look through your own life experience, chances are you can find a few things worth mentioning that are relevant to your field.

And whether you do or don’t, it’s easy to pick up a few pieces of experience in a volunteering, pro-bono, capacity within a few months time.

That should give you enough to fill out a nice volunteer work experience section that makes your resume look way more impressive. 

Of course, if you’re leaning more on your education and have built what you feel is a nice list of relevant skills, you might not feel the need to include an experience section at all (more on that later).

Next, let’s talk about how to list your skills and achievements.

5. How to list your skills and achievements (even if you think you have none)

You might not have much, or any, industry experience.

But chances are, you already have enough relevant experience from various places to pull together a good skills section.

So then, where can you pull these skills from? 

All kinds of places, including:

• Volunteer work
• Internships
• High school experience (clubs, classes, sports, etc.)
• Current college experience (Coursework, clubs, etc.)
• Non-relevant work experience. 

Each of these areas offers an opportunity to develop skills that are relevant to your industry, whether that’s becoming a marketer, financial analyst, teacher, or any other profession.

The great part about your skills section is it’s a place where you can pull from all your relevant experience without having to worry about citing where the experience comes from.

That’s key and why having your skills section at the top of your resume can be so effective.

Sure, they might read further down and see you don’t have much experience, but they’ll also know you understand the essential skills needed to succeed in your profession and that you’ve invested time in developing them before you even officially started your career. 

However, don’t be fooled into making the same mistake that 90% of applicants make and thinking this will get you the interview:

• Team player
• Interpersonal skills
• Critical thinker
• Leadership skills
• Positive attitude

Virtually everyone writes their skills section this way and (mostly because of that) it just doesn’t work . 

( Especially the phrase “team player”. Whatever you do, don’t ever include that phrase in your resume. You’ve been warned.)

You should be reading through the job description and taking down all the skills they mention which you have to list on your resume.

However, don’t just put down the phrase, “Leadership skills” and call it a day. 

Also, don’t just mention vague soft skills either.

Let’s look at a better example, this one for a project manager:

Hard Skills

• Product validation and iteration
• Ideation leadership
• Product design
• Forecasting 

Soft Skills

• Applied leadership skills in managing a small team to create new marketing plan for a local church
• Used problem-solving to identify and solve pricing that saved 10% on product sales for Ajenson
• Showed strong collaboration and interpersonal skills as a team member working with a small SaaS
• Used time management skills in internship with Ajenson to take care of the ideation, design, and launch of a new product within a 3-month window

We did a few things here, so let’s break it down.

First, it’s arguably more important to mention your relevant hard skills than it is to mention soft skills.

That’s because hard skills are more specifically relevant to the profession and harder to come by.

Any hard skills you have that are relevant to your profession should be mentioned, whether they’re:

• Technical skill-based : Such as product design, project management, or cost analysis.
• Or technology-based : Such as Microsoft Suite, Quickbooks, Scanners, Faxes, Oracle, Trello, Slack, etc.

Both types of skills should be placed into a “Hard Skills” section and mentioned first above your soft skills. 

Second, let’s talk about what we did with the soft skills.

How to list soft skills in your resume

For soft skills, you never want to just drop empty phrases like “leadership skills” into your skills section like we did in the first example.

Why? It’s not believable because everyone does it . 

In fact, it’s just shy of an empty page. 

Instead, you want to add context for every one of the soft skills you mention.

That means instead of, “leadership skills” you use a real example to clarify what you mean and show you actually have those skills.

For example, “ Applied leadership skills in managing a small team to create new marketing plan for a local church ”

When you say it that way, it sounds much more believable.

Plus, it adds weight to your skills section, which can often seem empty. 

Not sure what kinds of soft skills you could have to mention on your resume?

Here’s a list of soft skills you might be a match for:

• Collaboration
• Interpersonal/Communication
• Critical thinking
• Problem solving
• Decision making
• Time management
• Oral and written communication
• Organization
• Presentation
• Quick learner
• Strong morals

6. What to avoid mentioning and common mistakes of no-experience resumes

In general, if you follow this guide you’ll be well set up with a professional resume that’s not only memorable but effective. 

Still, there are some things you’ll want to avoid that are easy mistakes to make.

So far, we’ve touched on:

• Don’t just drop soft skills into your resume. Add context.
• If you have little to no experience, don’t just throw your college and high school experience into your resume without clarifying relevant details such as coursework and relevant projects, conferences you went to, etc. Add those as points and other relevant experience such as work you’ve done in a club or on a sports team.
• Refrain from dropping whatever you feel like into your resume. Read the job description and see what they’re looking for. Write to those points in your objective, experience, and skills sections.

But there are other mistakes that, while less impactful, are still very easy to make and could affect your ability to get the job.

That includes:

• Listing references : Old practice, don’t do it unless requested.
• Including a photo of yourself : It’s not common to include this. Again, only include this if the employer or recruiter requests it. Otherwise, skip it. 
• Using an unprofessional email : If your personal email is something like “ [email protected] ”, you’ll probably not want to include that on your resume . Just saying. Take 5 minutes and sign up for a new email on Gmail (or anywhere else) using something basic like your full name. For example: “ [email protected] ”. 

Another mistake that resume builders sometimes make that can hurt your chance of landing that coveted role is including a social profile that isn’t clean.

That means a Facebook, Instagram, or other social account that has content on it that isn’t reflective of the personal brand you’re trying to show potential employers.

Generally, you should only include your LinkedIn profile on your resume. There are exceptions to this, such as if you’re applying to be a fashion writer or editor, but in general that’s best practice for most professions. 

Part 2: How to write a cover letter if you have little or no work experience

You’re off to a great start.

You’ve got your resume started, maybe even completed, and you already feel leagues better about your ability to convince recruiters you’re a solid candidate for the job. 

But there’s another step you can take which can give you yet another advantage– something most job hunters never do.

Include a cover letter with your resume. 

A cover letter, done right, is a powerful asset because it helps place your resume in context to you and your positive traits.

That’s why it’s so useful if you’re lacking experience.

Even if you have little to no experience, you can include a cover letter that tells more about you and your enthusiasm for joining said company, further helping your chances. 

Maybe the problem is it’s a bit nebulous.

• What do you include in your cover letter? 
• How long should it be?
• How should you start it and what should you highlight?
• And how should you end your cover letter? 

Fortunately, we’re going to cover all of that and more below and show you how to craft the perfect cover letter in a few basic steps. 

So, it’s time to gear up and take notes.

1. How to format your cover letter to perfection

What does the perfect cover letter look like?

It’s a pretty simple formula, despite the common confusion around how to craft one:

• Greeting : Include the recruiter’s name if you have it: “Dear Robert”. Otherwise, “Dear hiring manager” will suffice.
• Opening paragraph : This is where you hook them so they read on.
• Second paragraph : This is where you explain why you’re the best fit for the job.
• Third paragraph : This is where you communicate your interest and excitement to join the company.
• CTA ending : Every great cover letter ends with a “call to action” that gently nudges the recruiter to reach out. 

A good cover letter should be no more than a single page (about 250-300 words), so between that and the straightforward structure, it’s relatively easy to craft one in under an hour. 

And, considering it can help your chances of getting noticed, it’s a no brainer. 

First, let’s talk about how to craft a great opening paragraph that reels in recruiters.

2. How to write an opening paragraph that will hook recruiters

Your first job with your cover letter is to hook the recruiter.

What does that mean?

It means your first paragraph needs to immediately catch the eye of the recruiter and make them want to read more.

If you succeed at this, you’re golden.

If not, they’ll be much less likely to read through the rest of your cover letter and resume. 

Because of this, you need to make a great first impression, the kind that makes recruiters say:

“Wow, they sound promising.”

Here’s an example of what your opening paragraph might look like:

I’m excited to have the opportunity to respond to your post for the position of Programmer. I’m confident I’d be a key member of the team for upcoming projects. I’m a new programmer, but I’ve applied my skills to attain several notable achievements in my short time in the industry. 

What’s wrong with this?

First, while there is promise, it’s painfully generic.

There are no numbers, no specific examples, just a lot of, “I’m this” and “I’m that” without any real proof. 

Here’s a better example: 

As a programmer passionate about amazing design and a fan of MailChimp’s, I’m excited to have the opportunity to respond to your post for the position of Programmer. I’m confident I’d be a key member of the team for upcoming projects. I won the 2019 West Covina City Programming Challenge with my unique app idea. I also helped launch one of the most successful iterations of management SaaS Lighthouse’s new product while interning. 

Now that’s an amazing opening paragraph for someone without any experience. 

They’re enthusiastic about the company, mention specific quantifiable achievements, and they used strong words to describe it all. 

Keep in mind that you don’t need to highlight specific experience in this way.

Instead you could study the employer’s needs and impress them by showing them how well you know them:

I’ve been an avid user throughout the years, but I’ve always felt the reports U.I. and some aspects of the editor were lacking. I’m excited to lend my insights to helping improve design elements for the company.

The important part is that you start your cover letter out strong with some personalization showing the employer that you’re writing your cover letter to them and impressing in some way whether through your achievements, experience, or knowledge. 

3. How to show you’re the perfect fit for the job

Now that you’ve hooked them with your opening paragraph, it’s time to dig in and show them why you’re the ideal candidate. 

Remember when we talked earlier about targeting your resume to each job post?

That’s exactly what you’re going to do here. 

After all, how do you show that you’re the best person for the job? 

Show them you have exactly what they’re asking for. 

For example, if they’re looking for:

• Creative problem solving
• Understanding critical objectives in development
• Create automation’s with API’s
• Develop internal software

With experience using:

• GitHub Services

You could write your second paragraph like this:

In my recent internship at Lighthouse, I worked with the design and programming teams to understand project objectives while helping develop internal software and automations. My last objective was to create an automation within 14 days to place on GitHub for constructive feedback. 

During my internship, I applied several additional skills including:

• And lots of creative problem solving

Notice how this second paragraph is all about backing up the impression you set in the first paragraph.

You start off by showing your experience or relevant skills and talk about how you actually used them in a real setting.

Then, you further back up that initial statement with whatever you have that’s relevant to it or the other items they asked for. 

Now, let’s move on to the final paragraph, where you express to the recruiter why you want to join the company. 

4. How to tell the employer that you’re excited to join their company 

This final paragraph is a lot like the objective statement in a resume objective, which we talked about earlier:

You’re communicating to the recruiter your passion and excitement to work at the company. 

Remember when I mentioned how important personalization is? 

Like when you mentioned the company in the objective statement of your resume? And the name of the hiring manager in the greeting on your cover letter? And in the opening paragraph?

I hope you’re seeing a theme, because it’s one of the most important lessons there is when it comes to crafting a great resume and cover letter . 

The reality is, companies get a lot of general, cookie-cutter resumes.

What they really want is to receive a resume and cover letter that was clearly written for them . 

In this final paragraph, you go all-in on that one lesson and explain why you’re excited about the prospect of working for their company. 

One way you could do this is by mentioning a recent update, project, or product launch and how your skills and experience would be a perfect fit for that initiative.

Doing that will show them that you can be of value to them specifically, as opposed to just being a professional looking for a job with any random company.

I’ve been paying close attention to the updates you’ve made revolving around your help center experience. My skill set would be a great match to help further develop that project and others like it in exciting directions. I would be eager to apply my knowledge of front-end design to realize tangible results with it and similar projects. 

Great, but you’re not quite done yet.

Lastly, let’s add a CTA to the end of your resume to really compel them to take action on your cover letter and resume. 

5. Why ending your cover letter with a call-to-action is key

CTA stands for “call to action” and it typically refers to the moment where the writer nudges the reader to take a particular action.

Throughout your first 3 paragraphs, you established a clean, logical flow: 

Introduction -> Hook -> Sell -> Connect (emotionally)

Now, we’ll finish that sequence with your call to action, which puts a nice cap on your cover letter and makes sure you don’t leave without compelling them to reach out. 

Generally, this takes the form of:

I look forward to the chance to discuss your design goals with you and show why my skills and experience would allow me to make a positive contribution towards achieving those objectives. 

However, it’s easy to write this part in a way that makes you seem a bit too enthusiastic, to the point of being desperate. 

Like this: 

Eagerly awaiting the chance to discuss your design goals with you and show why my skills and experience would make me a great addition to the team. 

A good effort, but phrases like “eagerly awaiting” and “make me a great addition” are a bit too self-centered. 

Instead, you want to focus on what you can give to them, not the other way around. 

It might seem odd to include a CTA like this in your cover letter, but the reality is without it, it’s too easy for them to read your cover letter and forget about it, even if they did like it. 

A call to action gives just enough of a nudge in the right direction without being pushy. 

Once you’re done with that, all that’s left is to close it out with a simple “Thank you,” or “Best regards” and your cover letter is good to go. 

Now that you understand the basics of how to write an effective resume and cover letter with little to no experience, let’s dive into writing a resume if you’re fresh out of college.

How does that change how you can and should structure and write your resume to get the job?

Read on to find out. 

Part 3: How to write a resume when fresh out of college

You’ve finally got your degree.

Congratulations– and welcome to the world of job hunting. 

If you read the previous section, you know you’ve got a plethora of options to make your resume look impressive even if you have little to no experience.

But as a new graduate, you have another tool at your disposal: your education experience.

Make no mistake, you got a whole lot more than a piece of paper while going after your degree, possibly including:

• A list of skills relevant to your profession
• Experience applying those skills through participation in clubs or special projects
• Special training or internships you acquired as a result of your coursework
• Possible honors and achievements

Now, it’s time to learn how to apply that and any other relevant experience and skills you’ve acquired throughout your life to snag your first professional role.

First, let’s talk about a useful strategy for formatting your resume that lets your education and extracurricular activity shine. 

1. How to format your resume education-first

So far, we’ve talked about how you can make things like relevant skills more prominent to make up for a lack of experience.

But if you’ve just acquired your degree, there’s another route you can take which may be even more effective: putting your education section first.

That might sound weird if you’ve been looking at resume examples , but it’s actually pretty common.

So, instead of putting your experience section first, you’d format your resume something like:

• Other details (Additional training/Extracurricular/Academic projects/Hobbies/Etc.)

That structure may look a bit questionable at initial glance, but when you see it in practice, it works. 

Also, we’ll talk later about how you can still include an experience section with a different spin if you have any internships, volunteer work, or have done any special projects whether inside or outside college. 

In that case, your resume would be formatted something like this:

No matter how you format your resume , there’s one last and very important detail that makes this structure work.

Include this and your education becomes almost as compelling a selling point as a swath of relevant experience and effectively takes the place of your work experience section in a new graduate resume.

2. Why effectively listing your education and ed-related achievements is key 

You know that bright, shiny new degree you just got? 

No, I don’t mean put your certificate up on eBay to the highest bidder. 

What I mean is, when it comes to being a new graduate, it’s your education section that should be the real selling point on your resume.

But not like this:

2019 BS in Computer Science

St. John’s University

Salt Lake City, Utah

That’s an atypical education section for someone who likely already has some professional experience under their belt.

For you, it’s your education which needs to take center stage.

So, level it up to something more like…

Relevant Coursework:

• Machine learning : Wrote AI-based app that scored 93/100 for class final.
• Cloud computing: Created 2 separate virtual machines as part of cloud computing unit. 
• Software/Game development : Created 3D models and several scripts for a game design project. 
• Cybersecurity : Created an encrypted app and tested it against the class’s invasive software. The software was never broken.  

Alright, now we’re talking. 

Let’s talk about what we did and why . 

As a new graduate, you don’t have a list of duties and responsibilities from a previous employer that you can show off to prove you have the necessary skills.

But remember what we talked about earlier with considering putting your skills section first: 

Chances are, you picked up a swath of valuable, relevant skills through your education, whether that was coursework or a project where you applied part of what you learned. 

The first example is: “ I went to school at X .” It doesn’t tell us anything about your education experience.

The second example tells us you learned X, Y, and Z valuable skills through the coursework and completed these projects with these results (if you cite something like project results or the completed work, it can be useful to include a link to it somewhere on your resume). 

You could even expand each of the bullet points to a section of its own with 3-4 bullet points each, but be careful as you risk making your resume too long that way. 

You never want your resume longer than 1-page unless you’re applying for something like a federal government job. 

Also, if you have any special education-related achievements, make sure you include these here as well. 

Numbers, data, or achievements you can cite are the best way to prove your skills and abilities, so they’re the most convincing thing you can include on your resume.  

You could put that in a bullet point within your corresponding line of education or, better yet, include it as a separate section below (or even above) education like this:

ACHIEVEMENTS

• Kaladin Sanderson Futurism Award , 2019 for the creation of an app that uses basic facial recognition to unlock Google Chrome keychain information for logging in

Now, let’s jump into a related topic: using your education and life experience to distill out relevant skills to include in your skills section. 

3. How to highlight skills developed through your education and life experience

Think you have nothing to list in a skills section?

Think again.

The reality is, you probably picked up a good collection of skills throughout your education experience, from soft skills to hard, as well as throughout your life whether through freelance or volunteer work or elsewhere. 

It can be hard knowing where to start, however, so be intentional about what skills you look for when you think back to your education and life experience.

For example, a study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) found that these soft skills are valued most by employers (in this order, based on percent):

• Problem-solving skills: 82.9% 
• Teamwork/Ability to work in a team (the latter is better wording): 82.9% 
• Communication skills (written): 80.3% 
• Leadership: 72.6% 
• Strong work ethic: 68.4% 
• Analytical/quantitative skills: 67.5% 
• Communication skills (verbal): 67.5% 
• Initiative: 67.5% 
• Detail-oriented: 64.1% 
• Flexibility/adaptability: 60.7% 
• Technical skills: 59.8% 
• Interpersonal skills: 54.7% 
• Computer skills: 48.7% 
• Organizational ability: 48.7% 
• Strategic planning skills: 39.3% 
• Creativity: 29.1% 
• Friendly/Outgoing: 27.4% 
• Tactfulness: 22.2% 
• Entrepreneurial skills/Risk-taker: 19.7% 
• Fluency in a foreign language: 4.3%

For soft skills, peruse through your life and start thinking about times where you might have developed these various skills.

You might have volunteer experience, experience working at the family business, or did freelance or personal projects by yourself or with friends/group members. 

Pull hard skills from your coursework and personal study

Some argue that hard skills are more important while others say that employers value soft skills more because they translate no matter what work you have been or will be doing for the employer over time.

The truth is probably more nuanced than that, in that some employers value one over the other.

Point being, try to also pull out whatever hard skills you can related to your profession.

If you’re an accountant, that might be:

• Accounts receivable
• Account reconciliation
• Collections and account management
• Software-specific knowledge, such as Microsoft Suite (can mention whichever you have individual experience in, such as Excel/Outlook/Word, or just say “Microsoft Suite”), Quickbooks, Oracle, or SAGE

Just because you don’t have work experience doesn’t mean you can’t list that your coursework included learning these hard skills. 

Plus, while you might not have real on-the-job experience with something like Oracle, you could always get a hold of the software yourself and take online tutorials to learn how to use it on your own time (if your coursework didn’t include this already). 

Now, let’s talk about how to put this all together and talk about how your skills section should look.

How to write your skills section

The most important thing with any good skills section is to include context .

What that means is, instead of listing your soft or profession-specific hard skills (like account analysis) like this:

SOFT SKILLS:

• Problem-solving skills
• Teamwork skills
• Written communication
• Resourceful
• Strong work ethic

HARD SKILLS:

• Collections
• Account management
• Intuit Quickbooks
• Microsoft Excel (Expert)
• Microsoft Outlook

You expand those single words and phrases to elaborate on the skill.

• Skilled at solving workplace problems whether technical (software), accounting, or HR-related 
• Ability to work well in a team setting, both through strong written and oral communication
• Resourceful– efficient use of time and resources to accomplish tasks under any circumstance 
• Strong work ethic and ability to stay on task until the job gets done

Your hard skills speak for themselves, but soft skills like “Problem-solving skills” and “Teamwork” are way too generic and overused for recruiters to pay any attention or even believe what you’re saying.

Instead, add a little context and watch them come alive– and catch attention, instead of diverting it. 

Another bonus: notice how this added several lines to their resume.

If you’re fresh out of college and you don’t have much to add to your resume , expanding your skills section in this way can help fill up the page in a nice way. 

Okay, next, let’s talk about 4 different sections you can include in your resume to replace your work experience if you have little to none of it.

You can include any or all of these various sections, but go with the ones that are most relevant to the job and appropriate for you and your experience.

4. How to list internships and why they’re just as valuable as paid experience

Not everyone has internship experience.

But if you’ve got it, sell it– big time .

In fact, it’s worth about as much as paid work experience on a new graduate resume.

After all, you were doing relevant work, and that’s what really matters to employers. 

Likewise, the way you show it on your resume is almost identical to work experience:

• Duties/Responsibilities

Take this example of an aspiring marketing manager: 

INTERNSHIPS

Marketing Intern / June 2019 – Sept 2019

Single Grain / Los Angeles, CA

Key Responsibilities:

• Oversaw the launch of a new Summer ad campaign
• Created new weekly video and blog content for company blog
• Managed company Instagram with daily content updates

Nice. That looks about as good as any employment experience and includes super relevant skills.

Plus, they wrote about those skills with context.

They didn’t write, “Social media”, they wrote, “Managed company Instagram with daily content updates.”

That doesn’t just sound way more impressive, it’s actually believable. 

Way better than this:

Marketing Intern 

June 2019 – Sept 2019

Sure, if you have other experience you’re trying to highlight more than that internship, maybe you want to include it but save a little space.

However, if you are including it, you might as well use it as an asset by dropping some compelling bullet points in. 

After all, that’s what everything you put on your resume is– an asset. 

If you have one of more nice internships, consider putting those above your education to replace your work experience section. 

You could do the same with the next several sections, but they’re generally better relegated to being after your education section. 

5. How to include volunteering like a line of work experience

Earlier, we talked about how you can include volunteer experience in your resume.

We used a kind of collective list format, but this time we’ll show you how to list out your volunteering like work experience.

This is especially useful when you have volunteer experience that’s super relevant to your field or you picked up a number of relevant skills from it. 

Let’s say you’re looking to get into human resources.

You knew you’d need to build up a little experience outside school, so you volunteered over the Summer to help put on a big local 5K/fundraiser.

You helped manage the entrant’s information and the volunteer’s time and other details that had to do with making sure they were taken care of while working on the project. 

The event took about a month to plan and went off without a hitch. Now, you’ve got some great volunteer experience you’d like to put on your resume.

However, you want it to really shine. 

Not like this:

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

Human Resources Manager

Go Pink for 5K / June 2019 – July 2019

Instead, expand it with bullet points detailing some of the skills you applied and the items you were responsible for.

Responsibilities:

• Managed volunteer onboarding and created a welcome packet for seamless integration into the team
• Collected and archived files for all team members
• Handled questions and concerns for volunteers

Alright, now that sells your volunteer experience.  

It’s amazing what a few bullet points can do.

Make sure that whatever you put down are real skills you developed during your volunteering.

Lying on your resume can be tempting when you don’t have much experience. 

It’s not only wrong, though, it will get you into hot water later when the employer sits down with you for an interview and asks you to elaborate on your experience. 

But also: make sure they’re relevant.

Just because you handled some of the marketing doesn’t mean you should mention it on your resume.

If you’re applying for an HR position, mentioning your marketing responsibilities is just going to detract from your relevant experience, so resist the temptation to mention everything you did there and stay with the relevant stuff. 

Next, let’s shift gears and talk about two additional sections that function a bit differently from volunteer experience and internships. 

However, which can be just as valuable. 

6. How to list extracurricular activities such as sports and clubs

Our third additional section, listing extracurricular activities is something most first-time resume builders don’t think about but which can really help beef up your resume .

What do I mean by extracurricular activities?

That could include all kinds of things, but most notably college and/or high school:

• Clubs you participated in 
• Sports you were a part of
• Or groups you founded or were a part of in or outside of school surrounding a hobby, especially if you put on events and learned relevant skills

For example, you might have been a part of:

• The debate club at high school
• A fashion or business club in college
• The track team in high school
• Or the Boy Scouts outside of school

Depending on what field you’re going into, each of those could be relevant to your profession and worth mentioning on your resume. Or not. 

Take a few minutes to think back about any and all relevant clubs, teams, or groups you participated in on a regular basis throughout your life and which might be useful to mention on your resume.

Again, keep it relevant. You shouldn’t be throwing just anything onto your resume to fill up the page. 

You want whatever you put down into your resume to help display you as a perfect fit for the job. 

However impressive, anything you put down that isn’t relevant to the position itself will be ignored and give the recruiter one more reason to stop reading your resume. 

How to write an extracurricular activity section

Once you’ve got one or more things to put down, it’s time to write.

But instead of this:

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Futurism and Tech Club

Mar 2018 – Sept 2019

Futurism Sci-Fi Facebook Group

Jan 2016 – Jan 2019

If you need a little more umph on your resume , you can expand that same example into this:

• Organized a “Future of Tech” showcase for campus students and community members
• Ran projects surrounding creating and brainstorming new digital tech advancements
• Managed memberships, from
• Managed group projects of 10+ members
• Maintained positive group environment

You’ve now single-handedly taken what would otherwise have been an easily forgettable section on your resume and amped it up to ten. 

