How to write a resume for a first job with no experience?
Writing a resume as a fresher with no experience can be daunting and confusing as you may find yourself wondering what can you possibly include in your resume when you don’t have any experience to showcase.
Your resume is the first impression recruiters have of you and is the basis for deciding your suitability for a specific role.
And on average, at least 118 people apply for a single job - which means your resume needs to make a lasting impression on recruiters to get shortlisted.
It needs to showcase the best of your career trajectory, qualifications, and skills.
So how can you ensure that your resume is up to the mark when you don’t have experience in writing resumes for jobs?
Read on to get clarity on the same and related questions like the following:
- How to make a resume for a first job?
- What are some samples of resume objectives for a first job?
- How to showcase transferable skills on a resume?
- What are some resume hacks for new job seekers?
How to Make a Resume for a First Job?
Whether you are a high school student looking to make a resume for your first part-time job or a college graduate looking for your first professional job, you need to make the most out of your qualifications and academic accomplishments to make a stand-out resume.
Given below is a breakdown of steps that you can follow to create a resume that will help you kick-start your career:
Create a Header
The first thing that recruiters will notice about your resume is the header. Writing generic words like “CV” or “Resume” as your resume header won’t get you anywhere.
Recruiters already know that it is a resume. What they don’t know is your name, contact details, and profile title.
Hence, it makes sense to use your full name as the resume header with a font size of 14 to 16 points. If you have a middle name you can initialize it.
Followed by this, you can create a small section for your personal details which must include the following information:
- A reachable contact number (with an ISD code and a ‘+’ sign before the number)
- A professional email address
- Your current location (city and state will suffice)
- A link to your LinkedIn profile or online portfolio
- Your profile title
Here’s a sample of what it should look like:
Write a Persuasive Objective Section
The objective section in your entry-level resume serves as a sneak peek of what you bring to the table as an ideal candidate.
You need to highlight your most notable and relevant accomplishments, qualifications, and skills in not more than 2 to 3 lines whilst expressing your enthusiasm to work for the company and how you can benefit the company with your knowledge.
The objective section is not where you talk about your personal goals or agenda. The focus must be on the role, company, skills, and knowledge described in a way that aligns your expertise with the recruiters’ needs.
The following are some samples of resume objectives for a first job:
Also Read: How to make a student resume in 2023?
List Your Skills
The next section in your fresher’s resume is the skills section wherein you must identify the pressing requirements of the recruiters and list key skills you possess that meet these requirements.
Think of all the relevant transferable skills that you’ve acquired through your education, volunteer experiences, extracurricular activities, projects, certifications, or training, and list them using bullet points.
If you come from a technical background, you can create a sub-section for your technical skills wherein you can list the programming languages that you know and the tools & software you’re familiar with.
Remember to analyze the job description of the role you’re applying for, to identify and include only the most relevant skills in your resume.
Also Read: What are some skills that you must list in your resume in 2023?
Showcase Your Education and Coursework
While the professional experience section is the essence of a seasoned resume, the education section serves the same purpose as a resume of a fresher with no experience.
To make your education section a compelling one, include the following details:
- The name of the degree
- University or college name
- Commencement and completion dates
- Location
- Your GPA (if it is more than 4.5)
- Relevant coursework and modules that emphasize your knowledge
- Honors and awards (including scholarships)
In case you have a lot of academic honors and awards that you’ve won over the years, you can create a separate section for it. Otherwise, you can simply list them under the education section.
The following is a snapshot of what an ideal education section must look like:
Make an Internship Section
If you have relevant internship experience, create a separate section for it and place it before the education section.
While describing your internship experience, keep the following points in mind:
- Use bullets points, action verbs, and numbers to explain your duties
- Focus on highlighting the impact you made through your internship duties rather than simply listing your responsibilities
- Quntify your achievements to create more impact on the recruiters
- Include instances wherein you used the skills you’ve listed in your resume to execute duties and achieve positive results
Leverage Your Extracurricular Activities and Volunteer Experience
While the extracurricular activities that you’ve participated in at school or college might not be directly related to your targeted role, they help recruiters see that you are a well-rounded candidate with transferable skills.
For instance, if you were a part of sports, clubs, or debate teams, it showcases your teamwork, problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills; all of which are crucial to most job profiles.
The same stands true for your volunteer experience. Thus, if you have one or both of these experiences, create separate sections for them in your resume and write a few bullet points to describe your role.
List Your Certifications and Training
If you have completed relevant certifications or training, it can not only add to your candidacy and help you stand out from the crowd of applicants, but it also adds to your credibility.
Therefore it is a must to create a section to list your certification and training details in your fresher resume.
Also Read: How to list certifications on a resume?
How To Make a Resume for First Job - Tips for Crafting a Stand-out Resume
To help you level up your resume for your first job, given below are resume writing tips for beginners:
- Use the reverse chronological order to list your most recent qualification and experience at the top, followed by the older ones. This makes it easier for recruiters to scan through your resume.
- Rather than using the same resume to apply to multiple job listings, tailor and customize your resume to a specific job description to significantly increase your chances of getting shortlisted.
- Leave ample white space between sections to avoid making your resume look cramped.
- Since 75% of all recruiters use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter resumes, it is an absolute must to include keywords across all resume sections to support its ATS-friendliness.
- Use easy-to-read fonts like Arial, Calibri, etc., and avoid using fonts with special characters.
- Keep your resume concise, crisp, and to the point by only including information that is relevant to the role you’re applying for.
- Avoid using too many buzzwords like team player, result-driven, etc. in your resume as it can hurt your chances of getting shortlisted.
- Always proofread your resume before saving the final draft to avoid grammatical errors and typos.
Also Read: What are some of the highest paying entry-level jobs?
Key Points from the Blog
- Write your full name as the resume header rather than using generic terms like CV or Resume.
- Highlight your most notable and relevant accomplishments, qualifications, and skills in not more than 2 to 3 lines whilst expressing your enthusiasm to work for the company in your objective statement.
- Analyze the job description of the role you’re applying for to identify and include only the most relevant skills in your resume.
- In case you have a lot of academic honors and awards that you’ve won over the years, you can create a separate section for it. Otherwise, you can simply list them under the education section.
Wish to create a compelling resume for your first job with no experience? Use Hiration’s AI-powered resume builder with 24x7 chat support. You can also reach us at support@hiration.com if you have any queries.
