A good resume doesn’t have to be heavy on the experience. But it does need to show your commitment to professional growth, so that’s what you’ll focus on. According to a report by Indeed’s Hiring Lab, less than a third of job postings in the USA require a specific length of experience. Employers are relaxing some requirements. They are starting to pay more attention to the candidate’s skills and potential rather than their prior experience. And that’s what you’ll focus on when figuring out how to write a resume when you don’t have much experience to share.
Why Do You Need a Resume with No Experience?
When you go through good resume summaries, you’ll realize that they do more than just list qualifications. A great resume is the first impression you make on potential employers. For candidates with no formal work experience, the challenge is to show value through transferable skills, education, and extracurricular activities. You’ll improve your shot at getting an interview if you understand what recruiters seek in entry-level candidates.
What Recruiters Want to See
Employers are not looking for the impossible. They understand that entry-level applicants may not have extensive work experience. That’s why they will focus on other aspects of your application:
✅ Clear structure and readability
Your resume has to be well-organized. Clean formatting is crucial. A recruiter will spend mere seconds scanning your application to make a decision: will you go to the next stage of the hiring process? If your resume lacks clarity, they won’t give you a chance.
✅ Relevant skills
When you lack experience, the employer will focus on soft skills for resume: communication, teamwork, adaptability, and so on. They will look for hard skills such as social media literacy, but an entry-level resume leaves more space for soft skills.
✅ Education and certifications
Your academic achievements, coursework, and additional certifications matter a lot at this stage of your career. They show your knowledge and commitment.
✅ Internships, volunteering, and extracurriculars
Any experience that showcases leadership, responsibility, and initiative matters. You should include it in your entry-level resume.
How to Write a Resume with No Experience: Highlight Potential and Transferable Skills
Even when you lack experience, you’ll still have skills relevant to the job market. In addition to recent graduates, veterans who transition into the civilian sector face the same issue. You can check out our detailed article on military resume writing to learn more.
Here’s how you can present your soft skills in the most effective way possible when you write a resume with no experience:
- If you look at a summary for a resume with no experience, you’ll notice that it seems more like an objective rather than a summary. A resume summary is best for experienced professionals with relevant skills and work history. When you lack the experience, you can write a resume objective that focuses on your career goals and what you hope to achieve in the role. The objective should highlight your enthusiasm and relevant soft skills.
Here’s how: “Motivated recent graduate with strong organizational skills, seeking an entry-level marketing role to put problem-solving capacity to practice.”
- Use everything you can from your academic and extracurricular experiences. We’re talking about group projects, research papers, and leadership roles. They can show you have time management skills, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
Here’s an example: “Led a team of students in a marketing campaign for a local business; increased engagement by 30%.”
- Have you ever organized charity events, managed social media pages, or did freelance work? All those experiences demonstrate initiative, so mention them in your resume.
How to Make a Resume with No Experience: Avoid These Common Mistakes!
We won’t lie: creating this kind of job application can be intimidating. If you don’t know where to start, we suggest seeing what to avoid first. These are the most common (avoidable!) mistakes in entry-level resumes:
❌ Being too generic
You can’t have a one-size-fits-all job application. No matter how much you follow the current resume trends, it’s not possible to write something that perfectly fits multiple job postings. A hiring manager wants to see how your skills and potential align with their needs. When you customize your resume for each job, you’ll improve your chances of getting noticed.
What’s the fix to this mistake? Carefully read the job description and adjust your resume to be suitable. You should incorporate relevant keywords and skills, adjust your objective, and write about proper experience that matches the role.
❌ Relying on resume builders too much
Online resume builders can be very useful for structure. However, relying on them too much can result in a resume that looks generic. Many free templates lack customization options. Some designs may not be ATS-friendly, so they won’t get your application through the first stage.
How can you avoid this mistake? You can still use online builders or even AI resume writing. But you must always personalize the final version of your document. Edit the formatting and fine-tune the wording! The goal is to reflect your individual strengths and potential, not just to fill in pre-set fields.
❌ Avoiding ATS optimization
Most recruiters and hiring managers use Applicant Tracking Systems. They scan and filter resumes before they reach a recruiter in the next stage. If you fail to include job- and industry-specific keywords, your application won’t get seen.
Here’s what to do: identify important skills and qualifications from the job description. Then, naturally incorporate them into your resume. Let’s say the job requires project management or customer service. You should make sure those terms appear in relevant sections.
❌ Including irrelevant information
When they follow the rules of how long a resume should be, many beginners feel the need to fill space. This leads them to add unrelated hobbies, outdated skills, or unnecessary personal details. Don’t do that! Irrelevant information will make your resume look unfocused.