Now, let’s talk about our final section: academic projects.

7. How to list academic projects relevant to the job

Our 4th and final additional section you can choose to add to your new graduate resume, academic projects are more focused in scope than the previous sections but are super relevant.

This can include class projects, studies you took part in, journalism, or other similar project-related tasks.

• A write up on the effects of Facebook and other social networks on marketing
• A project where you create your own basic AI and program it into robotics
• Or a study you performed using your college peers to find out the psychological effects of recent political events

Each of these is an example of a project-related task you might work on as part of your coursework.

However, instead of just mentioning that coursework in the bullet points of your education section like this:

B.S. Hotel Management / Sept 2016 – June 2020

Colorado State University / Fort Collins, Colorado

• Sales and marketing management-focused coursework including sales flow and digital marketing studies
• Extensive business law study
• Food and beverage and kitchen management knowledge
• Catered a successful event project for course final in third year (<— See here)

You can pull it out of there and give it the A+ treatment:

• Extensive business law and ethics study

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS

• Catered a successful event project with 75+ guests for course final in third year

What if you can’t really, or prefer not to, refer to your project as an “academic achievement”? 

That’s just fine, you can list it like this and even add some more detail:

ACADEMIC PROJECTS

Perception and Reality: Is the World Getting Healthier?

B.A. in Journalism Finals Project

UCLA / Apr 2018 – May 2018

• Interviewed several scientists and historians to write a feature piece on perception and reality of well-being through history

Which of these routes you go all depends on how much you want to highlight said project.

If it’s one of your best selling points, use the second. 

If there are other areas you want to feature more and you’re having a hard time fitting everything you want onto one page, consider the first. 

Also, for a section like this in particular, it’s key that you include a link to whatever you have connected to the project, be it a document, software, artwork, photos, or summary of results. 

Whatever you do, make it a link. Don’t bog down your resume by including said document/artwork/etc. in your PDF resume (yes, even if you’re a journalist or photographer– link to your portfolio website). 

Now, let’s talk about some of the other additional sections you can include in your resume (yep, that wasn’t all of them!). 

8. Additional sections you can add to your resume as a recent graduate

So far, we’ve covered 4 sections you can add to your resume as a new graduate that can help take the place of and make up for your lack of work experience.

But there’s a lot more you can mention.

In fact, we’ve just covered the tip of the iceberg, the most common sections.

Here’s a list of some other sections and information you could include to make up for your lack of experience:

Certifications and other special profession-related training

If you’re an aspiring firefighter with a paramedic certification or have CompTIA A+ and you’re getting into IT, sell that big time. 

Any profession that requires additional training outside college is often:

• Essential, OR
• Highly sought-after

In many cases, this can be the best section to put at the top of your resume right after your objective.

That way, they click on your resume and… BAM, you hit them with the good stuff right off the bat. 

Plus, it’s the easiest section in the world to write, no bells or whistles required.

Do it like this:

CERTIFICATIONS 

• Certified CompTIA A+

Boom, nothing else needed; it speaks for itself. 

Also: Make sure to sell the heck out of that throughout your resume (add it to your objective too even if that section is right after your objective, for example).

That includes the next section– honors and awards– too. 

Honors and awards

We’ll talk a bit about how to really make your resume stand out in the next section, but for now know that any kind of awards, honors, or achievements you have are some of the best things to include in your resume. 

It’s simple: they’re proof you know what you’re doing.

Compare that with some of the bad examples we’ve looked at so far, such as the typical skills section:

SOFT SKILLS

• Detail-oriented 
• Communication skills

Most recruiters will see that and immediately pass over it without giving it much weight.

Now, you can add context to those skills to make them more believable, and that’s a big improvement.

However, you can take this a step further by showing relevant awards and achievements that prove you know your stuff. 

Plus, this is a super basic section that just lists the award, so it takes no time at all to write:

HONORS AND AWARDS

• Valedictorian, BA in Life Sciences, Penn State 2018
• Awarded the Braddock Scholarship for the study of biology

Language skills

Another section that’s virtually a sure-fire win if you have it, if you’re bi, tri, or whatever lingual than consider highlighting it separate from your skills section.

When you do, make sure to include the standard terminology for how well you know the language:

• Native or Fluent : You can read + write in the language
• Proficient : You can use the language pretty comfortably, but you’re not yet at a fluent level
• Conversational : You can hold a basic conversation, but many words still escape you and you can’t read or write in the language

Anything below that is typically not worth putting on your resume (sorry).

That is, unless the job specifically calls for it and you want to express that you have a beginner-level understanding of a particular language and are willing to learn more quickly. 

Include this section below your skills section (unless you put that at the top, in which case keep it toward the bottom of your resume) and structure like this:

• Spanish: Fluent
• Mandarin: Conversational
• French: Beginner

Most companies will be stoked that you’re so… lingual , so be sure to sell it, especially if they have international operations. 

Hobbies and interests

While never considered an essential section on any resume, a hobbies and interests section can help show you have a passion for activities related or valuable to your profession. 

Plus, it shows them a bit about who you are as a person, which can be endearing (a quality not typically conveyed by resumes without it). 

Here’s a quick example for a nutritionist:

HOBBIES AND INTERESTS

• Run 1-2 marathons annually 
• Healthy food junky
• Avid reader of non-fiction related to diet science and nutrition

Consider adding any personal interests, long-time passions, or even old hobbies if they relate to your profession (though skip this section first if you already have a full page of relevant experience/accomplishments and need to save space). 

9. How to stand out from the crowd as a graduate student

One of the biggest mistakes new graduates make when crafting their resumes is to not include quantifiable results or achievements. 

Results and achievements are similar to honors and awards: they’re a form of proof that you have the skills you’re saying you have.

It’s a lot more compelling when simple numbers are listed vs. when they’re not. 

Plus, it’s easy to do. 

What do I mean?

A lot of new graduate resume points look like this:

• Greeted clients
• Answered phone calls
• Handled emails
• Took care of conference room

That’s basic and uncompelling.

Now, you can expand and add a little context and it really lights things up:

• Greeted clients and managed the check-in process
• Answered phone calls using a multi-line phone system
• Handled outgoing emails 
• Maintained central conference room so it was always prepared for regular meetings

But if, in addition to this, you do a little creative digging, you can often come up with statistics or specific numbers you can mention.

• Greeted 50+ clients per day and managed the check-in process
• Answered 60+ phone calls per day using a multi-line phone system
• Handled 25+ outgoing emails per day

Now that is powerful.

The more numbers and specificity you include, the more believable and compelling it is. 

That will go a long way toward helping you get the job (longer than most other simple changes you can do to your resume). 

Next, let’s look at how to write a resume if you have experience but you’re making a career change. 

Part 4: How to write a resume when changing careers

Making a career change? 

It can be tough reassessing your life and your career and realizing that you’re not doing what you want to do (or going where you want to go).

For the same reason, it can be tough writing your resume in anticipation of that career change.

• What do you leave in? 
• What do you take out?
• How do you use what you already have to help position yourself for your new direction?
• How do you write it so recruiters in your new field can tell you’re one of them?
• And how do you write an effective objective or summary that frames that career change in a positive light for recruiters reading your resume? 

Below, we’ll cover that and much more to help you craft a career change resume that sets you up– so you can knock ‘em out. 

1. Invest time in identifying your transferable skills

Before we get writing, it’s important that you do something first:

Get to know your new industry and profession-related job posts to identify transferable skills. 

Throughout this part of the guide, we’ll talk about making the most of your transferable skills.

But before you can do that, you need to know what those transferable skills are. That way, you can promote them on your resume in various ways to help them (and you) shine.

To do that, spend some time reading job posts for your new profession.

• What skills do they ask for most? 
• What common patterns can you infer from reading 10+ job descriptions?
• What do they list as “essential” or “required” and what are “preferred”?

These are all things you want to be thinking about as you do your research.

For example, this is straight from a recent job post looking for a medical assistant:

“One to three years experience in medical field, physician’s office/direct patient care; ability to perform spirometry, EKG, use centrifuge, microscope, pulse oximeter, computer skills; ability to read, write and comprehend medical terminology; ability to effectively communicate, and excellent customer service skills.”

From this paragraph, you might be able to pull out that:

• You have previous customer service experience you can cite (yes, even if that was working at McD’s– still counts!)
• Or you have written/oral communication skills you can show (X emails/calls per day or experience working in a team assisting in some way, even if it was just at college through your coursework)
• Maybe you even worked as a receptionist at a doctor’s office before you got your new degree and, working on your career shift to a medical assistant, can cite a bit of experience working in a physician’s office through an internship

Chances are, there’s something you have that you can use as an asset to get the job. It all comes down to finding out what they want and what you have to offer . 

This is important, so make sure not to skip this step . 

To make this even easier, you can open your resume in Word, Docs, or print it out.

As you’re going through job listings, highlight / bold /or color the text for the skills you see listed frequently or make marks for each time they’re mentioned.

This will help visually chart how to adjust your resume based on your transferable skills. 

Here’s a quick list of some of the more common transferable skills to help get you started in the right direction:

• Decision-making
• Communication skills (both written and verbal)
• Disciplined
• Good judgment
• Customer service
• Conflict resolution
• Adaptability

With that said, let’s dive into the first decision you need to make: how to format your resume .

2. How to pick the best resume format for a career change 

Why start with formatting your resume ?

Because it has everything to do with how you present your skills and experience, and that’s what a career change resume is all about. 

Your resume should be formatted in a way that it displays your strongest selling points prominently. 

When it comes to formatting for a career change, there are really 3 routes you can go to achieve that, all depending on where your strengths lie:

• Work experience first
• Education first
• Or skills first

Let’s talk a bit about why you’d use one formatting strategy vs. another.

First, a skills-first resume is pretty straightforward and likely most useful for about half of career changers.

Skills-first is best if you have a collection of relevant skills perfect for the job… but from irrelevant professional experience.

For example, you’re a front desk clerk-turned programmer and you really don’t want to put your experience first.

However, you do have some great programming-relevant skills you built up on your free time outside of work. 

In that case, those really should be at the top of your resume. 

Second, an education-first resume is ideal for anyone who just completed a new degree but who has previous work experience in another field. 

Again, let’s say our clerk went back to college and got a degree in computer science. 

In that case, putting her education at the top of her resume would typically be an even better idea than putting her skills first.

Lastly, you’d put your experience first if your previous roles weren’t so far off from your new field and you feel like your duties and responsibilities would impress recruiters and lend to your hiring.

If some of the responsibilities you held at a previous employer are closely aligned with your new profession, experience first might be the best route to go. 

Which of these 3 routes you take really all depends on your available professional assets.

Use this basic guide to help you decide: 

• A brand new degree in your new profession?: Go education-first
• Relevant skills, irrelevant work experience?: Go skills first
• Semi-relevant experience or responsibilities from previous experience?: Go experience first

That last one can be a bit confusing, so let’s go over an example.

Which just so happens to bring us to our next section: 

3. How to use previous work experience to show up transferable skills 

Remember what we talked about earlier with regards to identifying transferable skills?

It’s going to come in handy now, so be ready with them. 

There are a lot of places you can use relevant, transferable skills on your career change resume.

One of the most important of those places is your previous work experience . 

If our clerk from earlier managed the finances for a small doctor’s office for several years, that could be a great bit of experience to highlight on her new accounting resume. 

Just make sure you write your bullet points based on those relevant skills and leave out anything not relevant to your new profession.

Front-desk Clerk / Dec 2016 – May – 2019

Dr. Jarrod Phein, PhD Practicing Physician / Lakewood, CA

• Managed Medi-Cal payments and sorted alternative payment methods for customers
• Balanced books including payments, supplies, and wages
• Issued weekly payroll deposits to staff

And while she was probably responsible for a lot more than that, it’s those bullet points in particular that sell her experience in key accounting-related areas. 

In other words, where it matters .

If you can do something similar with previous experience, consider putting your experience first on your resume.

However, regardless, you want to make sure any previous work experience is written like this.

Whatever transferable skills you can get in there will be well worth the digging, so think hard about anything you did at your previous jobs that is relevant to your new profession. 

What you don’t want to list is irrelevant experience.

What skills and job experience you should avoid mentioning when changing careers

So far, we’ve talked about various strategies for formatting your resume based on what assets you have to sell on your resume, be it skills, previous responsibilities, or a fresh new degree. 

But there are some things you should avoid mentioning altogether.

Take the example we just gave above, but written like this:

• Managed appointments and made follow-ups
• Greeted patients and answered questions

No, no, no. 

