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Sanjay is in his final year of college and is looking for jobs. But in every job listing, he is thrown off by the ‘requirements’ section. It’s the first job Sanjay is applying to, so how can he present a strong application with no experience? Seems like a catch-22 situation, doesn’t it? Sanjay needs a job to gain experience and he needs the experience to get a job!
Writing a resume with no work experience can be intimidating, especially since experience forms the meat of most resumes. It may also be difficult to identify the best way to start your resume, list your job skills and pick the correct format. Read on to see how to write a resume for a job with no experience.
Resume With No Experience? No Problem
Even though past work experience is important for getting your resume noticed, there are various other ways to improve your resume. An entry-level resume doesn’t have to be complex—it can simply reflect your past activities where you’ve had to show professionalism, competency and skills. Employers typically look for attitude (positive and hardworking personality) and aptitude (productivity and efficiency) when it comes to freshers.
Consider this basic structure from a resume sample for beginners before you start writing and adding to your resume.
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A Professional Summary Statement
Start your resume with a professional summary instead of a career objective, even if you have no experience. Place it just below your name and personal details and write a few sentences about your background, interests and abilities.
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Key Skills Developed Over Time
The simplest hack for writing a resume with no experience is to list your skills. You may have practiced these skills and developed these competencies in school or college. Get an idea of the skills required by looking at the job description and map them to your resume. For example, time management is a highly valuable skill. Even written communication skills at a college newsletter can make a huge difference.
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Academic Background And Achievements
As a no-experience job-seeker, your academic background and achievements become your strongest qualification. Highlight your coursework, projects you’ve undertaken and even the credits or hours you’ve completed.
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Training And Certification
For a resume with no work experience, you can always list relevant training or certification programs that you’ve completed. In this era of virtual learning, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) have gained popularity. Completion certificates add significant weightage.
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Extracurricular Activities And Volunteer Work
Toward the end of your resume, create a section to include extracurricular activities such as sports and clubs you were involved in. Volunteer experience earns you brownie points as it shows you’ve dedicated personal time toward helping a section of the community.
Now that you know how to write a resume with no experience, let’s look at a few strategies that’ll teach you how to make a resume for your first job.
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Having no experience doesn’t mean you’re not qualified for the position; every bit of non-work experience can also count. Make sure to include skills developed in any project you’ve been a part of
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You can make your resume powerful by keeping it brief and coming straight to the point; recruiters should be able to read and understand it easily
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Make sure that you format your resume well; pay attention to details such as indentation, line spacing and fonts; use bullet points wherever necessary
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Always proofread your resume before sending it out; check for any grammatical errors, typos or inconsistencies that affect the quality of the document; use online tools or ask a friend to help you out
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Communicate your confidence through your resume; don’t be afraid to highlight all your best skills, strengths and accomplishments
Crack That Entry-Level Resume
While writing your first resume can seem scary, it can a meaningful opportunity to reflect on your strengths, experience and accomplishments. It’s also a chance to prove your written communication skills. Harappa’s Writing Proficiently course will teach you how to write clearly, concisely and compellingly. The Pyramid Principle will help you present key points upfront. Master the art of effective writing today!
Explore topics such as Key Skills For Resume, How To Write A Job Application Format, the Difference Between CV And Resume & Action Verbs To Make Your Resume Stand Out from Harappa Diaries and learn to present your key points upfront.
