Are you a student looking for an internship? Or perhaps you have employment gaps due to life circumstances. While most employers highly value the work history, there are ways you can go about building a resume without working experience. In this article, we will help you
- Identify the proper tools to use
- Make up for your lack of employment
- Specifically tailor your resume if you’re a student
- Additional tips that will help you stand out in the competition
Choosing the Right Resume Creator
You will find plenty of online resume builders with a google search, but make sure you choose the right one. Most of these tools are made for people who have been in the workforce for a while. Therefore, they may not work for you if you don’t have much experience.
It’s a good idea to find generators recommended by college or high school career centers. Those tools often have built-in templates for students and people with less experience.
Building a Resume Without Work Experience
Employers today are flexible and understanding. They know various reasons could cause someone not to have an employment history, and a lack of experience doesn’t equal incompetency. Therefore, even if you don’t have much work experience, you can still compete for a position you want with the correct information.
Create Your Own Experience
The first thing you can do is to create the experience. Have you participated in any extra curriculum activities or volunteered with many nonprofit organizations? List these activities the same way you would with traditional employment histories.
Include Academic Achievement
If you’re still a student, don’t shy away from your academic achievement. After all, studying is your job when you’re in school. Exemplary achievements to include are:
- High average GPA
- Dean’s honor scroll
- Participation in symposiums or any other academic events
- Research or academic awards
List Your Skills
Provide a list of soft and hard skills to make up for lack of experience. Make sure to tailor these skills according to your desired position. If you have proficiency certifications, put them next to the correspondent skills.
Utilize the Summary Section
Create a summary section at the beginning of your resume. Talk about your current goals and why you want this position. Let your future employer hear your dedication and tell them why this position is critical to your personal and professional growth.
Resume for Students
If you don’t have enough work experience because you’re a student, you shouldn’t worry too much. Technically speaking, your job is being a student. Therefore, besides focusing on academic and extracurricular activities, you can also leverage your instructors as references and ask them to vouch for your competence.
Another thing to include will be any student body positions you’ve held, such as a student committee council membership. Also, include any organizations you’re a part of. The more all-rounded you can picture yourself, the better.
Final Tips
We hope these pointers will help you build a resume without work experience! Additionally, when you use a resume creator, you will find many templates coming with filler texts. They are excellent references regarding what goes into which section. When you’re done, export the resume and add some personal creative touches to it. Trust us. You’ll do just fine!