How to Make a Resume with No Experience to Get the First Job

“We’d love to hire you. But—”

You’ve got no relevant experience.

How can you ever get a job?

Well—

You’ve got life experience.

Trust us. You’ve done things that make you valuable. You’re not a toddler.

You just need to know how to write a resume with no experience and present your skills in a proper way. 

In this guide you'll see:

• A first time resume with no experience sample better than most.
• What to put in a resume with no work experience so it’s not blank.
• How to make a resume with no job experience that gets phone calls.
• Why you can’t just list skills in a no-experience resume (and what to do instead).
• How to make a resume for your first job. 

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Want some other first time resume with no experience samples? See our guides:

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Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our resume examples for over 280 jobs.

Resume with no Experience Example You Can Copy and Use

Now here’s how to make a resume with no experience that land jobs:

1. Choose the best resume format for your no-experience resume.

2. Write an eye-catching resume objective.

3. Highlight your education section.

4. Put relevant experience & skills from your hobbies and interests.

5. Include additional sections to wow hiring managers.

6. Attach a cover letter for the maximum impact. 

Let's elaborate on each point, so you'll fully understand how to nail your resume for the first job: 

1. Use the Right Format in a Resume With no Experience

Danger.

You want the job. But—

So do hundreds of others.

And they have lots of experience.

How can a resume with no work experience compete?

Don’t panic.

When you have little to no experience it is important to pick the right resume format. Stick to the time-tested reverse-chronological format.

Then use these tips:

Resume with no Experience Format

• Pick visually appealing resume template or a free Google Docs resume template. 
• Use one great resume font like 10–12pt Garamond or Cambria.
• Include some white space. Set your margins at one inch.
• Make the length of your resume with no experience one page.
• Create these resume sections: Heading, Objective, Education, Skills, and a few added sections.

Expert Hint: Save your no-experience resume as a PDF. PDF resumes work no matter what screen hiring teams view them on, and ATS readers can read them.

2. Write an Eye-Catching Resume Objective

“She’s got no experience... but still!”

You’ve got little time to make a first impression.

Most hiring teams glance at resumes. You’ll get about seven seconds before trash-time.

But there’s hope.

A resume with no work experience for college students or high school can still wow them. It starts with a solid resume objective.

Use:

1. One adjective (energetic, hard-working)
2. The job title (nanny, programmer, cook, retail associate)
3. How/whom you’ll help (provide efficient coding for Alcoa)
4. Best relevant accomplishment (2nd place price in Codewars contest)

See examples of how to make a resume with no experience that shines:

Summary for a Resume with no Experience

See the difference?

Even a high school resume with no work experience can soar. If you start it with a bang.

It’s those details. I’ll show more in the next section.

Expert Hint: Write the summary for your resume with no experience last. If you write it first, you’ll spend too much time head-scratching and won’t think of good achievements.

3. Education Is Key in Your Resume with no Experience

You don’t have work history. But—

You’ve done things to impress them.

To write a great resume with no work experience, dig into the online job posting. It’s stuffed with resume keywords.

Does that sound complicated?

They’re just skills, duties, and responsibilities.

These first time resume with no experience samples show how:

Let’s say the job ad wants skills in game development, data science, cloud computing, and machine learning.

Resume for College Student with No Experience—Education

Bang.

That first resume with no experience example has everything.

Didn’t do that many projects?

You can also list sports teams, school groups, clubs, projects, and other academic pursuits. Use each one to show relevant skills. That's how you make your resume with no experience shine. 

Expert Hint: Just graduated high school? A high school resume with no work experience can even show classes you were passionate about, or teacher kudos.

4. Put Life in a Resume with no Experience

Oh no!

Your resume with no work experience is blank!

They’ll never hire you.

That’s not true. You’ve done more than you think.

The key?

Think about the job needs. Is it a nanny job? Programming? Cooking? Waiting tables? What about retail?

Each of those needs certain skills.

For example, say you want to be a nanny. Have you looked after your little brother/sister? Put that in your no-experience resume.

Or maybe you want to be a line cook? Have you cooked for family or friends? Yep—that warrants mention on a resume.

Check the examples of how to make a resume with no experience look like you've actually worked: 

Job ad wants these skills: (1) Java (2) MySQL (3) API (4) collaboration (5) writing algorithms.

How to Write a Resume with No Experience

Nailed it.

In a nanny resume with no experience, call that section, “Personal Nanny Experience.”

Same with a no experience resume for cooking or retail. Call it “Personal Cooking Experience” or “Personal Customer Service Experience.”

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.

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Nail it all with a splash of color, choose a clean font, highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You’re the perfect candidate and we’ll prove it. Use the ResumeLab builder now.

5. Prove Your Skills in a no Experience Resume

This is key:

Don’t just list your skills.

Anyone can write a list.

You have to prove them.

How?

Let’s say you want to prove leadership and problem-solving skills.

So—find a life event where you used those skills.

Then put them in bullet points like this:

You can use any life event, club, group, or effort to prove your skills.

You’ll need both soft and hard skills on your resume with no work experience for college students or high school students.

“Soft skills” are transferable skills that work in any job.

Those are qualities like interpersonal skills, communication, efficiency, and work ethic.

“Hard skills” are technical skills like MS Office or cloud computing.

This list of top resume skills can get you started:

Resume With no Experience Skills

Soft Skills:

• Interpersonal Skills
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Problem Solving
• Leadership
• Adaptability
• Organization
• Detail Oriented
• Critical Thinking
• Time Management

Hard Skills:

• Cloud Computing
• MS Office
• Data Visualization
• SEO
• Economics
• Programming Languages
• ERP Systems
• CRM Systems
• Customer Service
• Sales

Here you can find even more technical skills 

Expert Tip: Don’t have the skills the job wants? Take some online classes from Udemy, Lynda or MadBright. You’ll beat the pants off the other resumes with no experience.

6. Add Extras to Your Resume with no Experience

Still coming up short?

Your resume with no work experience must fill the page—but not with “filler!”

Wow them.

How?

With extras that show related skills.

You can add resume sections for:

• Classes or certifications (like First Aid or ServSafe Food Handler)
• Portfolio website (You must put this in a resume with no experience for computer science pros)
• Additional activities
• Interests
• Honors & awards
• Foreign languages
• Clubs & groups (BSA, computing clubs)
• Fitness
• Volunteering experience

You don’t need all of those.

Just the ones that show off your finest hours!

These no experience resume examples get it going:

How to Write a Resume With no Experience—Extra Sections

Hint: I’d hire #1.

That first no experience resume example pumps up your skills.

It also shows your passion.

Are you getting the picture? It’s not about your work history.

Expert Hint: Write a cover letter. The hiring manager will spend more time reading your resume with no work experience. Tip: don’t brag. Talk most about the job.

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.

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Want to try a different look? There’s 18 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Key Points

Here’s how to write a resume with no experience: 

• Use the no experience resume template up top. It stops the “can’t get a job without experience” cycle.
• Focus on life accomplishments. Put them in your objective, education, and “extra” sections.
• Zero in on skills they need. They’re your best resume keywords, and they’re in the online job ad.
• Include a cover letter. Talk about the job a lot. Give evidence you’re a good fit despite lack of experience.

Got questions on how to write a resume with no work experience for college students? Writing a teen no experience resume and don’t know where to start? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!