That won’t help her one iota toward getting that coveted accounting job. 

There’s nothing about that bit of experience that’s relevant to being an accountant, so no value in mentioning it (aside from filling in the page). 

Instead, go with example #1 and dig out whatever relevant skills and responsibilities you can from your previous experience.

That way, your previous work experience will (ideally) show highly relevant bullet points that display to the recruiter you have the skills and experience they’re looking for. 

Similarly, toss out any hard skills on your resume that aren’t relevant to your new profession.

You might be tempted to put everything you can down, but more is not more. Relevant is more . 

Be discerning about what makes the cut and you’ll have more success than if you just threw every bit of experience you have into your resume.

Speaking of relevant, there’s another critical step you need to be mindful of when crafting your career change resume.

4. Write to ATS systems

Earlier, we talked about the importance of targeting your resume based on the job post.

That’s critical as it allows you to speak directly to recruiters and show them that you have what they’re looking for (even if it’s only some of it). 

Not to mention you’re literally speaking to them through your resume using their own words like a mirror, which is a powerful– and proven– form of communication. 

But it’s also important for another reason: it helps you get past ATS systems . 

ATS stands for “applicant tracking system” and it refers to the type of programming job boards use to filter applications for employers. 

When an employer posts a job online, they get swarmed with resumes. 

To help them sort through it all, job boards will automatically filter out the resumes that don’t appear to match the criteria that the employer stated they were looking for in their job description. 

How exactly does that work?

The system looks to see if your resume has certain keywords that the employer has written on their job post . 

Fortunately, this is an easy puzzle to crack if you know where to look.

First, go back to the last job post you were looking at.

Take a look at their “qualifications” or similar section. 

Read through their points and pick out from the list the ones that apply to you.

Now, make sure you use their wording in your bullet points .

For example, let’s say they’re looking for someone with these skills that are relevant to you:

• “Strong communication skills (written and oral)
• A welcoming personality with experience greeting customers
• Knowledge of Quickbooks, Microsoft Suite, and task management software (Asana preferred)”

In the corresponding bullet points, you could say:

(Experience)

• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Experience greeting customers in a hectic, fast-paced environment

(Hard skills)

• Microsoft Suite
• Asana and other task management software

(Soft skills)

• Warm, welcoming personality

Keep in mind that those bullet points would be spread throughout your resume in the notated sections, but that doesn’t matter.

ATS systems will pick up on those keywords and phrases throughout your resume and match them up with the same or similar phrases in the job post, helping you get filtered in instead of filtered out . 

Whatever you do, don’t even think of skipping this step.

After all, you don’t want to spend hours crafting a knock-out resume only to have recruiters never see it. 

If you follow these steps, however, you’ll be all but guaranteed to get through the ATS. 

5. How to use your education as the ultimate career-change asset

Earlier, we talked about the potential value of placing your education first.

If you just snagged a brand new, shiny degree for your career shift, it’s time to sell the heck out of it . 

That’s because a relevant degree is easily one of the best things you can put on your resume , especially in the event of a career change.

Writing your work experience in a way that sells your transferable skills is key, but a fresh new degree in your new chosen field is even more important. 

Just make sure you sell that experience effectively .

Whatever you do, don’t just do this:

B.S. in Business Administration

University of Miami / Miami, FL

The purpose of putting your education first is to show that you’re knowledgeable in the various relevant skills required for the job. 

Placing your education first ensures you show recruiters right off the bat that you’re trained in each of those relevant areas.

But that example doesn’t communicate any of that.

So, instead, write your education including your coursework. Like this:

Coursework:

• Financial and management accounting
• Marketing and microeconomics
• Communications
• Computer science
• Sociology and consumer behavior
• Business management

If you want to make this even better, consider adding in relevant clubs you were a part of, conferences you attended, or projects you worked on in connection with your education.

B.S. in Business Administration / 2020

• Performed on-site business assessment (4th year), placed top in class for identifying tangible and significant improvements to management and various business processes. 
• Future Business Leaders of America (Vice President)

Conferences:

• 2019 Startup Grind Global Conference

See what we did there?

It was a small addition, but those additions help show you’ve really gone the extra mile and are investing everything into your new career.

First, the projects add gives more weight to your education in the form of proof of your skills.

Second, the clubs addition shows you went above and beyond just your coursework toward your chosen profession and did it while assuming a leadership position.

Third, in the case of any business-related degree especially, showing conferences you’ve attended in connection with your education displays a few things, namely your drive to learn and grow as well as hinting at your ability to network and build valuable connections.

6. How to create the perfect resume objective or summary when changing careers 

Your resume objective or summary is the first thing recruiters see (besides your cover letter) when looking at your resume.

So then, why did we leave it for last? 

That’s because, particularly with a career change resume, you can’t really know how you’re going to position and sell yourself until you go through the motions.

Identifying your transferable skills and crafting your education, experience, and skills sections are all important steps to take before writing your objective or summary in this case.

That’s because what goes into those sections influences what you mention in your objective/summary . 

So, which should you use?

Here’s a quick breakdown of why you might use one vs. another:

• Objective : A summary of your key selling points along with an objective statement expressing your interest in the position. Good if you don’t have much in the way of impressive achievements/results/relevant work experience from a previous job .
• Summary : A more extensive display of your work experience and other selling points. Good if you have some relevant experience or notable achievements/results to mention from a previous job . 

In most cases, a resume objective is going to be better suited for you if you’re making a career change.

So, let’s start with an example objective.

How to craft an eye-catching resume objective

One of the most important aspects of crafting a career change-oriented objective or summary is to not shy away from mentioning you’re making a career change in the first place. 

Likewise, you also then want to clearly communicate what has motivated the change.

Though keep in mind, you want to preferably do both of these things in the same sentence and in as few words as possible.

A new software engineer looking to shift careers as a web designer to develop a career in SaaS. Not fulfilled as a web designer, so decided to follow my passion as an engineer. Have led design teams and worked solo to accomplish team goals. 

Let’s unpack what’s wrong with that, because it’s a lot.

First, you want to mention you’re making a career shift, but you don’t want to actually include the word “new” as an adjective for your new profession. 

Instead, use something like “dedicated” or “energetic” in front to convey some positive quality (new just says, “I don’t know what I’m doing.”).

Next, you also don’t want nor need to elaborate any more than you already have.

Mentioning that you were fulfilled in your previous career doesn’t tell the employer what you can contribute to their company, so leave it out. 

Next, this person really needs to think of at least one other specific example of an experience/skill/accomplishment they can mention that’s relevant to their new profession. 

Let’s put it all together and see what we get: 

Dedicated software engineer seeking to leverage experience as a web designer to develop a career in SaaS at OwlFund. Experience leading design teams with a set of objectives and deliverables. A resourceful self-starter who can work solo or in a team to accomplish goals. 

Night and day. 

This objective succinctly describes that they’re making a career change without hanging around and focusing on it.

Mention it then move on and communicate what you can offer to them. 

They also mention the company name, which is always an easy win that proves you took the time to customize your resume for their job post (even if it only took you a minute).

That objective doesn’t even mention anything particularly impressive. It’s simple and effective and gets the point across.

But what if you do have a thing or two you can mention, say a new degree, some semi-relevant experience, or accomplishments?

For that, let’s look at how to craft a great resume summary. 

How to craft a resume summary that sells your relevant experience

A summary isn’t all that different from an objective.

The difference is that one essentially trades an objective statement for more details regarding career experience, results, or accolades. 

Let’s say our software engineer friend decides he actually has a few things he can mention and would prefer to use a summary.

His summary might look like this:

Dedicated software engineer leveraging 4+ years experience as a web designer to develop a career in SaaS. Lead design team to launch new app wireframes for development on a tight schedule using Agile, including several 6-figure app launches using our original designs. Was made team lead for delivering crisp, clean design prompts that took into account Java, C++, and other programming languages to make translating into code simple and pain-free for the programming team. 

As you can see, this is a bit longer and clearly has some more detail to it.

The opposite is a summary without enough detail or no real compelling, memorable points:

New software engineer with 4+ years experience as a web designer looking to develop a career in SaaS. Lead design team to develop app wireframes. Experience with Java, C++, and other programming languages. 

That’s altogether uninspiring . 

Notice the lack of detail when explaining key accomplishments.

For example, instead of just saying you have experience with Java and C++, the first example says it without directly stating it while at the same time explaining how you used that knowledge to help your previous employer . 

Whether you use a resume objective or summary, remember to always bring it back to how you can help them.

Now that your resume is complete, it’s time to give it the finishing touch by going over some keys to keep in mind when crafting a career change-oriented cover letter. 

7. Specifics of writing a cover letter when changing careers 

Earlier, we did a deep dive into how to craft a killer cover letter.

All of that applies here, but it’s also important to take into consideration a few other points unique to a career change resume. 

First, if the recruiter/employer spends enough time looking at your resume (the better it’s written, the more likely this will be), they’ll naturally be able to tell that you’re making a career change.

Don’t hide this fact in your cover letter.

Instead, come right out and say it. 

Explaining why you’re changing careers and display your passion for your new profession and how you believe you can communicate that as results for their company (always bring it back to them).

Explain what unique skills you bring to the table as a result of your career change, perhaps a set of useful skills that the typical candidate in the profession doesn’t have, as well as what makes you a great fit for the position.

Your cover letter is a place where you get to communicate who you are and what you bring to the table, framing your career change and your assets before they lay eyes on your resume.

Because of this, crafted well, a cover letter is arguably even more of an advantage for a career changer than it is for someone looking for a job in a preexisting career. 

Make sure to highlight some of your more impressive transferable skills, especially if you can site numbers or achievements alongside them, such as:

• High marks on X unit of your college coursework
• X results in a previous job
• Grade or achievement from an academic project
• Or a special award or honor

Proof in the form of results is always better than dropping vague mentions of “good communication skills”.

However, if you don’t quite have anything like that which you can mention yet, don’t worry. 

The most important thing is that you’re clear, straightforward and that you communicate your passion, your selling points, and how you can apply those to help their company. 

8. Why avoiding terminology from your previous field is important 

As a final bit of advice to polish up your career change resume, let’s talk a bit about the language you use throughout it.

This is especially relevant with regards to 3 sections. Your:

• Objective or Summary
• Experience, and your
• Cover letter

In each of the above places, you’re doing more than just reporting basic facts about your career or education.

And, because of this, that opportunity to elaborate with description can lead to a mistake that career changers often make: 

Using terminology from your old industry. 

It’s an easy mistake to make: you were in the field for X many years, and it was likely your first profession, which can make it hard differentiating which terms are universal and which are jargon specific to your old profession. 

Why is this bad?

Because using words that someone from your new field wouldn’t typically use can quickly peg you as an outsider and make you look bad in front of recruiters. 

Fortunately, it’s a problem that’s pretty easy to fix. 

There are really 2 things you can do to make sure you’re avoiding terms from your previous field:

• Read job posts for your new profession, and
• Read forums and content from professionals in your new industry

For the first, do exactly what we talked about earlier: take some time to read through the job descriptions for openings in your field.

The people writing the job posts are likely the owner, manager, or a key person in the company. 

They’ll write the job post employing language that’s typically used in your profession, so you can use them as a guide. 

Second, you can also take a bit of time and either seek out forums, look through Quora, or search for content from professionals in your industry.

Read their comments and see how they talk about the profession in general to get an idea of common phrases and language used. 

Generally, the first step is more than enough, but if you want to go the extra mile, this step can be really useful too.

Plus, as a bonus, doing this can really help you during the interview as you’ll need to hold your own in a conversation with your employer. 

Create the perfect resume design in minutes with Resumebuild 

Throughout this mega-guide, we’ve equipped you with the tools you need to score that coveted dream job, even if you have little or no work experience.

We covered:

• How to format your resume so your unique selling points stand out (and how to find what those selling points are)
• Tips for customizing your resume to each application, to make sure you’re giving recruiters what they want
• A step-by-step method for crafting an awesome cover letter
• How to write a resume when you’re fresh out of college with no previous experience
• And how to write a resume when changing careers, including tips for identifying and utilizing transferable skills to get the job.

It can feel like an uphill battle to jump into job hunting with little or no relevant experience in your pocket.

But with this guide, you’ve got everything you needed to craft a stellar resume that doesn’t just pass, but positions you as the ideal candidate for the job.

Well, almost everything.

It’s a crime to put this much work into creating an awesome resume … only to drop it into a bad resume design. 

After all, your resume design is the first impression a recruiter has of you. 

You need to make it count. 

The only problem?

Putting together an effective, eye-catching resume design takes work.

