- 1. Include a summary statement
- 2. Decide on a resume format
- 3. Focus on the minute details
- 4. Take stock of your achievements and activities
- 5. Develop your skills and knowledge
- 6. Go for an internship
- 7. Include any volunteer work or extracurricular activities
- 8. Never use these elements in your writing.
- 9. Keywords
- 10. Remember to attach a cover letter.
- Conclusion
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Don’t underestimate your chances of securing your dream career, even if you lack traditional work experience or skills that are directly relevant to the role. Being a first-time job seeker doesn’t mean you can’t create a compelling resume.
If you’re currently in high school or college and have no work experience, you may be wondering how to craft a resume. Worry not; we’ve got you covered with these expert tips.
1. Include a summary statement
The inclusion of an objective statement on a resume is increasingly falling out of favor. Such aspirational statements, where job seekers outline specific future achievements in their field, are becoming less popular. This shift is primarily because the focus should be on what you can contribute to the company, rather than what the company can offer you.
Conversely, a resume summary statement is a concise paragraph—or perhaps two—situated at the top of
2. Decide on a resume format
In today’s competitive job market, applicants generally opt for one of three universally accepted resume formats: chronological, functional, or hybrid—a blend of the first two. A chronological resume lists work history in reverse order, starting with the most recent position.
In a functional resume, the emphasis is placed on skills and accomplishments, which precede the work history section. Although the functional format may seem appealing to those with limited experience in a given field, the majority of recruiters and hiring managers continue to prefer either the chronological or hybrid formats.
It’s crucial to maintain consistency in the resume format you choose throughout your application process.
3. Focus on the minute details
Ensure that your updated resume is free of grammatical, punctuation, or spelling errors, as such mistakes can make it seem like you’re not serious about your work. This is especially crucial if you’re a candidate without prior experience. Have a friend or family member review your application to catch any errors you may have overlooked.
Avoid redundancy by not repeating the same words and phrases. Instead, emphasize the use of action verbs to keep the reader engaged throughout
4. Take stock of your achievements and activities
Create a bulleted list of all your accomplishments that would look impressive on a resume. Once you’ve completed this list, you can proceed to select the details that you’ll feature on
5. Develop your skills and knowledge
It would help if you highlighted your education section on
In what ways have you prepared for your position at school, both academically and via extracurricular activities? Anyone with a high school diploma can list their classes, explain why they were necessary, and share what they learned about themselves and the world. It helps to have some college education and experience in the field, but a high school graduate can still succeed.
However, a resume is not an easy one to take on. Hiring professional resume services can set you up for success when applying for entry-level jobs or after receiving your diploma.
6. Go for an internship
Securing internships while in college can be a game-changer to combat the all-too-common “experience essential” requirement. They not only help you gain experience in the working world but also allow you the chance to network and make relationships with people who may be able to assist you in finding a job in the future.
When applying for positions that don’t require experience, you must highlight internships you’ve participated in. You should seriously consider applying for a position that can act as a stepping stone if you haven’t done so already.
7. Include any volunteer work or extracurricular activities
Most businesses that responded to a survey said they consider paid and unpaid work experience when reviewing a candidate’s resume. Volunteering at a soup kitchen is an excellent example of this type of work experience.
For this reason, if you’ve done any volunteer work that showcases your skills or provides the context in which you acquired a new one, be sure to include it on your well-written resume.
Unless they are directly related to the career you seek and have contributed to the development of transferable skills, hobbies, and extracurricular activities should not be included on a resume.
8. Never use these elements in your writing.
While there are many elements you should consider on your impressive resume, there are also a few things you should never include because they are either a waste of space, don’t tell the employer anything relevant, or could damage your brand.
There are some excellent references from former employers, samples of your writing, and photos of you here, but you’re not limited to those things. It would help if you didn’t put this on
A random email address might have been fun when you were younger, but it’s not the best choice for communicating with recruiters and potential employers.
Gmail and similar services make it easy to create an email address that has the appearance of legitimacy and may be used at no cost during the job search process.
9. Keywords
Most businesses now use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to scan and catalog resumes. This may not seem fair, but it’s the reality of how most jobs are filled in the modern world.
Make sure
Avoid using “buzzwords” like “go-getter,” “team player,” and “detail-oriented,” as they are overused and annoying. The unfortunate reality is that these buzzwords are often the only keywords included in the ad. In that scenario, you’ll need to subtly work them into
10. Remember to attach a cover letter.
If you’re sending in
The hiring manager may be persuaded to interview you even though
Conclusion
If you don’t have a lot of writing skills, you can still hire a professional bio service. You’ll land the job you’ve been pursuing and, along with it, the relevant work experience you’ve been seeking.
