Creating a Winning Resume with No Work Experience: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you a total newbie? Entering a sector when you lack experience can be a challenge. Whether you’re a recent graduate or a career changer, you might not know where to start. Don’t panic—you can still build a great resume with no work experience in your chosen field.

Rather than worrying about what you lack, focus on what you do have to offer. That includes your relevant skills, academic background, volunteer work, and even extracurricular activities. These elements can tell a great story about your potential and hook the hiring manager’s attention.

Ready to get started? Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can make your resume shine despite your lack of industry experience.

Tip 1: Consider using a functional resume format

First things first, let’s talk about the format you’re going to use. Usually, we recommend opting for a standard reverse chronological format for most applications. This is the standard structure and it’s what hiring managers generally expect to see from applicants. But it’s not the only way to go.

Since you lack work experience, you should look into alternatives. Adopting a functional resume format is a better choice. This structure emphasizes your skills and education over your work experience. So, when a hiring manager reviews your resume, their focus will be on the competencies you have.

Let’s take a look at an example below:

As you can see above, the format groups experience based on certain skills. The first thing the reader notices is your talents—not your lack of industry experience. Think of it as putting your best foot forward.

It may be that a functional resume format is the right move for you. However, you can also consider using a combination—also known as a “hybrid”—format if you want the best of both worlds. Read more about the different resume formats you can choose from in our complete guide now.

Tip 2: Customize your resume for each job

Now that you know which resume format to choose, let’s move on to the next tip. We thoroughly recommend customizing your resume for every new vacancy. You should do this no matter how senior you happen to be. However, when you’re lacking experience, it becomes all the more important.

Tailoring your resume to the vacancy gives you a better chance of success. It’s a great way to align with the hiring manager’s criteria and show that you are serious about the pursuit of this career. So, how can you get started?

Here are some simple things you should do:

Identify core skills from the job advert

Go back to the original job posting and look at the criteria. You should be able to see a list of core skills the company demands for this role. Consider which ones you already have and where you’ve learned them. Adding these existing skills to your resume is a snappy way to tailor it to the vacancy.

You might need to think outside of the box. You lack direct work experience in this sector, but have you picked up skills elsewhere you can brag about? Scrutinize each skill on the job advert and think about whether you have ever used it in a previous role, volunteer work, or even at college.

Match the experiences you have to the role

Job adverts usually outline how much experience a candidate should have. When looking at the role, think about any similar positions or projects you’ve worked on. For example, if you’re going for a job in sales but have no experience, you might draw upon the history you do have in retail. These two sectors have a range of similarities and it’ll pay to point that out to the hiring manager on your resume.

Include keywords and phrases

Some employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to help them organize incoming resumes. The software ranks each resume by how well it fits the criteria of the vacancy. It does this by looking for specific keywords and phrases. Often enough, you can find these words in the original job advert.

If you want to improve your chances of success, it’s worth using the words in your resume. Refer back to the original job advert and highlight any words that relate to the role or industry. Including these at the right points on your resume is a surefire way to rank well in the ATS software.

Be sure to use the exact same words you find in the job advert. Synonyms and similar phrases may not pass the ATS software.

Tip 3: Let your education section shine

When you lack work experience, your Education section needs to stand out. This is a central part of your resume, so you should take your time to get it right. You can use this section to convey how your training and education have readied you for a role within the industry of your choice.

Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can do just that:

List your academic achievements

Start out by listing your main academic achievements. You should do this in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent feat and working your way backward.

Write about your high school diploma and any degrees you have. You may also decide to add your GPA to your resume and honors, such as cum laude. Remember, this has to be a strong section.

Want to strengthen this part of your resume? Consider the specific coursework you completed while studying. If you did any projects that align with the demands of this vacancy, include them here.

Mention extracurricular activities and organizations

While you were at high school or college, you may have joined some extracurricular activities. If so, now could be the right time to bring them up. Are any of them valuable to the role at hand, add them to your Education section. This could impress the hiring manager.

