How to Write a Resume (Even With Little to No Work Experience)

Hi babes! Although my blog is mostly about workwear fashion, career development planning is a very important topic I want to cover on my blog, as well. So, today on the blog, I am going to teach you How to Write An Amazing Resume with No Experience! Keep in mind, these tips can be subjective! What works for others, might not for you. Or might not work for every job you apply to. 

To start, I’m going to tell you a little about how I got into the position I am working in today. I am a Victim Advocate at a Prosecutor’s Office. Honestly, I think I got pretty lucky with my job. When I graduated college, I only had experience from one 3 month internship. The job I was interested in, I knew very little about or what kind of experience I needed to get the job. I got a degree in Psychology with a concentration in Forensic Psychology. I was learning crazy things about serial killers and behavioral analysis.

What did I want to do with that career? Not a clue. I had no idea what career I wanted to get into, I had no idea what internships to look for or what experience would help me. I took an internship with my professor doing group therapy treatment with offenders. While learning about and working so closely with the offenders, I started thinking about the victims. What happens to them? Who helps them through all of this? How do they continue going on with their lives?

I started researching jobs that are victim-centered and learned what an Advocate was. I still had no idea where they worked, what experience I needed to become one, or how to become one. Still not having any idea what to do, I started working at Target. A few months later, my uncle came to me and told me that he knew a Detective at the Prosecutor’s Office who told him that there was a job opening in the Victim-Witness Unit.

So that week, I showed up at the office, with my resume, and asked to speak to whoever I needed to about the position. The Chief of Administration came down to speak with me and I told I was interested in Advocacy. She explained to me that I don’t have the experience and they are not currently hiring for advocates, but there were some clerical positions open. She took my resume and the next week, I got a call for an interview. A week later I got a call that I was hired and started the hiring process. After about a year and a half in my clerical position, one of the other Advocates left, and a few months after that I was able to move into an Advocate position with the experience I gained from being in my clerical position. 

So, although I got pretty lucky getting into my Advocate position, I had no type of Administrative experience for my clerical position. You have to get a little creative when you’re working with little to no experience at all. Okay, I’m finally done rambling! Keep reading if you would like to know How to Write An Amazing Resume with No Experience!

Tips on How to Write a Resume

First things first, is picking a resume layout. Keep it simple. Unless the job you’re applying for is a more creative position, your resume should look clean and simple. Stay away from crazy fonts and colors.

If you’re not sure where to start with your resume layout, Microsoft Word and Google Docs have some free resume templates to help you.

Resume Header

The first thing to do is your resume header with your contact information. Always add your name at the top of your resume in bold letters and make it at least three sizes bigger than the rest of your resume. Under your name, add your address, email, and phone number.

Resume Header Example

You could also add your LinkedIn. If you do this, make sure you have a complete profile on LinkedIn. That means a professional profile picture, your work experience, educations, training, skills, etc. Make sure you also personalize your LinkedIn URL in your settings so that you do not have a bunch of numbers at the end of the URL!

LinkedIn URL Resume Header

Education Section

If you don’t have much work experience, I recommend adding the education section under the header! Once you gain some relevant work experience for the job you’re applying for, you can move your work experience section under your header.

If you’ve been to more than one school, write it in the order from your latest, to oldest school. It’s not required to add in your GPA, but if you have an impressive enough one, I recommend putting it in there. This is also the place to add any activities or academic achievements.

Resume Education Section Example

Work Experience Section

If you do not have any experience yet in the professional world, it’s okay to list past part-time jobs under experience. It shows that you have interview experience and experience in customer service, organization, time management, etc. Even if the job position is not related to the job you’re interviewing for, the job experience and skills can still be relevant and it shows a willingness to take initiative. If you don’t have any other work experience, this is where you would list experience from volunteer work, internships, club involvement, and fundraisers.

When writing your work experience, list them from most recent to least recent, write the duration of time you were there from month and year to month and year, and list your responsibilities in bullet form.

Work Experience Resume Example

Skills

There are two types of skills: Hard skills and soft skills. Always list your hard skills first. These skills are usually something you have acquired from your experience. Then list your soft skills. Things like communication skills and time management don’t stand out first on a resume but don’t skip over those soft skills!

If you’re stuck on what hard skills you may have that are relevant to your job, do a quick google search of what hard skills the job you’re applying for look for and write down all that apply to you!

Skills Section Resume Example

Trainings/ Certifications

This may vary on the type of job title you are applying for. My current position as a Victim Advocate requires me to have some certifications or take some training. So, at the very end, I would list any pieces of training and certificates I’ve acquired to boost my resume.

Trainings and Certifications Resume Example

Tips:

  1. Spellcheck!! Always make sure you spellcheck your resume multiple times. Simple and careless mistakes could cost you a great opportunity.
  2. Ideally, your resume should be a single page. If you need to go on two pages, print on two separate pages.
  3. Resumes between 500-600 words usually have a better chance of getting an interview than those with more or fewer words.
  4. Always write a great cover letter to go with your resume.
  5. Don’t be afraid to apply to jobs even if you don’t qualify for them. What’s the worst that can happen!

I hope this post helped!

If you enjoyed this How to Write An Amazing Resume with No Experience post, comment down below if you would like me to write a post on How to Write a Cover Letter.

Yellow pants and sleevless blouse

About Me

Hi, I'm Katie! I started this blog to help women look and feel good in the workplace. Click here to read more about me ♥

Categories

Subscribe To Our Newsletter!

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

%d bloggers like this: