We all had to start somewhere, right? If you are a fresh graduate, then you have probably heard this a bunch. While it is intended to be comforting, it still leaves you with no real action plan. You can quickly become discouraged because every job description you read requires experience.
Before I share with you how to write a resume with no experience, you need to develop the right mindset. A few weeks ago, I wrote a post entitled: The 2 Most Important Skills in Every Job Search. I would encourage you to take a moment and read it. In a nutshell, you need to develop both persistence and patience in order to be on top of your game mentally.
How to Write a Resume With No Experience
Maybe for you writing a resume is a daunting task. If you have no real experience to add to your resume, then consider these tips.
1. Keep your resume to only one page. This might surprise you, but I often see new graduates with resumes longer than one page. This is a no-no. In the corporate world, you have to earn that second page. You are better off keeping your resume to just one page in length. Besides it takes the pressure off when you do not have as much space to fill.
2. Place you related coursework in a bullet format at the top of your resume. If you have yet to realize, most resumes get dumped into a resume database. Later, recruiters do keyword searches. One way you can get those keywords on your resume is by listing related coursework from college.
3. Write about transferable skills. If you had a job while in college, what possible skills can be transferred to your new career. If you want to be a financial analyst, list any tasks that relate to analytical skills.
4. Place a targeted job title at the top. I do not like objective statements, but I do like titles on resumes. If you want to be a Staff Accountant, place it at the top of the resume like a title.
5. Place any internships and college-related association responsibilities. These items would be the first thing I would take off my resume once I did indeed gain some experience. However, for now use them to your advantage.
6. Leave off hobbies, interests, and references. Some freshers are tempted to fill up their resume with these items. It is better for you to leave it out. Besides, if you use the tips above, you will have plenty to fill up a one page resume.
My final suggestion would be to get an opinion from a recruiter. They look at resumes all day long. They know what their clients like and don’t like in a resume.