So, if you want to save time and energy designing your next resume, check out Resumebuild’s full collection of designer templates and easy-to-use resume builder . 

Choose the design and layout that speaks to you, drop in your resume, add some finishing touches, and you’re all done.

With a few minutes of work, you’ve got a resume that could stand toe-to-toe with the most experienced candidates.

Start crafting the resume that gets you your dream job by checking out our full library of templates here.

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How to Write a Resume With Little or Irrelevant Experience

When it comes down to it, a resume is your greatest marketing tool—it highlights your skills and expertise and shows potential employers why you’re the best fit for their organization. So, needless to say, it can be a challenge to write a resume that positions you as a perfect candidate for a job.

But, what if you’re just starting out and have little experience under your belt? Or, what if you’re making a career transition and think you don’t have relevant job experience to share? This makes crafting the perfect resume that much more challenging (as if it needed to be any harder).

But there’s no need to panic. We’re breaking down exactly how to highlight your best attributes and clinch that prized interview even if you have very little or completely irrelevant job experience.

1. Analyze the Job Description

This is a must when you’re applying for any job, but it’s particularly essential when you need to appropriately tailor or expand on your professional history in order to present yourself as qualified.

Before even opening up a blank document and putting your name at the top, take the time to go through the job description with a fine-tooth comb. Are there keywords like leadership, communication, or organization that keep popping up? Do they list Photoshop expertise as a desired skill? Is there a certain line of the description that makes you think, “Hey, that’s totally me!”

Getting a solid handle on the specific qualifications they’re searching for is incredibly important for helping you appropriately tweak and target your resume. Once you’re armed with the details of what they consider a perfect candidate, injecting some of that information into your own document (while still being honest, of course!) will be much easier.

2. Play Up Your Skills

Whether you have little to no job experience or experience that doesn’t directly correlate to the job you’re applying for, this tactic will be beneficial. When drafting a resume , make the effort to place the majority of your emphasis on your skills and knowledge, rather than past experience.

What exactly does this mean? Well, it all starts at the top of your resume where the key skills section should appear. This portion is typically a bulleted piece that highlights your strongest expertise—such as public speaking, database management, or search engine optimization. This is the perfect place to insert any skills listed in the job description that you possess. Think of it as your chance to demonstrate your quality and relevancy.

When emphasizing skills, it’s also important to broaden your view a bit—especially if you have very little professional work experience. Did you have a college internship that refined your project management skills? Have you become a master at creating graphics for your personal blog? Did you volunteer for a community project that made you a great team leader?

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the skills you list on your resume need to be the direct result of a previous professional position. As long as you can successfully demonstrate those abilities, go ahead and list them—it really doesn’t matter where you learned them.

3. Write an Impactful Summary

If you’re anything like me, the “About” page on websites and blogs is one of your favorites. It’s great to learn a little bit more about a particular person in their own words. Think of the summary at the top of your resume in the same way: It’s your opportunity to step away from short, bulleted fragments and share a little bit about yourself.

Some resume writers disagree, but the standard objective statement is a thing of the past. Instead, begin your resume with a powerful professional summary. This short paragraph introduces you as a candidate and expands on your resume’s details in order to show why you’re a perfect fit for the open position.

It goes without saying that you should use this section as your opportunity to shine. Instead of simply rewording and reiterating everything already listed on your resume, use this space to expand on all of those skills that make you a fit for the position. The summary is one of the first things a hiring manager will read, so make sure it’s top-notch and targeted! Injecting a little personality never hurts.

4. Polish Your Positions

Yes, you want to showcase your skills. But that doesn’t mean you can ditch the standard descriptions of your positions completely. While you could utilize a functional format resume , which is categorized based on area of expertise rather than previous jobs, most recruiters agree that those are significantly more difficult to read. Instead, tailor the descriptions of your previous positions to make them as powerful as possible.

Need an example? Let’s say you’ve worked part-time at a customer call center through college and now are looking to transition to your first professional job in marketing. Instead of listing one of your duties as something basic like, “Answered customer calls” try “Fostered continuous brand loyalty by providing high-quality customer service over the phone.” It’s the same duty, but the second one sounds better, and mentioning brand loyalty demonstrates relevancy in the marketing field.

You always want to be honest and avoid filling your resume up with large, complex phrases that don’t add any actual value. But, finding common threads between your past positions and the one you’re applying for will help put your resume on the top of the pile.

5. Play with Structure

For the most part, resumes are pretty cut and dried—there are certain things you need to have. But, that doesn’t mean you don’t have any room for flexibility.

If you’re someone that has a relatively extensive history with a variety of different positions, there’s no rule stating that you need to have a detailed description of all of them. Instead, provide more detail on the ones that are at least somewhat relevant and then add an “Additional Experience” section. Under that header, you can list positions that aren’t as closely related and only include essential information like company, job title, and dates of employment.

Not only does this downplay any unrelated experience in your history a bit, but it also helps free up valuable resume real estate for you to emphasize the things that actually do matter!

There’s no doubt about it, crafting an effective resume is no easy feat. And having very little or completely irrelevant job experience can definitely add fuel to that fire. But, it doesn’t mean you need to throw your hands up and resign yourself to an eternity of constantly working the same job. Put these tactics to work to help you craft a resume that presents you as an accomplished and qualified candidate and get ready for that interview call.

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How to Make a Resume in 2024 | Beginner's Guide

For most job-seekers, a good resume is what stands between a dream job and Choice D. Get your resume right, and you’ll be getting replies from every other company you apply to.

If your resume game is weak, though, you’ll end up sitting around for weeks, maybe even months, before you even get a single response.

So you’re probably wondering how you can write a resume that gets you an interview straight up.

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

In this guide, we’re going to teach you everything you need to know about how to make a resume, including:

• The 8 Essential Steps to Writing a Resume
• 11+ Exclusive Resume Tips to Up Your Resume Game
• 27+ Real-Life Resume Examples for Different Professions

….and more!

So, let’s dive right in.

How to Make a Resume (The Right Way!)

Before we go into detail about how you should make a resume, here’s a summary of the most important steps and tips to keep in mind:

• Choose a resume format carefully. In 99% of cases, we recommend the reverse-chronological format .
• Add the right contact details. Leave your headshot out and make sure to include your job title , a professional email address, and any relevant links. (E.g.: your LinkedIn profile , online portfolio, personal website, etc.).
• Write an impactful resume summary. Unless you’re an entry-level professional, always go for a resume summary. If you do it right, it’s your chance to get the hiring manager to go through the rest of your resume in detail.
• Pay attention to your work experience section. Take your work experience section from OK-ish to exceptional by tailoring it to the job ad, making your achievements quantifiable, and using action verbs and power words.
• Add the right skills for the job. Keep this section relevant by only including the hard and soft skills that are required for the position.
• Keep your education short and to the point. Your most recent and highest degree is more than enough for a strong education section. You only need to add more details here if you’re a recent graduate with barely any work experience.
• Leverage optional resume sections. Optional sections like languages, hobbies, certifications, independent projects, and others can set you apart from other candidates with similar skills and experience.
• Include a cover letter. That’s right, cover letters matter in 2024, and the best way to supplement your resume is by adding an equally well-crafted cover letter to your job application. To make the most of it, check out our detailed guide on how to write a cover letter .

To get the most out of our tips, you can head over to the resume builder and start building your resume on the go as you read this guide.

New to resume-making? Give our ‘7 Resume Tips’ video a watch before diving into the article!

#1. Pick the Right Resume Format

Before you start filling in the contents of your resume, you have to make sure it’s going to look good. 

After all, the first thing hiring managers notice is what your resume looks like, and then they start reading it. So, this is your best chance to make a great first impression.

Start by choosing the right resume format.

There are three types of resume formats out there:

• Reverse-chronological. This is by far the most popular resume format worldwide and, as such, it’s the best format for most job-seekers.
• Functional. This resume format focuses more on skills than work experience. It’s a good choice if you’re just getting started with your career and have little to no experience in the field.
• Combination. The combination resume format is a great choice for experienced job-seekers with a very diverse skill set. It’s useful if you’re applying for a role that requires expertise in several different fields and you want to show all that in your resume.

So, which one should you go for?

In 99% of cases, you want to stick to the reverse-chronological resume format . It’s the most popular format and what hiring managers expect to see. So, in the rest of this guide, we’re going to focus on teaching you how to make a reverse-chronological resume.

Fix Your Resume’s Layout

With formatting out of the way, let’s talk about your resume’s layout , which determines the overall look of your resume. 

Does it look organized or cluttered? Is it too short or too long? Is it boring and easy to ignore, or is it reader-friendly and attention-grabbing?

Here are some of the best practices you should apply:

• Stick to one page. You should only go for a two-page resume if you have decades of experience and you’re sure the extra space will add significant value. Hiring managers in big companies get hundreds of applications per job opening. They’re not going to spend their valuable time reading your life story!
• Add clear section headings. Pick a heading and use it for all the section headers so the hiring manager can easily navigate through your resume.
• Adjust the margins. Without the right amount of white space, your resume will end up looking overcrowded with information. Set your margins to one inch on all sides so your text fits just right on the page.
• Choose a professional font. We’d recommend sticking to a font that’s professional but not overused. For example, Ubuntu, Roboto, or Overpass. Avoid Times New Roman, and never use Comic Sans.
• Set the correct font size. As a rule of thumb, go for 11-12 pt for normal text and 14-16 pt for section titles.
• Use a PDF file. Always save your resume as a PDF file, unless the employer specifically requests otherwise. Word files are popular, but there’s a good chance they’ll mess up your resume’s formatting.

Another thing you need to consider in terms of your resume’s layout is whether you’re going for a traditional-looking resume template or something a bit more modern :

If you’re pursuing a career in a more traditional industry, like law , banking , or finance , you might want to stick to the first.

But if you’re applying to a tech company where imagination and innovation are valued, you can pick a more creative resume template .

Want to Save Time? Use a (Free) Resume Template

Anyone who’s ever tried creating a resume from scratch knows how boring the formatting can be.

Before you can even start filling in the contents, you need to tweak the margins, adjust font sizes, and make sure everything fits into one page while still looking good.

What if you could skip past all that and still create a compelling resume?

Try one of our free resume templates . They’re pre-formatted, so all you have to do is fill in the contents.

They’re also created in collaboration with recruiters from around the globe, ensuring that the templates are visually appealing and ATS-friendly!

See for yourself how one of our templates compares to a resume created in a standard text editor:

#2. Add Your Contact Information

Now that we’ve got all the formatting out of the way, let’s get into what your resume is all about— the information you put on it .

The first thing you want to do when filling out the contents of your resume is to add your contact information .

This section is pretty straightforward but crucial. Your contact details belong at the top of your resume in a designated resume header , so the hiring manager can easily find them.

Even if everything else about your resume is perfect, that all flops if you misspell your email address or have a typo in your phone number. If the hiring manager can’t contact you, it’s a missed opportunity.

So, double-check, and even triple-check your contact information section and make sure everything is factually correct and up-to-date.

Must-Have Information

• Full name. Your first and last name should stand out at the top of your resume.
• Email address. Stick to an address that’s professional and easy to spell, like a combination of your first and last name. (E.g.: [email protected])
• Phone number. Add a reliable number where the hiring manager can easily reach you.
• Location. Add your city and state/country. If you plan to relocate for the job or want a remote position, specify it on your resume.

Optional Information

• Job title. Add your professional title underneath. Write it down word for word, whether it’s “Digital Marketing Specialist” or “Junior Data Scientist.” Just don’t make up job titles like “Marketing Wizzard” or “Data Manipulator.” They’re not quirky; they’re just unprofessional. 
• LinkedIn profile . We recommend that you include a link to your updated LinkedIn profile since over 77% of hiring managers use the platform when evaluating a candidate. 
• Relevant links. Include links to personal websites or any social media profiles that are relevant to your field. For example, a developer could include a Github profile, while a graphic designer could link their Behance or Driblle account, and so on.
• Date of birth. Unless this is specifically required in the job ad, the hiring manager doesn’t need to know how old you are. It’s not important for their decision-making, and at worst, it might lead to age-based discrimination.
• Unprofessional email address. Your quirky, old high school email address doesn’t belong on your resume. Instead of [email protected] , go for a [email protected] type of address.
• Headshot. (USA, UK or Ireland) Depending on the country where you’re applying, it might even be illegal to include a picture of yourself on your resume . While it’s the norm to include a picture in most of Europe and Asia, always check the regulations for each specific country or industry you’re applying to.

All clear? Good! Now, let’s look at what a great example of a resume's contact information section looks like:

#3. Write a Resume Headline (Summary or Objective)

It's no secret that recruiters spend an average of less than seven seconds on a resume .

