How to Write a Resume with No Experience: 5 Helpful Steps

Key takeaways

To create a resume with no experience, aim to highlight skills you’ve developed through education, volunteer work, or extracurricular activities. 

• A functional resume format will help you feature your skills without emphasizing your lack of experience. 

• Use your resume summary to emphasize your skills and traits that align well with the job opportunity.

• You can include communication, research, public speaking, or software skills that are useful in many jobs on your resume.

Learn more about how to develop a resume with no experience, including what content to include. If you’re ready to refine your resume further, consider enrolling in the University of Michigan’s Good With Words: Writing and Editing Specialization. You’ll have the opportunity to learn creative ways to use syntax, punctuation tips, and more in as little as two months. 

How to make a resume with no experience

Follow the steps below to draft your resume in a way that highlights other things you've learned or accomplished.

1. Use a functional format resume.

While there are three common types of resumes (chronological, functional, and combination), it's best to use a functional resume when you don't have any experience. That's because functional resumes promote your skills rather than list your experience.

Typically, a functional resume will include these key sections:

• Header

• Objective or summary

• Skills

• Extracurricular activities

• Education

• Certifications (optional)

2. Include a summary.

A resume summary refers to a brief description of your experience and qualifications. Usually, one to three sentences long, a summary gives recruiters a way of quickly understanding your background and assets as a worker.

Remember to emphasize traits and skills that fit the job you’re applying to. You can also include a sentence about your objective, describing what type of job you’re looking for. Consider these examples:

Recent college graduate with a background in computer science and communications. Seeking to leverage strong skills in Python, C++, and public speaking for a full-time engineering opportunity.

Curious and hard-working high school honors student with a passion for working with children and one year of experience babysitting 

How to write a resume summary with no experience

Start by studying the job description to understand the skills and qualities the employer is looking for. Then, use any achievements from your education or activities outside of school to highlight your abilities. Incorporate volunteer work, internships, and other non-work experiences that showcase your attributes.

Read more: 16 Top Resume Tips to Help You Land a Job

3. Highlight your education.

If you have little work experience, listing your education on your resume is a great way to showcase what you've studied in a way that aligns with the career you're hoping to pursue. It can also be an opportunity to call attention to your strengths, interests, and background. Some items you’ll want to consider including in the education section of your resume are:

• Relevant coursework: Be sure to list any courses that will emphasize skills that can be helpful for the job. These might include courses that focus on technical skills like economics, math, or computer science. But don’t forget the importance of courses like English or writing that can show your competence in communication or other human skills. Look through job descriptions to see what kinds of skills are desirable for the field you’re interested in.

• GPA and honors: A strong grade point average (GPA) can indicate a willingness to work hard and an aptitude for your field. Experts recommend listing your GPA on your resume if it’s above 3.5 [1]. If you’ve received any academic honors, it’s a good idea to list them, too.

• Relevant projects: If you’ve completed projects in classes that are particularly relevant to the job you’re applying to, list and briefly describe them. If you have more than one, this can be its own section.

• Certifications and online courses: If you’ve completed any coursework outside of school or received a professional credential, list these under the education section as well.

4. Include relevant experience.

If you don't have work experience, reflect on any other experience that could speak to your abilities and include this in the standard "Experience" section. This can include volunteering, freelance projects, school clubs, or other extracurricular activities that show your professionalism, interests, and character, which are all things a potential employer tends to consider important.

• Volunteer experience: Volunteering demonstrates your community involvement, ability, and willingness to work with others and your interests. It might even have gained you some hands-on experience in a related field. 

• Part-time jobs: Maybe you worked part-time while you were in school, tutored or babysat kids, or helped your parents out at their small business. If you’re applying for your first full-time job, don’t shy away from including these. Part-time jobs can demonstrate your employability and experience with key skills like customer service.

• Extracurricular activities: Whether you played sports, were part of a cultural club, or participated in student council, extracurricular activities can help show a willingness to explore your interests, develop new skills, and work on a team. Don’t forget to include any leadership positions you might have held in these activities.

5. List your skills.

Even if you don’t have any full-time work experience, you probably have technical and workplace skills that will be useful in the field. Reflect on what you've learned in school or what you've done through volunteering or hobbies, emphasizing qualities that showcase how you do your work, such as communication, teamwork, and reliability.

Include any language abilities, computer skills, or relevant coursework. The relevant skills you’ll choose to list will likely depend on the job, but might include: 

• Research

• Microsoft Office products like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint

• Communication

• Computer programming

• Leadership

• Social media

• Foreign languages

• Public speaking

• Customer service

You can also look out for entry-level jobs, which typically have fewer skill requirements than other jobs.

Develop the skills you need to land the job you want

Try emphasizing your transferable skills, like critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. Or try taking some coursework in essential skills in your field, such as data analysis, IT, UX design, and digital marketing skills, which are all in demand across many industries.

Resume checklist

Before you submit your resume, taking time for one final check is good practice. Ask yourself:

• Did I write my resume with my audience in mind?

• Did I strategically select action words and keywords?

• Have I clearly demonstrated my relevant skills?

• Are my margins set to one inch on all sides?

• Is my font easy to read?

• Did I include all of the key resume sections?

• Did I edit for proper spelling and grammar?

If you can answer “yes” to all these questions, save your resume as a PDF file with a title that includes your name and “resume.” Check that the file is saved correctly, and then prepare to submit it. Good luck!

Discover free resume and career resources

Subscribe to Career Chat on LinkedIn to access resume and job-search guidance and industry insights. You can also explore the following resources as you prepare for a job search:

• Read our Career Chat issue: Resume Writing: Finalizing Your Resume Sections 

• Take a quiz: Career Test: What Career Is Right for Me Quiz? 

• Watch on YouTube: Find the Best Resume Format for Your Career

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