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I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: “Wow! I love your resume.” Patrick
I love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work! Dylan
My previous resume was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful! George
Dependable university graduate with IT major in cloud infrastructure and deployment. Seeking to apply award-winning UI design (2018 GoodLooks winner in User Interface—Personal Blog category), highly-scored cloud architecture project management (99.35%), and modern networking skills to grow alongside SWA as the new cloud engineer.
Education
BS in IT Infrastructure—Data Science Specialty
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Relevant Coursework
Cloud infrastructure and deployment
Safety and security measures for tomorrow’s IT world
Work Experience
Restaurant Server
Bahari, Astoria, NY
January 2017–December 2018
Key Achievements
Increased sales by 230% by connecting restaurant to Uber Eats.
Implemented new POS integration, saving 97% of IT budget.
Skills
User interface & user experience
Cloud architecture
Project management
Network administration
Cloud deployment
Certifications
2017 CompTIA Network+ Certificate
Languages
English—Native Proficiency
German—Intermediate Conversational
1. Choose the Best Entry-Level Resume Format
With your level of experience, it’s not your work history that’ll catch their attention.
Stay reverse-chronological. Whether it’s in your work experience or your education section, list your most recent entry first, and go back from there. If you're still not sure if it's the right choice for you, check out this guide on functional vs chronological resumes.
Order each section strategically. The most relevant items should be the closest to the top always.
Stick to a one-column template. This makes it easy for the recruiters (and any machine software, like the ATS) to scan and find exactly what they’re looking for. If (for some strange reason) you need more real estate, a two-column template is fine.
Use bold subheadings with a larger font size than the regular text. This will differentiate each resume section and make the document easier to follow.
Expert Hint: Want to make sure that your entry-level resume renders correctly on the hiring manager’s computer like it does on your own? Save the resume as a PDF. The PDF keeps all your formatting and fonts intact.
2. Write a Compelling Beginner Resume Objective Statement
According to an eye-tracking study by TheLadders, employers give your resume a mere 7-second glance.
That hurts.
So, you’ve got to make that time count.
How?
Put a powerful resume objectiveon top of your entry-level resume (avoid writing a resume summary unless you already have some work experience under your belt).
Also known as a resume profile, this is a brief paragraph of text explaining (1) what skills you have, and (2) how you want to develop at a given company
How to write an objective for a resume without experience?
Let’s look at two beginner resume objective examples for an entry-level role:
Entry-Level Resume Objective Examples
Good ExampleDependable university graduate with IT major in cloud infrastructure and deployment. Seeking to apply award-winning UI design (2018 GoodLooks winner in User Interface - Personal Blog category), highly-scored cloud architecture project management (99.35%), and modern networking skills to grow alongside SWA as the new cloud engineer.Bad ExampleResults-driven, top-notch, dependable, and friendly university graduate looking to be challenged with entry-level IT job which offers great pay, competitive benefits, attractive coworkers, and room to grow so that career in IT can continue to advance.
Why is that second beginner resume objective sample so bad? Too many adjectives and too much focus on you.
What makes the other one so good?
It follows all the best resume objective practices.
The ideal entry-level resume objective is:
About them, not you. Sure, it’s your objective, but the employer needs to see that you have their best interests in mind.
Written to prove your worth. Everyone says they’re [adjective] and [adjective], but that doesn’t tell the hiring manager how well you’ll perform. Use numbers to quantify and back up how great you are.
Tailored to the job ad. The bad example could be sent out to anyone, while the good one is personalized and specifically mentions the company by name.
Packed with the skills you bring. Even if it’s an entry-level role or a first-time job, you still can find transferable skills from college, personal projects, technical skills,outstanding computer skills etc. We’ll cover this more shortly.
Free from tired phrasing. That first example is just jargon-vomit.
3. Highlight Your Hireability in the Entry-Level Resume Education Section
Lack of relevant past employment can make or break your first job resume.
But it doesn’t have to—if you switch tactics.
Always start your resume with your greatest strength. If that means your education, go with that!
Move the education section above the experience section and highlight your greatest educational wins.
When writing your entry-level resume education section:
Start from your most recent schooling, and go backward from there.
Add your high school if you have an incomplete college degree.
Leave your high school off of your resume if you’ve finished university.
So, how to put education on an entry-level resume?
Look at this sample:
Entry-Level Resume Example—Education
BS in IT Infrastructure—Data Science Specialty
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
4. Expand Your Entry-Level Resume with Some Experience That’s Relevant
So, some of you might be writing a resume with no job experience, which means you can skip this part, right?