When you receive hundreds, if not thousands, of applications daily, it's physically impossible to spend too much time on each.

So, what the hiring managers do to go through resumes more effectively is to skim through each resume and read it in depth only if it piques their interest.

This is where the resume headline comes in.

Placed right next to (or underneath) your contact information, this brief paragraph is the first thing the hiring manager is going to read on your resume.

Now, depending on how far along in your career you are, your resume headline can be either a resume summary or a resume objective.

So, how do you choose between a resume summary and a resume objective? Here’s all you need to know:

Resume Summary

A resume summary, as the name suggests, is a two to three-sentence summary of your career so far. If done right, it shows that you’re a qualified candidate at a glance and gets the hiring manager to give you a chance.

Here’s what your resume summary should include:

• Your job title and years of experience.
• A couple of your greatest professional achievements or core responsibilities.
• Your most relevant skills for the job.

Here’s an example of a well-written resume summary: 

Experienced Java Developer with 5 years of experience in building scalable and efficient applications. Contributed to a major project that enhanced application performance by 25%. Strong background in Spring Framework and microservices. Aiming to apply robust coding skills to develop innovative software solutions at XYZ Tech Solutions.

Unless you’re a recent graduate or amid a career change, we recommend you stick to a resume summary. Otherwise, a resume objective might be a better option for you.

Resume Objective

A resume objective is supposed to express your professional goals and aspirations, academic background, and any relevant skills you may have for the job.

It communicates your motivation for getting into a new field, so it’s the go-to headline for recent graduates and those going through a career change. As with a resume summary, a resume objective should be brief—around two to four sentences long.

So, here’s what it would look like if you’re a student:

Hard-working recent graduate with a B.A. in Graphic Design from New York State University seeking new opportunities. 3+ years of practical experience working with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, creating illustrations and UX/UI design projects. Looking to grow as a designer and perfect my art at XYZ Design Studio.

Or, on the other hand, if you’re going through a career change, it might look more like this:

IT project manager with 5+ years of experience in software development. Managed a team of developers to create products for several industries, such as FinTech and HR tech. Looking to leverage my experience in managing outsourced products as a Product Owner at Company XYZ.

#4. Prioritize Your Work Experience

The most important part of your resume is your work experience.

This is where you get to sell yourself and show off your previous accomplishments and responsibilities.

If you manage to master this section, you’ll know most of what’s there to know about how to make a resume.

There are plenty of good practices for writing your work experience . But before we dive into all the nits and grits, let's start with the basics.

The standard format for each work experience entry is as follows:

• Job title/position. Your job title goes on top of each work experience entry. When the hiring manager looks at your resume, you want them to know, at a glance, that you have relevant work experience for the job.
• Company name/location/description. Mention the name of the employer and the general location, such as the city and state/country where you worked. In some cases, you may also want to briefly describe the company, like when the organization isn’t particularly well-known.
• Dates employed. Add the approximate timeframe of your employment at each company. You don’t need to give exact dates since the standard format for this is mm/yyyy.
• Achievements and responsibilities. This is the core of each work experience entry. Depending on your field, you want to list either your achievements or responsibilities. List them in bullet points instead of paragraphs, so they’ll be easier to read.

Here’s a real-life example:

Your work experience entries should always be listed in reverse chronological order , starting with your most recent job and working your way back into the past.

Now that you know how to list your experience, we’re going to show you how to write about it in a way that makes you stand out from the competition, starting with: 

Are you a student with no work experience? We’ve got you covered. Check out our guide to writing a resume with no experience here.

Focus on Achievements Whenever Possible

One of the most common resume mistakes is only listing responsibilities in your work experience section.

Here’s the thing—in most cases, the hiring manager knows exactly what your job responsibilities are.

For example, if you’re a sales manager, your responsibilities would be:

• Reach out to potential clients over the phone or email.
• Maintain relationships with existing company clients and upsell relevant products.
• Tracking and reporting on leads in CRM.

Coincidentally, this is also the same list of responsibilities for every sales manager out there. So, 90% of all other resumes probably mention the same thing.

To stand out from the competition, you want to focus on writing achievements in your resume instead. These can be how you helped your previous company grow, reach quarterly quotas, and so on.

Let’s compare how responsibilities hold up next to achievements for the same job:

• Exceeded sales team KPIs by 30%+ for 3 months straight.
• Generated over $24,000 in sales in 1 month.
• Generated leads through cold-calling
• Managed existing company clients

Keep in mind, though, that in some fields, there just aren’t that many achievements you can mention. Let’s say you’re a warehouse worker .

Your day-to-day responsibilities probably include:

• Loading, unloading, and setting up equipment daily.
• Packaging finished products and getting them ready for shipping.
• Assisting in opening and closing the warehouse.

In fields like this, it’s pretty hard to distinguish yourself through achievements, so it’s okay to stick to responsibilities instead. You can still make them shine by following the rest of our advice about listing your work experience.

Keep in mind, though, that in some fields, there aren’t that many achievements you can mention. Let’s say you work in a warehouse. Your day-to-day responsibilities probably involve:

• Loading, unloading and setting up equipment on a daily basis.
• Package finished product and get it ready for shipping.
• Assist in opening and closing the warehouse.

In such fields, it’s pretty hard to distinguish yourself, so it’s totally OK to stick to responsibilities instead.

Tailor Your Resume to the Job

Tailoring is what sets an amazing resume apart from an okay one.

Hiring managers don’t need to know about every single job you’ve ever worked at or every single skill that you have.

They only want to know about your jobs, experiences, or skills that are relevant to the role you’re applying for.

For example, if you’re applying for a job doing Google Ads, you don’t need to talk about your SEO internship from eight years ago.

By focusing your resume on whatever is important for the specific role, you’re a lot more likely to stand out and catch the hiring manager’s attention.

Let’s take a look at an example of a job ad:

As you can see, we’ve highlighted the most important requirements.

To tailor your resume accordingly, you just need to mention how you meet each of these requirements in your resume.

You can highlight your relevant achievements and qualifications in different parts of your resume, such as:

• In your resume summary, where you should recap your years of experience.
• Throughout your work experience section, where you should list achievements and responsibilities that reflect your social media marketing experience.
• In your education section, where you can let the hiring manager know you have the degree that they’re looking for.

Include the Right Amount of Work Experience

If you’ve got over a decade’s worth of work experience, you’re probably wondering whether all of it belongs on your resume. In most cases, you’d end up writing a novel if you listed everything you’ve ever done, and that’s not how long a resume should be .

If you’re new to the job market, on the other hand, you probably don’t have any experience, and you’re wondering what you could even add to this section.

So, here’s how much information your resume should include, depending on your level of experience:

• No experience. If you’re looking for your first job , you won’t have any work experience to fill this section with. So, you can either keep it empty and focus on all the other sections or fill it up with any experience gained in student organizations, extracurricular activities, volunteering, and other projects.
• Entry-level. List all your work experience so far. While some of it won’t be relevant, it can still show the hiring manager that you do have some actual work experience.
• Mid-level. Only mention relevant work experience to the position you’re applying for. There’s no need to waste space on jobs that aren’t related to what you’re after.
• Senior-level. List up to 15 years of relevant work experience, tops. If your most recent experience is as a marketing executive , the hiring manager doesn’t care how you started your career as a junior marketing specialist 23 years ago.

Consider Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Software

Did you know that over 70% of resumes don’t even make it to the hiring manager ?

Most companies these days use ATS to evaluate hundreds of resumes instantaneously and automatically filter out the ones that don’t meet their criteria.

For example, if a resume doesn’t mention a specific skill or isn’t formatted correctly, the ATS will automatically reject it.

Fortunately, there are some easy ways to make an ATS-friendly resume .

Here are a couple of tips to help you get past those pesky robots:

• Stick to one page. Sometimes employers set a limit on how long a resume should be. This means that if your resume is longer than one page, it might get automatically disqualified.
• Incorporate keywords. Tailoring your resume to the job helps a ton with beating the ATS. Just carefully read the job description to find hints for what the ATS will be looking for. Then, whenever you find keywords related to your responsibilities and achievements, make sure to include them in your work experience section.
• Use an active voice. Passive voice is too vague and unclear, so make sure to use active voice as much as possible when describing your previous jobs. (E.g.: “Managed a team of ten people,” instead of “ A team of ten people was managed by me.” )
• Leverage powerful action words. Instead of starting each of your sentences with “was responsible for," make your work experience impactful by using words that can grab attention. Saying that you “spearheaded” or “facilitated” something sounds a lot more impressive than “helped.”

Want to make sure your resume formatting passes the ATS test? Choose one of our tried and tested ATS-friendly resume templates , and you’ll be good to go! 

#5. List Your Education

The next section on your resume is dedicated to your academic qualifications. Let’s start with the basics!

Here’s how you should format the education section on your resume :

• Program Name. Your major and degree type should be listed. (E.g.: “B.A. in Business Administration” )
• University Name. Add the name of the institution. (E.g.: “New York State University” )
• Dates Attended. Use a mm/yyyy format for the dates you attended. (E.g.: “08/2008 - 06/2012” )
• Location. If your university is less well-known, you can also add the location. (E.g.: “Stockholm, Sweden” )
• GPA. Use the appropriate grading system for the country you’re applying to work in. (E.g.: In the USA, it would be “3.9 GPA” )
• Honors. Add any honors and distinctions you’ve been given. (E.g.: Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude )
• Achievements. You can mention interesting papers you’ve written, projects you’ve done, or relevant coursework you’ve excelled in.
• Minor. “Minor in Psychology”

Pretty simple, right? Now let’s see what an education section looks like in practice:

This example includes all the necessary information, plus an eye-catching award and relevant classes this candidate has taken.

Resume Education Tips

Now that you know how to list your education on your resume, let’s take this section to the next level.

Just follow these expert tips:

• If you’re making a resume as a student and don’t have any work experience yet, you can list your education section at the beginning of the page instead of work experience.
• You can add your expected graduation date if you’re still pursuing your degree.
• If you already have relevant work experience, just keep this section short and sweet. Recent graduates can expand on their education more and add optional information like projects, classes, academic achievements, etc.
• Always list your degrees in reverse chronological order, starting with your highest degree on top. Your highest and most recent degree is usually enough, so if you have a Master’s degree that’s relevant to the job, there’s no need to mention your earlier degrees.
• Don’t add your high school degree to your resume if you already have a university degree. It doesn’t have as much weight, and you can use the space for something else.
• Only mention your GPA if you had an impressive academic career. Anything below a 3.5 GPA doesn’t need to be on your resume.

Are you in the process of applying for college? Check out our guide to writing a college application resume to wow that admissions officer!

#6. Emphasize Your Know-How in the Skills Section

After your work experience, your skills are the first thing the hiring manager is going to look for. In fact, together, work experience and skills make up 90% of the hiring decision .

So, this is the place where you want to mention all the know-how that makes you the perfect candidate for the job.

There are two types of skills you can include when writing your resume:

• Hard Skills. These are measurable abilities. What you can list here can be anything from coding in Python to knowing how to cook Thai cuisine.
• Soft Skills. Also known as personal skills, these are a mix of communication skills , personal traits, career attributes, and more. They can include leadership, critical thinking, and time management , just to name a few.

Your resume should always cover both hard skills and soft skills . Here’s an example in action:

Now, let’s discuss how you should list your most important skills on your resume.

There are a few essential steps you need to follow:

Always List Hard and Soft Skills Separately

Your resume should be easy and neat to navigate. The hiring manager shouldn’t have to waste time looking for a specific skill because you didn’t separate it into the appropriate subsection.

So, just create separate categories for your hard and soft skills.

Depending on your field, you could customize the name of your “hard skills” subsection to something like “technical skills," “marketing skills," or something else related to your field.

Let’s look at an example of what skills look like on a project manager’s resume :

Methodologies & Tools

• Agile Methodology
• SCRUM Framework
• Waterfall Project Management
• Microsoft Project
• Critical Path Method (CPM)
• Earned Value Management (EVM)
• Risk Management

Soft Skills

• Team Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Negotiation

Tailor Your Skills to the Job

You might have some awesome skills, but the hiring manager only needs to know about the ones that are relevant to the job.

For example, if you’re applying for a job as an accountant, your gourmet chef skills shouldn’t be on your resume.

Look at the job ad and list at least two to three essential skills you have that are required for the role. Remember—there’s no need to list every skill you have here; just keep it relevant.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Graphic Design or a related field.
• Tech-savvy, with some background in CMS systems such as WordPress.
• Thrives in a stressful environment and juggles multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Self-reliant, with the ability to manage their own work.
• A can-do attitude and an outside-the-box thinker.
• Proficient in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Keynote, and Pages.
• Basic understanding of Office software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

So, the must-have hard skills here are Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Keynote, and Pages. Other good computer skills to have are WordPress or similar CMS systems.