What should you do instead? Stick to experience, coursework, and activities that demonstrate valuable skills. Those skills should be relevant to the job. So, listing “watching movies” or “doing yoga” as a hobby is not a good idea. But you can mention team projects, volunteer work, or certifications that show your capacity as a worker that everyone wants to hire.
❌ Spelling and grammar errors
When a hiring manager sees a typo or grammatical mistake in your resume, they won’t neglect it. They will think it proves a lack of attention to detail. Even small errors will put your professionalism and communication skills under suspicion.
No matter how careful you think you were during the writing process, always proofread your resume multiple times. You can use tools like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor or even ask a friend to review your content for errors before submitting.
Choosing the Right Resume Format When You Don’t Have Experience
When choosing the format for your resume, you should consider how you want to present the information. The format determines how easily recruiters can see your strengths. These are the three main resume formats:
Chronological resume
It’s the most commonly used format. It lists work experience in reverse chronological order, which means that your most recent job appears first. This is a good choice for candidates with a strong work history in their field, but it’s not ideal for those with little to no work experience.
Functional resume
In contrast to the chronological type, the functional resume prioritizes skills over work experience. That’s exactly what makes it perfect for beginners. It focuses on what you can do rather than what jobs you’ve had so far. The functional format works well for recent graduates, students, or those changing careers. Applicants without formal work experience should definitely rely on it.
This is what the structure looks like:
Contact Information
Resume Summary or Objective
Skills (divided into categories)
Education
Experience (internships, volunteer work, personal projects…)
Your experience can be presented in a way that enhances your soft skills. You’ll break down the skills section like this:
Communication Skills
Led class discussions and presentations with a consistent improvement in public speaking abilities
Created and managed social media accounts; engaged with an audience of 5,000+
Problem-Solving
Organized a fundraising event that raised $3000 for a local charity (mention the exact organization here)
Assisted with family business operations; improved efficiency by 20%
Combination resume
This is a blend of the two main resume formats. It merges them by highlighting the skills first and following them with a brief work experience section. It works for candidates with some work experience. If you have some internships, part-time jobs, and volunteer work to list, you should go for it. It also works if you’re transitioning into a new field and you want to highlight transferable skills.
This is the structure of a mixed-format resume:
Contact Information
Resume Objective
Key Skills & Accomplishments
Work Experience
Education
What format should you choose?
If you’re new to the workforce, opt for the functional or combination resume format! These are the best options because they focus on skills and education rather than formal jobs. They still let you show relevant experiences like coursework, extracurricular activities, and volunteering. This way, your employment gaps or inexperience won’t stand out.
You’ll find a first-time resume with no experience sample on our blog. Check it out to see how these formats work in practice!
Essential Sections: How to Structure a Resume with No Experience
Without any work experience to brag about, creating a strong resume is about your potential, not your past jobs. Each section of your resume will focus on your skills, education, and relevant activities that show your strengths. We’ll give you some tips on how to fill out each resume section effectively:
Contact information
You’ll need to update this section if the details change, but there’s no need to revise it for every new job application. It should stay simple and professional. It should be easy to find, so it’s always positioned at the top of your resume.
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Full name
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Phone number
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Email address (make sure it is clean and professional)
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LinkedIn profile URL (highly recommended)
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Don’t use the casual and outdated email address you created in high school.
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Don't add personal details like your age, gender, marital status, or full address. When it comes to the address, just list the city and state if needed.
- Don’t add multiple phone numbers or emails. You will complicate your resume without need. Choose one phone number and email, and keep them simple.
Resume objective
This part introduces who you are and what you bring to the table. Since you don’t have too much experience, we’re not talking about a resume summary that would summarize it. Your resume needs a resume objective, which will state your career goals and relevant skills.
Here are a few simple tips to help you write a strong resume objective:
Mention your current education status and relevant background.
Mention communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and other transferable skills.
Express your enthusiasm for this role.
Needless to say, you’ll need to revise your resume objective for each new job application. You need to make it suitable for the specific position.
Here’s a strong example: “Detail-oriented recent graduate with a strong foundation in teamwork. Seeking an entry-level marketing position to apply my content creation skills while learning from industry professionals.”
Education
Since you lack work experience, your education is the most important part that can attract employers. What to include:
School name and degree, including your major if relevant
Graduation year (if you’re still in school, you can list the expected graduation year)
Relevant coursework (only courses that relate to the position you’re applying for)
Academic achievements (scholarships, honors, high GPA)
Extracurricular activities (clubs, student organizations, research projects)
Here’s an example of a properly filled-in Education section:
Coursework: Digital Marketing, Public Relations, Business Writing
Dean’s List (3 semesters), Student Council Vice President
Skills
In candidates with no experience, employers want to see their adaptability and learning potential. Your skills section should include a mix of hard and soft skills.