Don’t count on the hiring manager to make connections here. Instead, draw comparisons between the vacancy and your activities. You can do this by using words from the job advert, for instance.

Don’t forget extra training and certificates

You know the old saying—every day’s a school day. If you’ve carried on learning long after you graduated, that may be your competitive edge. Adding extra certificates to your resume is a smart move, especially if they apply to the industry or role you’re applying for.

You have two choices here. You can either include these below your other academic achievements in the same section, or you can create a separate resume section for them.

If you go for the latter, here’s how that may look:  

If you’ve gone out of your way to train in your chosen field, that will win you some major points with the hiring manager. Spending your own time and money on upskilling lets them know you’re dedicated to this career path.

Tip 4: Add some optional sections

Strengthening a resume with no experience can be tough. One of the ways that you can enhance your application is by drawing upon other areas of your life. We recommend adding some optional extra sections to your resume to bolster it and give the reader more reason to go on.

Be selective! Whenever you’re considering adding extra sections, make sure they add value to your application. Always think about what they tell the hiring manager about you on a professional level.

Tip 5: Highlight your key skills

Your skills section has to do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to a resume with no experience. You need to show that the skills you have align with the demands of the job.         

Soft skills (or transferable skills)

Including soft skills on your resume is one way to go. Also known as transferable skills, these are the ones that help you to work well both independently and as part of a team.

Here are some of the most useful soft skills you may include:

• Communication
• Teamwork
• Organization
• Time management
• Prioritization
• Interpersonal skills
• Work ethic
• Problem-solving
• Decision-making
• Listening (e.g. active listening)
• Adaptability
• Conflict resolution
• Leadership

You can take a look at the original job advert to see which skills are listed there. However, you should also use your common sense. Think about the skills you need to do this job and integrate them.

Here’s how a skills section featuring soft skills would look:

Technical skills (or hard skills)

It doesn’t end there. You should also include a healthy amount of hard skills on your resume. Since you don’t have loads of work experience, you may lack some of the core competencies. However, look for the hard skills that you do have and add them to this part of your resume.

For example, you may have picked up a selection of technical skills while you were at college or during a boot camp. The more you can match your skill set to the job requirements, the higher your chances will be.

Let’s look at an example of a skills section with hard and soft skills:

Tip 6: Write an objective statement (not a summary!)

On most resumes, we recommend writing a summary. This is a short statement that sits at the top of the page. It’s essentially a highlight reel of your top accomplishments in your field. For example, it would include metrics and any special achievements you have, such as awards.

However, when you’re working on a resume with no experience, you won’t have much to write as a summary. That’s where an objective statement comes into play instead. This is a short paragraph that’s future-focussed. It’s your chance to talk about your long-term career goals and key attributes.

Here’s an example of how it looks:   

How to write an impactful objective statement

Writing an objective statement is an art. If you’re not sure where to begin, we have you covered.

Here are some approaches when writing this particular section:

Tip 7: Make sure the formatting is professional

By this point, you should be ready to write your resume with no experience. However, there are some final things that you need to keep in mind. Formatting your resume like a pro is a must.

Here are some basic tips you can use to create a polished resume:

Use a one-page format

Since you don’t have industry experience, you don’t need to worry about running out of space. As a general rule, only use a one-page resume structure. This is easy for the hiring manager to read quickly.

Choose a clean layout

You don’t want to overwhelm the reader with too many resume elements. Make sure you opt for a clean layout. If in doubt, use one of our many resume templates in our drag-and-drop resume-building tool.

Make use of white space

White space—around the margins and different sections—helps to increase readability. When you’re making your resume, you need to remember this fact. Don’t make your resume look too “busy.”

Conclusion

Drafting your resume when you have no experience doesn’t have to be hard. In this guide, we’ve given you the tools you need to create an attention-grabbing application regardless of your experience level. As you climb the career ladder, you can continue to adapt and refine your resume. For now, use the seven tips we’ve shared here to create your next application.

What are you waiting for?