To land your first ‘serious’ job, be it a full-time employment after the graduation or a part-time job to earn some extra cash, you’ll need a good resume. With the growing competition for entry-level job openings, your resume needs to capture the eye in seconds. Otherwise, your chances for an interview will plummet.
Since you don’t have a professional experience that would speak for itself, you need a different approach to resume writing. Today, i will share the guide to creating your first resume. I'll show what to highlight in a resume, how to organize the content and eventually increase your chances for an interview.
Professional Assistance with No Experience Resume
When applying for entry-level jobs, you have to compete with your peers and career changers. The entire process of job-hunting might get frustrating as you keep getting rejections.
Compose a good resume for first job: 10 tips
Finding the first job with a reputable employer can determine your future career path. That’s why it’s important to put the extra effort to putting together a catchy, irresistible entry-level resume. The whole period of looking for a first job is full of uncertainty; so why stress yourself out even more with resume writing? Resume writing advice online is often confusing and doesn’t make the task any easier.
Consult the steps below to complete a resume assignment effectively and get noticed from the midst of other millennial job-seekers:
- Start with the essentials
Put your full name and contact details at the top of the document. Create a professional email address and don’t use fancy email like “wholetthedogsout@icloud.com”. “Georgeblessing@gmail.com” is a good example. It seems minor, but a funny email shows lack of professional attitude. - Create a short summary
Even though you’re inexperienced, you certainly have something you could brag in front of a prospective employer. In a student resume summary, you may use relevant hard and soft skills, university achievements and awards, and show your professional passion to make the reader interested. Focus on the competencies that present you as a great cultural fit as well. Explain how the employer would benefit from hiring you. - Highlight the right skill set
You may not have the relevant experience, but you need to mention that you possess the right skills to succeed if hired. Pro tip: use the skills from a job posting, provided that you have those skills. At the end of this article we’ll share a list of skills that hiring managers will be excited to see in an entry-level resume. - Proceed to the education section
Following the list of skills should be your education. Unless you gain 2 years of experience, your diploma or degree is your biggest asset. Include a school name, a degree, and a graduation year. High GPA (3.5 or higher), academic achievements, rewards, and relevant coursework can be mentioned to add worth to this section. If your major is relevant for the job, listing 6-8 courses are enough. Students with a BS or MS degree can freely omit the high school information (even if you are only working towards a degree and haven’t completed all credits yet). - Organize your experience
Here comes the toughest part in student resume writing – the work experience. Each career situation is unique and therefore the approach to writing will vary. However, the below best CV experience examples will help you nail the writing of this section:- 5.1 Have you had any relevant internship, done voluntary work in your industry, or work on a relevant project in the university? List those experiences as you would describe the full-time job. Write down your responsibilities and results of work. Show how you put your education and skills in action.
- 5.2 Have you worked part-time (i.e. as a waiter, tutor, or brand ambassador)? Include these jobs as well – irrelevant experience is better than none. Think of the skills you’ve learned and how they can be translated to your target role. Let’s say you worked as a bartender – so, you have great verbal communication skills, can resolve conflicts and deliver customer care.
- 5.3 Have you had any menial experience? If you haven’t had an employment but babysit your nephew, mowed lawns or helped the father with his own business, you can and should list this as an experience.
- Include voluntary experience
Focusing on a voluntary work is a great strategy for writing a professional resume for college student with no experience. Just list this type of experience like you would list a full-time job: organization name, your role, dates, and your responsibilities/achievements. - List the training and certifications
If you took some courses or training in addition to working on your major, list them under a specific section in a resume. Moreover, multiple certifications make you a catch for bigger companies who are hunting on the top talent. - Take advantage of your hobbies and interests
Like the certification or volunteering, this section isn’t a resume must-have. However, it might show the human side of you, and some hiring managers appreciate it. Moreover, you can research the recruiter’s profile on social media and include some of the interests they have to create a personal connection. However, in this case, be prepared to talk about them on the interview. - Proofread for perfect result
Over 50% of hiring managers reject resumes because of typos and errors. Revise your resume for several times to make sure everything is correct. If your document turned out more than one page (a recommended length for student resume), clean up lengthy writing. Ideally, find an English proofreader to check the document once again in case you missed something. By the way, an editor of our services can both proofread the text and improve the looks of your resume. - Attach a matching cover letter
Cover letter is a lot more than a pure formality – it’s a chance to share your personal interest in the industry or company, tell a story or build personal connection with the hiring authority. A good letter needn’t be long – four paragraphs are sufficient to portray you as a good fit for the role. An engaging opener matters, though – to create a catchy introduction, read how to start cover letter.
Going through the above tips one by one, you’ll manage to create a first resume that represents your background well. And finally, remember that recruiters don’t expect to see years of experience in your resume, but will be thrilled to see your enthusiasm and positive attitude.
Bonus: The essential skills for resume with no work experience college student
In every career field, employers look for pretty much similar traits in entry-level applicants. By highlighting the skills suggested below, you’ll differentiate yourself from peers and increase your interview chances. So, here are the top skills an entry-level resume should have:
- Ability to learn on the go – if hired, you’ll have to grasp new things from practice rapidly. Show your willingness to learn.
- Communication – interpersonal skills are of great demand in any industry.
- Customer orientation/customer care – point out that you can take your time to understand client needs and then meet them with business goals in mind.
- Dependability – the willingness to show up on time, complete tasks according to deadlines and commit to the organizational success is valued by the recruiters.
- MS Office (iWork) skills – these tools are crucial for every workplace, so persuade your employer that you are computer literate and don’t need to be taught.
- Problem solving – everything that businesses do is basically finding a solution to customer problems. Think of how you resolved problems before (for instance, during your studies).
- Programming – the importance of programming skills in all industries will only grow over time, so if you know at least one programming language, do include this into your skill list.
- Social media – if you are familiar with SMM (for instance, you managed a university campus Facebook group), mention this.
- Teamwork – show that you work well with others and will deliver great results as a part of group. Tell about an internship where you worked with others to complete a project.
- Positive attitude – ability to handle criticism in a professional manner and openness to new challenges are what the employer expects from you.
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