Hard skills are your technical abilities. Here are a few examples:
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Social Media Management
Basic Coding (HTML, Python)
Graphic Design (Canva, Adobe Photoshop)
Soft skills are your interpersonal abilities. Like these:
Communication
Teamwork
Adaptability
Time Management
But you won’t simply list your skills. To make your resume more captivating, you should show how you applied them in school projects or volunteer work.
Like this:
Social Media Management — Managed an Instagram account for the college debate club; increased engagement by 40% in two months.
Communication — Presented research findings to an audience of 100 students
Experience
Maybe you haven’t had a traditional job, but you still have relevant experiences to list. Many things count as experience:
Internships, even if you weren’t paid for them.
Volunteer work shows your commitment to social values. Any role that requires leadership, teamwork, or organization is worth mentioning.
School projects can show your problem-solving and communication skills.
Freelance work or side projects such as blogging, coding, photography, or tutoring will show your capacity.
Here’s an example of what to write in the Experience section:
- Assisted in writing blog posts to raise awareness about food insecurity
- Coordinated online fundraising campaigns; contributed to a 15% increase in donations
Certifications, licenses, and online courses
Online courses and certifications show initiative and make your resume stronger.
Here are a few good examples of certifications and courses:
Google Certifications (Google Digital Marketing, Google Analytics)
Coursera (Project Management, Data Analytics)
HubSpot (Content Marketing, Social Media Strategy)
LinkedIn Learning (Leadership and Time Management courses)
When formatting this section, don’t forget to include the year of completion. Like this:
Google Digital Garage — Fundamentals of Digital Marketing (Certified 2024)
Coursera — Excel for Beginners (Completed 2023)
Extracurricular activities and leadership roles
Have you ever participated in clubs, sports, or organizations? You can use that experience to show skills like leadership, teamwork, and time management.
This is the format for listing extracurricular activities:
Position and organization name
Dates of participation
Key achievements or responsibilities
Here’s an example of how that would look like in a real resume:
Developed public speaking skills and critical thinking strategies
Languages, hobbies, and (relevant) interests
This is an optional section. If you have important things to include, especially if they relate to the job, then go for it! When done properly, it can make the resume more engaging.
If you’re having doubts, we’ll help you understand when it’s appropriate to include these sections:
If you speak multiple languages, include the Languages section. List all languages you speak and indicate your proficiency in them (Fluent, Intermediate, Basic). Alternatively, you can add a sentence to your summary or objective similar to this: "Fluent in Spanish, with limited working proficiency in French."
Hobbies and interests are not usually included in resumes, but you can list them if they show relevant skills. For example, writing a blog translates to good communication skills. If it’s a successful blog, it will show you in a good light. But you have to avoid listing generic hobbies, such as exercise, spending time with your dog, or watching TV. Everything you write in your resume should contribute to your professional value.
Here’s how these sections would look like in a real resume:
Languages: English (Fluent), Spanish (Intermediate)
Hobbies: Blogging about tech trends (link to your blog), creating digital illustrations (link to your portfolio), playing competitive chess
How to Optimize an Entry-Level Resume for ATSs
When you apply for a job, your resume will go through an Applicant Tracking System before a human recruiter sees it. If it isn’t optimized for the ATS, it may never make it to the hiring manager. In this situation, someone less qualified than you may get priority because they included the right keywords. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen!
What is an Applicant Tracking System, and why is it important?
Employers use software to scan, filter, and rank resumes. They set up job-specific criteria so they can easily go through the hundreds of applications they receive per job posting. ATS helps them narrow down the selection to the best candidates.
This is how the ATS works:
It scans your document for relevant keywords and qualifications
It filters out unqualified resumes, so your application may get automatically rejected if it doesn’t get through
It ranks your resume with a score based on how well it matches the job description
Basically, the right format and keywords will increase your chances of getting an interview.
How to include keywords
- Start by analyzing the job description! Look at the required skills, qualifications, and responsibilities in the posting. Identify technical terms, job titles, and industry-specific phrases. You can write down these keywords as notes.
- Incorporate exact phrases from the job listing into your resume. For example, you can write “project management” instead of “leading projects.”
- Add the keywords in your Skills, Experience, and Education sections. But be careful not to go overboard. Suffocating your resume with keywords might work for the ATS, but it will make it less appealing to a human recruiter.
Mind the formatting for ATS compatibility
Even when the right keywords are there, poor formatting can make your resume unreadable for the ATS. These are the practices to follow:
Use standard resume formats, such as the chronological, functional, or combination resume.
Avoid tables, text boxes, columns, or graphics. The format should be simple and clean.
Don’t bother with images and fancy designs. Save the document as a PDF or Plain Text file.