Technically, yes. You could just move on to other resume areas.
But—
I strongly suggest you get some experience.
I don’t mean getting a first-first job before your first job, but rather doing some freelance gigs or volunteer work.
Looking to become a graphic designer? Find some one-off design gigs on Upwork—it’ll look great on your resume for first jobs and/or professional portfolio.
Alternatively—
Highlight relevant skills or achievements from unrelated job. Let’s say you are an IT student who worked part-time as a waiter:
Entry-Level Resume Example—Work Experience
Restaurant Server
Bahari, Astoria, NY
January 2017–December 2018
Key Achievements
Increased sales by 230% by connecting restaurant to Uber Eats.
Implemented new POS integration, saving 97% of IT budget.
We skipped the common “job responsibilities” subsection, but we highlighted tech-centric resume achievements. Also, start each achievement and job duty entry with a power verb.
You may have waited tables, but handling that installation of the new POS, as well as integrating them with Uber Eats—super relevant on the entry-level IT resume!
Expert Hint: Don’t add too many skills to your resume. You don’t want to get thought of as the “jack of all trades, master of none.” Add no more than 10.
The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume maker now.
Nail it all with a splash of color, choose a clean font, and highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You're the perfect candidate, and we'll prove it. Use our resume builder now.
5. Add a Relevant Skills Section to Your Entry-Level Resume
There used to be a time when everyone and their mother put they’re skilled in Microsoft Word.
(Some people still do.)
Don’t get me wrong, this is a great skill to have.
But—
It’s irrelevant to 99% of jobs.
What are relevant skills to put on a resume?
Take a look at that job description again.
Find the area that says “Qualifications” or “Requirements”—THESE are the things they’re looking for on your entry-level resume.
And include them in your resume, because—
Remember that ATS thing? This software scans your resume in search of resume keywords. Key words often mean key skills.
When you have very little relevant work experience, add any volunteer work in a separate section. When you have no experience at all, add your volunteer work within your main work history section.
Languages
Can you speak French or Spanish? Add it to your entry-level resume and describe your linguistic proficiency. Fluency in a second language can make all the difference to a hiring manager.
Certificates can make up for what’s lacking in your experience section. Looking to be an IT consultant? That CompTIA Network+ certificate you’ve earned will come in handy. An award for the best apple pie at the state fair will likewise look great on a restaurant resume.
At first glance, who cares, right? But adding hobbies and interests can subtly show aptitude and certain skills. For example, team sports emphasize teamwork, while coaching team sports help show managerial skills.
Expert Hint: One resume addition you should leave off always is that “References Available Upon Request” line. Because, they know, you know? This is always implied.
7. Amp up Your Entry-Level Resume with a Great Cover Letter
A cover letter is a must alongside your entry-level resume.
Why?
First, it is your secret power to convince the recruiter you’re worth hiring even without relevant jobs under your belt.
Second, almost half of all employers will simply reject your first job resume if a cover letter doesn’t come with it.
Lubomir Tomaska of Comenius University in Bratislava puts it like this:
“Think of your cover letter as… a cork that represents an entry to the contents of a wine bottle. Just as a cracked or rotten cork will discourage a user from pouring the contents of the bottle into a glass…, an uninspiring cover letter might prevent the recruiter from reading the full application and assessing your suitability for the position.”
Expert Hint: The importance of a cover letter can't be ignored. But remember, a cover letter is not supposed to repeat your resume. It should complement your entry-level resume by adding additional details and explaining your motivation to work at a given company.
Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.
Have any questions on how to make a resume for first jobs or an entry-level resume? Let’s chat about it here in the comments below, and thanks for reading!
Christian Eilers is a resume expert and a career advice writer at ResumeLab. His insights and career guides have been published by Business Insider, FitSmallBusiness, Business News Daily, OppLoans, First for Women, and UpJourney, among others. Christian offers comprehensive advice on career development and each step of the job search, from start to finish and beyond. His guides cover looking for new jobs, sending application documents such as resumes and cover letters, acing interview questions, and settling into the new position. Since 2017, he has written over 200 in-depth, meticulously-researched career advice articles in collaboration with the most renowned career experts in the world. Hundreds of thousands of readers visit Christian’s articles each month. Christian majored in Communication & Culture, Anthropology at the City University of New York. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling and learning about cultures and traditions from around the world.
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