While you can also mention Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, it’s pretty much assumed that you know how to use them since they’re required for most office jobs.

List Hard Skills with Experience Levels

For each hard skill you list on your resume, you should also mention your proficiency level. This tells employers what they can expect from you and how much training you might need.

• Beginner. You have some experience with the skill, whether it’s from some entry-level practice or classroom education.
• Intermediate. You’ve used the skill in a work environment with good understanding.
• Advanced. You’re the go-to person for this skill in your office. You can coach other employees, and you understand the skill at a high level.
• Expert. You’ve applied this skill to more than a handful of different projects and organizations. You’re the go-to person for advice about the skill, not just in your office but even amongst some of the best professionals in your field.

Just make sure to never lie about your actual skill level. Even if you get the job, once you need those skills you exaggerated, it will be pretty awkward for both you and your employer.

Include Transferable Skills

These are the types of skills that are useful for almost any job out there.

Transferable skills can be both soft skills (e.g.: teamwork, creativity, problem-solving skills, and others) and hard skills (MS Office Suite, HTML, writing, etc.)

Whatever job you’re applying to, chances are you have transferable skills from your experience that can come in handy one way or another. So, feel free to include them, even if they’re not specifically required for the position.

Not sure which skills to mention on your resume for your specific field? Check out our list of 101+ essential skills for inspiration!

#7. Leverage Optional Resume Sections

The sections we’ve covered so far are must-haves for any resume. They’re the bread-and-butter for any job application, and if you get them right, you’ll land any job you apply to.

But if you have some leftover space, there are a few optional sections you can choose from to give your resume a boost!

Are you bi-lingual? Or even better  – multi-lingual? You should always mention that on your resume!

Even if the position doesn’t require you to know a specific language, it can still come in handy at some point. At the end of the day, it’s always better to know more languages than less.

To list languages in your resume , just write them down and assign them the appropriate level:

• Intermediate

You can also use the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) or the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scales.

As a given, you should never lie about your language skills. You never know—your interviewer might turn out to be fluent in the language or even be a native speaker!

Hobbies and Interests

If you want to spice up your resume, hobbies and interests could be just what you need.

While this section isn’t a game-changer, it can help the hiring manager see who you are as an individual.

For example, if you listed “teamwork” as one of your skills, hobbies like team sports can back up your claim.

And who knows? Maybe you and your interviewer have some hobbies or interests in common!

Volunteering Experience

If you’re the type of person who devotes their free time to helping others while expecting nothing in return, chances are that you’re the type of employee who’s in it for more than just the money. 

Seeing volunteer experience on your resume tells hiring managers that you’re a loyal employee who’s after something meaningful.

Several studies show that listing your volunteer experience can boost your chances of getting hired, especially if you have little to no work experience.

Certifications

Hiring managers love candidates who invest in themselves, and that’s exactly what they see when you list certifications on your resume .

If you value continuous learning and strive to expand your skill set, that’s always a plus.

Certifications can also show employers how much expertise you have.

For example, if you’re a Microsoft Cloud Engineer and you specialize in Microsoft Technologies, you should definitely include all essential certifications on your resume, such as the Azure Solutions Architect Expert one.

Awards and Recognitions

There’s no harm in showing off a little on your resume. After all, you want to be a candidate that shines above the rest.

So, if you’ve received any awards or recognitions that make you stand out in your field, make sure to add them.

For example, if you’ve been recognized for your contributions to data science or received a hard-to-come-by scholarship , mention it in your resume. Just keep your entries here relevant to the field you’re applying to.

Publications

Whether you’re a freelance writer or a distinguished academic, publications are always impressive.

If you have any published works (online or in an academic journal), you can add them to your resume. Just make sure to include a link so the hiring manager knows where to check your work!

Are you looking for a career in academia? Check out our guide to writing the perfect academic CV to get started!

Working on side projects can show off your passion for your field. Whether they’re university class projects or part-time entrepreneurial endeavors, they’re relevant.

For example, if you worked on a mock software product as part of a university competition, it shows you went through every step of product creation, from ideation to creating a marketing strategy.

This project also shows off your organizational skills , and if you mention it in your resume, you stand a better chance of landing the job you had your sights set on.

But projects can also be personal, not academic. For example, you might manage an Etsy store where you sell hand-made arts and crafts to customers online. This is a great opportunity to highlight your creativity, management, and customer service skills .

Overall, hiring managers love employees who do cool work in their free time, so projects are always a great section to add to your resume.

Looking to kickstart your career? Check out our guide on how to get an internship for useful tips and real-life examples!

Extracurricular Activities

Every college freshman knows that extracurricular experience can make a difference in their application.

Especially if you don’t have a lot of experience outside of school, extracurricular activities are a great way to show potential employers your skills and give them insight into you as a person. Different clubs and after-school projects can help you gain real-life skills and considerably increase your chances of landing your first job after college.

For example, joining a student government organization can hone your leadership skills and teach you how to work as part of a team.

For example, if you’re part of a student government or public speaking club, these activities can help you hone your leadership and presentation skills.

11+ Expert Resume Tips

You’ve got the gist of how to make a resume. Now, it’s time to make it really stand out from the crowd!

Follow these exclusive resume tips to take your resume game to the next level:

• Match the professional title underneath your name to the job title of the position you’re applying for. Hiring managers often hire for several roles at once, so giving them this cue about what role you’re after helps things go smoother.
• Mention any promotions from your previous jobs. Use the work experience entries for them to focus on the achievements that helped you earn them.
• Describe your achievements using Laszlo Bock’s formula : accomplished X as measured by Y by doing Z . This way, your work experience can go the extra mile and show the hiring manager what you can bring to the table.
• Always list your achievements and responsibilities in concise bullet points. This makes your resume more reader-friendly, and it’s more likely that the hiring manager will see your impressive achievements at a glance.
• Don’t use personal pronouns like “I” or “me,” and don’t refer to yourself by name. Stick to a slightly altered third person, like “managed data integrity at XYZ Inc.” instead of “he managed data integrity at XYZ Inc.”
• Name your resume sections correctly, or it might get rejected by the ATS. Swapping out quirky names like “career history” or “expertise” for “work experience” and "skills" makes it easier for the hiring manager to find what they’re looking for, too.
• Prioritize important keywords instead of adding all of them. Make sure the relevant skills, qualifications, and experiences you add all make sense in context, too. Your goal is to get past the ATS and impress the hiring manager.
• Focus on transferable skills if you don’t have a lot of relevant work experience. Any extracurricular activities or personal projects can help you stand out here.
• Add a strategic pop of color to headings, bullet points, or key elements you want to highlight. It can help your resume stand out, but don’t overdo it—you want the information to be more impressive than the color palette.
• Don’t include the line “references available upon request.” Hiring managers already know they can request a list of references from you, so there’s no need to waste valuable space on it.
• Make sure your resume is optimized for mobile viewing. Most hiring managers use their mobile phones as often as desktop computers, so save your resume to a PDF file and make sure your formatting stays intact across any device.
• Rename the resume file you plan to send so it includes your name and the name of the position you’re applying for. It’s a small detail that can turn into a crucial mistake if you forget it.
• Read your resume out loud when you’re done. This is a great way to catch awkward phrases or spelling mistakes you might have missed otherwise.
• Use a tool like DocSend to track your resume. You’ll get a notification any time someone opens your resume, and you can see how long they spend reading it.

FREE Resume Checklist

Are you already done with your resume? Let’s see how it holds up!

Go through our checklist for perfecting your resume and see where you stand!

If you missed some points, just go through your resume one more time and perfect it.

And if you ☑’d everything—congrats! You’ve learned all there is to know about writing a resume, and you’re good to go with your job search.

Need to write a CV instead of a resume? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to write a CV with dozens of examples!

9 Resume Templates for Different Industries

Looking to create an effective resume without dealing with the formatting hassle? Just choose one of the templates below.

#1. Traditional Resume Template

Good for traditional industries like finance, banking, law, and manufacturing.

#2. Modern Resume Template

Good for both contemporary and forward-looking industries, including entrepreneurship, medical technology, and engineering.

#3. Creative Resume Template

Good for creative industries, including entertainment, design, and architecture. 

#4. Minimalistic Resume Template

Good for experienced professionals in basically any industry who want to let their achievements do the talking. 

#5. IT Resume Template

Good for any IT-related profession like software development, cyber security, and DevOps engineering.

#6. Tech Resume Template

Good for the tech industry and everything it encompasses.

#7. College Resume Template

Good for college students and recent graduates alike.

#8. General Resume Template

Good for multiple industries, including HR, education, and customer service.

#9. Executive Resume Template

Good for senior professionals across different industries, including hospitality, marketing, and logistics.

17+ Resumes for Different Jobs

Knowing how to write a resume is one thing, but making a resume that stands out is something entirely different. Without inspiration, even top career experts might stumble on a roadblock or two.

Check out the following effective resume examples for specific jobs to get a better sense of what a good resume looks like:

#1. Nurse Practitioner Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a nurse resume here.

#2. Data Scientist Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a data scientist resume here.

#3. Business Analyst Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a business analyst resume here.

#4. Digital Marketing Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a digital marketing resume here.

#5. Software Engineer Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a software engineer resume here.

#6. Construction Project Manager Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a construction project manager resume here.

#7. Customer Service Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a customer service resume here.

#8. High School Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a high school resume here.

#9. Student Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a student resume here.

#10. Server Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a server resume here.

#11. Actor Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing an actor resume here.

#12. Web Developer Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a web developer resume here.

#13. Engineering Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing an engineering resume here.

#14. Computer Science Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a computer science resume here.

#15. Architect Resume Example 

Check out our full guide to writing a data analyst resume here.

#17. Remote Job Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a remote job resume here.

#18. Sales Associate Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a sales associate resume here.

#19. Receptionist Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a receptionist resume here.

Want to see more examples? Check out our compilation of 80+ resume examples for different fields .

• Administrative Assistant Resume
• Bartender Resume
• DevOps Engineer Resume
• Executive Assistant Resume
• Flight Attendant Resume
• Graphic Designer Resume
• Paralegal Resume
• Pharmacist Resume
• Recruiter Resume
• Supervisor Resume

Next Steps After Your Resume

Now that we’ve covered everything you need to know about how to make a resume, it’s time to talk about the rest of your job application.

After all, your resume is only the first step in your job search. To land the job you deserve, you also need to write a captivating cover letter and ace that upcoming interview. Here’s how:

#1. How to Write a Convincing Cover Letter

The companion piece to every resume is the cover letter.

Most job-seekers flinch when they hear that they have to write a cover letter. What do you even mention in a cover letter, anyway? If you were good at writing cover letters, you’d be applying for a job as a writer !

In reality, though, writing a cover letter is very simple once you know its purpose.

Think of your cover letter as a direct message to the hiring manager. It’s your chance to briefly explain why you’re such an awesome fit for the position. And with a few cover letter tips to point you in the right direction, you’ll write the perfect cover letter for your job application.

Just follow this structure:

• Add the contact details. Include the same contact information as on your resume, plus additional contact details for the hiring manager, including their name, job title, the company’s name, and location.
• Introduce yourself. Start your cover letter by mentioning who you are, what your work experience is, and why you’re interested in the position. Mention a standout achievement or two, relevant skills, and what you’d like to do for the company you’re applying for.
• Explain why you’d excel at the job. Find the requirements in the job ad that you meet, and elaborate on how you fulfill the most important ones. Research the company so you know what you like about it, and mention it in your cover letter. Make sure to convey your enthusiasm for the job and confidence that you’ll be a great fit for their team.
• Wrap it up politely. Conclude your cover letter by recapping your key selling points and thanking the hiring manager for their time. Then add a call to action, such as “Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at the provided phone number so that we can discuss my application in greater detail.” Then, add a closing line and follow it with your full name.

Sounds easy, right? Here’s a real-life example to drive the point home:

Do you need more help perfecting your cover letter? Learn what the most common cover letter mistakes are and check out cover letter examples for all professions here.

#2. How to Ace Your Next Interview

Once you’ve perfected both your resume and cover letter, there’s only one thing left.

It’s time for the final step—the dreaded job interview.

Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert, you probably hate the interviewing process. No matter how experienced you are, it can be nerve-wracking. Sitting there while someone’s prodding into your past experiences and judging you isn’t fun.

But did you know that most interviewers ask the same questions?

That’s right—all you have to do is learn how to answer some of the most common interview questions, and you’ll be an interview away from landing your dream job!

Just check out our complete guide to the 35+ Job Interview Questions and Answers and learn how to ace your next interview.