Don’t try to think of creative titles for the resume headings. Just use the standard sections as they are named in most templates.
Graphics and design elements are risky since many ATSs can’t read images or icons. They only process text.
Never use unusual resume fonts; they won’t make your resume stand out. Stick to standard options, such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.
Don’t include headers and footers since some ATSs don’t recognize the text inside them.
Here’s a brief checklist to make sure your resume is ATS-friendly:
Did you use specific keywords?
Did you format the resume in a clean, standard layout?
Did you avoid using tables, graphics, and fancy fonts?
Is your file saved in PDF?
Write a Cover Letter to Complement Your Resume
When your resume doesn’t have much experience to show, a well-crafted cover letter will make a big difference. The resume is about showing your skills and education. The cover letter gives you more space to show some personality, enthusiasm, and motivation. Those qualities can really help you stand out.
This is why the cover letter is an important part of your application:
It demonstrates enthusiasm, and we all know that employers value passion in entry-level applicants.
The cover letter explains your potential. You can show how your transferable skills would be great in this position, even though you lack formal experience.
It adds a personal touch. The resume is formal and follows a particular pattern. The cover letter gives you more space to express your career aspirations.
To make it work to your advantage, you must personalize the cover letter for the specific application. Here’s how to do that:
Mention the company’s name and show you know its mission.
Mention skills that are relevant to the job description.
Explain why you’re interested in that specific company and role.
- “I admire your company’s commitment to sustainability. I am looking forward to applying my project management and research skills to your environmental activities.”
- “I’m interested in this job because I need experience. I have strong communication skills, and I am a hard worker.”
Final Touches to Your Entry-Level Resume
Did you draft your resume? Now it’s time to make it perfect! An error-free resume with a good structure will show professionalism and attention to detail. Those are qualities you don’t have to write about. A hiring manager will easily notice them in your application.
Here’s how you can polish your resume:
✅ Take a break before you start proofreading. Some time away from your resume will make the mistakes easier to notice.
✅ Use spell-check tools like Grammarly and Hemingway Editor to catch mistakes. You can also try reading your resume out loud. This technique will help you catch awkward phrases. Another trick is to print out your resume. The flaws will be more noticeable in print than on screen.
✅ Make sure the font sizes, bullet points, and spacing are consistent across the resume.
✅ Double-check your email address and phone number. The last thing you need is a missed job opportunity for a silly mistake.
✅ When editing your resume, get rid of complex language. It should be clear and easy to read.
✅ You can ask someone else to review your resume. You’re a beginner, so you’ll benefit from the constructive feedback of someone with experience. This can be a friend, mentor, or career advisor. You can also rely on professional resume editing services.
Formatting Guidelines for a Professional Resume
Entry-level candidates are so focused on what to write in their resumes that they often forget about the importance of formatting. The format is important not only for the recruiter but for ATSs as well. We’ll give you simple tips that help you present the content in the best way possible:
Use a professional-looking font, such as Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, or Verdana.
The font’s size should be 10-12 points. Don’t make the text too small; it will be a pain to read. But don’t make it too large either; it will make the resume look unprofessional.
You can use italics for emphasis but do it sparingly. As for bold, use it for section headings!
Keep the resume length to one page. It’s more than enough for an entry-level candidate without any experience.
Set the margins between 0.5” and 1” on all sides. White space is important for readability, but you shouldn’t go overboard with it.
Feel free to use bullet points whenever needed. They make the resume more readable. But keep each bullet point 1-2 lines long and limit the number of bullets to 3-4 per experience!
Try starting each bullet point with action verbs, such as managed, developed, or implemented. This style will make your resume look more relevant.
Are you wondering about colors? It’s best to keep it simple. Black text on a white background is all the recruiters need. Any experiment can make you look unprofessional.
Avoid excessive graphics and colors that might not sit well with the ATS.
You can use subtle design elements, such as lines and bold headings. They will make the resume visually appealing for the recruiter.
When you’re sure you’re ready, save the resume as PDF. It’s the best format to use unless the job specifically asks for MS Word.
Don’t forget to name the file professionally: FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf.
A Good Resume Is the First Step Toward Your Career
The challenge is real. It’s not easy to create a compelling resume when you can’t brag with experience, especially in today's job market. But you know what? Everyone starts somewhere. This is the key: focus on your strengths, transferable skills, and potential. Don’t mention what you lack. A well-polished resume can make a strong impression and help you land an interview.
The hardest part of creating a career for yourself is getting your foot in the door. Recruiters understand that those who are new to the job market don’t have professional experience. That’s why they look for passion, adaptability, and willingness to learn.
If you need any help, you can always rely on our professional resume writing service. We’ll take your details and craft the best entry-level resume for you that makes you look like a perfect candidate for that job!