FAQs on How to Make a Resume

Do you still have some questions about making a resume? Check out the answers to the most frequently asked questions below!

#1. What does a good resume look like in 2024?

For your resume to look good in 2024, make sure it’s organized and clean and isn’t longer than one page.

Be sure to include information that adds value to your application—leave out the focus on your relevant work experience and skills that you can back up, and list as many achievements as possible. 

If you’re using a resume template, choose one based on your industry. Conservative industries like law, banking, and business require more traditional resume templates. But if you’re going for an industry like design, architecture, or marketing, you can go for a creative resume template . 

Remote work is also big in 2024, so if that’s what you’re after, tailor your resume to match the job you want.

#2. How do you make a resume in Word?

The best way to create a resume in Word is to use a pre-designed Microsoft Word template. To access them, you should: 

• Open MS Word
• Click “file” from the menu bar 
• Select “new”
• Type “resume templates” in the search bar 

That said, Word resume templates are generic, hard to personalize, and overall not very stylish.

Want a resume that looks good and is extremely easy to make? Check out resume templates to get started!

#3. How do I write a resume for my first job?

If you’re writing your first-ever resume for an entry-level position, the hiring manager won’t expect you to have any work experience.

However, you can make up for your lack of experience with your skills and academic achievements.

For example, you can take advantage of extracurricular activities, internships, volunteering experiences, and other non-professional experiences. You can use them to highlight the skills you’ve gained and what you’ve achieved so far.

So, your first job resume should have a resume objective, emphasize your education, and replace your work experience with any internships, volunteering, independent projects, or other experiences.

#4. How to make a resume on Google Docs?

You can make a resume on Google Docs by choosing one of their templates and filling it in on the go.

All you have to do is go to your Google Drive’s template gallery, choose your preferred template, fill in your information, and your Google Docs resume is ready to go! 

That said, Google Docs templates aren’t the most user-friendly choice. You don’t have much flexibility with the layout and formatting isn’t that easy. For example, you tweak a section to the slightest, and the whole resume becomes a mess.

If you want an easier option, check out our resume builder !

#5. What kind of resume do employers prefer?

Typically, employers prefer one-page-long resumes that follow the reverse chronological format. 

Hiring managers receive hundreds of resumes every day, so they don't have the time to read three-page resumes. Try one of our one-page resume templates so you don’t go over the recommended resume length.

Meanwhile, the reverse-chronological format is the most popular because it draws attention to your most recent jobs and professional achievements, which is the #1 most important thing hiring managers look at when evaluating a resume.

#6. How many jobs should you put on your resume? 

You should only include relevant job positions on your resume.

This means that your work experience section should be tailored to the job you are applying for. If you’ve worked five different jobs and they can all add value to your current application, then you should include all five. 

If, on the other hand, you’re applying for, say, a customer service position and some of your past jobs don’t have anything to do with customer service, you should skip them.

#7. Should I put my address on my resume? 

You can put your location (city, state, or country) on your resume, but you don’t need to put your entire physical address.

Putting a physical address on a resume was the norm back when companies would contact you via mail. In today’s world, everyone communicates via email, which is why adding a correct and professional email address to your contact information section is far more important than putting your physical address. 

So, just include your location or-–if you’re a remote worker—specify you prefer to work remotely by writing “working remotely from [location].”

#8. What information should I leave out of my resume?

As a general rule, you shouldn’t include your birthday or your headshot on your resume. This norm varies from country to country but it applies to the USA, Canada, and UK.

If you have plenty of achievements to list under your work experience, then you can leave your basic work responsibilities out of your resume. 

In your education section, you should only include your highest and most recent degree. So, if you hold a Ph.D., you can list that and your Master’s degree and leave your Bachelor’s degree and high school diploma out.

Finally, leave out any skills that aren’t relevant to the job you’re applying for.

#9. Is a resume a CV?

Depending on where you are, a CV (Curriculum Vitae) and a resume might be completely different things.

In most of the world, though, including Europe and Asia, they are used interchangeably for the same document. Both CVs and resumes are one to two pages long, and list skills and experiences relevant to the position you’re applying for.

Sometimes more detailed resumes that go over one page are referred to as CVs. These are typically only used by senior professionals, executives, CEOs, etc.

In the USA, however, a CV is a completely different document. Typically, CVs are detailed and comprehensive documents that highlight your entire academic and professional history. They’re often used for academic, scientific, or research positions, which is why this type of CV can also be referred to as an academic CV.

You can create your CV using one of our CV templates !

#10. Should I write my own resume?

Yes, you should always write your own resume.

Your resume is your opportunity to show the hiring manager your communication, writing, and presentation skills . Employers also evaluate you based on how effectively you can convey information about yourself, and there’s no one that can represent you better than yourself.

Writing your own resume lets you introduce yourself authentically. You have the best understanding of your skills and experiences, and you can personalize them to make your resume stand out.

And, as a bonus, the experience of writing your resume yourself can be reflective and insightful, so it might help you understand your professional journey and career goals better.

#11. Can a resume be two pages?

Generally, we strongly recommend that your resume stick to one page.

Hiring managers go through hundreds of resumes every day, and keeping your resume to one page increases the odds that they’ll see your qualifications faster.

In some cases, like when you have a lot of relevant experience, your resume can go over two pages. But this exception is reserved for senior professionals with over a decade of relevant experience and tons of skills and achievements that simply can’t fit on one page.

#12. Is a simple resume okay?

Absolutely, a simple resume is often more than okay—it's preferable.

Before your resume even gets to the hiring manager, a complicated layout could get it rejected by the applicant tracking system (ATS). A simple resume template can help get your application straight to the hiring manager.

A clean layout can also make sure that your resume is easily readable and looks professional. This can focus the hiring manager's attention on your work experience and skills without excessive clutter or flashy colors to distract them.

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap!

If you’ve followed all of our advice until now, congrats! You’re probably an expert on how to make a resume.

To recap, let’s go through some of the most important lessons we’ve learned so far...

• Use the right resume builder to make the process as smooth as possible. You don’t want to mess around with formatting for hours before even starting to work on your resume!
• Focus on your achievements over responsibilities. This can help you stand out from all the other applicants, especially if you back your claims up with data.
• Include all the must-have sections, like the resume summary, work experience, education, and skills. Then leverage optional sections if you have leftover space.
• Tailor your resume for the job you’re applying for. Everything listed on your resume should be relevant to the specific job you’re applying for, and you should write a new resume for every new job application.
• Take the time to perfect your cover letter. It’s just as important as your resume, so make sure you pay as much attention to it!

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Kamala Harris' 2020 campaign was a mess. If she replaces Biden, this time could be a lot different.

WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris had one great day in her ill-fated 2020 presidential campaign: her first.

Then came a rapid collapse.

The freshman senator who announced her candidacy in January 2019 before 20,000 cheering supporters in Oakland, California, dropped out in December before a single vote had been cast.

By the time she quit, Harris lacked money, a message and a cohesive campaign operation — all ingredients of a successful candidacy.

It was a hard fall for someone whose youth and biracial identity evoked the appeal of the last Democratic president, Barack Obama.

“I have mixed emotions about it,” her rival and the eventual winner, Joe Biden, said upon hearing she had withdrawn from the Democratic nomination contest. He called her a “first-rate intellect.”

Now, Harris is set to get another shot. As the sitting vice president, she is a leading candidate to succeed Biden after his exit from the race, receiving his immediate endorsement. Other elected officials might step forward to challenge Harris, dividing Democrats and clouding the general election picture ahead of a November showdown with Donald Trump.

“I know there are people working behind the scenes who think she may not be the best one suited to take us to victory,” said Maria Cardona, a member of the Democratic National Committee’s rules panel, speaking before Biden's withdrawal. “If that is seen as a full-on, inorganic tactic that is being led by senior people within the Democratic Party, there will be a civil war inside the Democratic Party the likes of which we will not survive.”

With only a few months to wage a campaign against Trump, Harris couldn’t afford to repeat the mistakes that tanked her last presidential bid. There would be little time to recover. Hers would need to be a virtually error-free sprint to Election Day.

When Harris gave that announcement speech before a hometown crowd five years ago, her prospects seemed dazzling. A Monmouth University poll released the week after she entered the race showed her running third in a crowded Democratic field that eventually numbered more than two dozen. With 11% support, she trailed only Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, both of whom had run presidential races before.

Harris had earned her bona fides as a former prosecutor and had distinguished herself in Senate committees as a feared interrogator who could pick apart a witness’s testimony.

A pro-Harris super PAC prepared an ad that showed her grilling Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and two Trump-era attorneys general, William Barr and Jeff Sessions.

It never aired. On the day the $1 million ad buy was supposed to begin running, Harris dropped out.

Making the leap from state to national politics proved daunting for her. Rivals like Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren had spent much of their adult lives steeped in policy.

Harris hadn’t mastered policy questions that dominated the Democratic debates. She had originally backed Sanders’ “Medicare for all” plan, but later released her own version that carved out a continued role for private insurers.

She quickly faced incoming fire from the left and center of the ideological spectrum.

Sanders’ aides denounced her proposal as a “terrible policy.” Biden’s campaign joined the attack, warning that she would undercut Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act.

“She was trying to figure out where she landed in the primary field on a bunch of issues,” one of her former California campaign advisers said. As a state official, Harris “hadn’t had to deal with that level of nuance.”

Another policy stumble marred what seemed to be her breakthrough moment. In a debate in June, she attacked Biden for opposing school busing in the 1970s.

Harris mentioned a “little girl” in California who had been bused to school every day. “That little girl was me,” she said. Within hours of the exchange, her campaign triumphantly started selling “That little girl was me” T-shirts for $29.99 apiece.

But after the debate, she struggled to offer a consistent answer to whether she believed federally mandated busing should be used to integrate schools.

A Biden campaign aide seized on the equivocation, tweeting that she was “tying herself in knots trying not to answer the very question she posed” to Biden.

This time, instead of facing off against fellow Democrats, Harris would be able to elevate one to serve as her running mate. She would have a plethora of promising choices to balance the ticket, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, all of whom won in places where Trump performed well.

Admirers say that Harris has grown in the job. Early in her campaign, she traveled to South Carolina and spoke to a group of Democratic women.

“The woman that I met in early 2019 was not as confident and was significantly more tentative in the way she presented herself to potential voters,” Amanda Loveday, a senior adviser to a pro-Biden super PAC called Unite the Country, said before Biden withdrew.

While affirming she wanted Biden to remain at the top of the ticket, Loveday said of the vice president: “The woman I met back then is very different from the woman I see on TV today. She’s grown as a leader and she has developed more confidence.”

Both Harris’ government office and the Biden-Harris campaign declined to comment for this article before Biden's withdrawal.

A campaign is akin to an expensive startup business on a national scale. It needs an inspirational candidate, but it also relies on a unified staff. Harris didn’t have one. People close to the campaign say that lines of authority were blurred between Harris’ sister and campaign chairwoman, Maya Harris, and other advisers who’d worked on her state races but weren’t blood relatives.

In November 2019, a campaign staff member wrote a letter, obtained by The New York Times , that depicted a campaign in crisis.

“Campaigns have highs and lows, mistakes and miscalculations,” wrote Kelly Mehlenbacher. “But because we have refused to confront our mistakes, foster an environment of critical thinking and honest feedback, or trust the expertise of talented staff, we find ourselves making the same unforced errors over and over.”

By that point, Harris was running fifth, her poll numbers down to 6%. Money was dwindling, accelerating the downward spiral. That fall, Harris’ campaign laid off staff and moved others from her national headquarters in Baltimore to Iowa to save money.

Any hope of reviving her candidacy with a strong showing in the Iowa caucuses in January was short-lived. On Dec. 3, Harris dropped out. She emailed staff that she “simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue.”

A Harris sequel would look nothing like the original, former advisers said. She’d be buoyed by a Democratic Party that would coalesce behind her, desperate to defeat Trump. Donors who’ve bailed on Biden might take a fresh look at the race with a younger candidate atop the ticket.

She would also likely inherit the parts of Biden’s campaign that are working — like the massive field and data operation s that are designed to drive voter turnout. While Biden’s most senior aides would likely be gone, many rank-and-file campaign staff with long resumes may choose to remain.

Harris’ background as a prosecutor could prove advantageous in a future debate. Rather than sparring with fellow Democrats over health care and education policy, she would be boring in on Trump’s criminal conviction in Manhattan.

“Literally everything” would be different, starting with her pitch to voters, a longtime Harris adviser told NBC News. “It is a three-month sprint and not a two-year slog.”

Peter Nicholas is a senior White House reporter for NBC News.

Katherine Doyle is a White House reporter for NBC News.