October 26, 2014

Writing A Resume When You Have Zero Experience

Are you getting ready to apply for a job? Have you written your resume and realized you don’t have much listed? Even if you’ve never worked or have zero experience, you can still produce an attention grabbing resume. It’s not as hard as you might think.

At some point everyone has to write a new resume. If you have no experience, you can still have a resume that will land you a job. It’s a challenging process to write a resume when you have zero experience, but don’t get discouraged. Instead, try this:

Research resumes – Before you do anything, know what a resume is all about. There are plenty of examples on Google and you can learn a lot about resumes on JobMonkey.

Make lists – Write down any accomplishments, skills, certifications, awards, talents, athletic teams, education, student council, clubs, relevant courses, publications, memberships, blogs, internships, foreign languages, social media skills, volunteering, and more that you’ve accomplished or completed. Use these lists to identify positive items that make you unique. Turn these lists into impressive bullet points for your resume. Ideally, the lists will help you expand resume sections and fill space on your resume. Focus on the positive and be specific.

Find a resume template – Search the Internet to find resume templates that suit you. Here are a few places to find resume templates:

Find a resume template that appeals to you and your job search. Edit these resume templates to include your information and details. Be sure to include sections for contact details, skills, experience, certifications & awards, etc. Here’s a great example of a resume from Business Insider that may inspire you.

Focus on design – Be sure your resume is easy to read. Make it visually appealing. Show your personality through your design.

Find a job listing – Scour the job listing for buzzwords. Identify the important ones and see if they relate to your lists. If so, be sure to use those words on your resume. Customize your resume for each job you apply for.

Establish references – Go out and ensure that you have great references. Let your references know what you’ve been up to and let them know what jobs you are applying for. Tell them to expect a phone call from a recruiter. You don’t need to list your references on the resume, but have them ready. A good reference can make a huge difference in your job search.

Take the time to make your resume look professional. You can’t expect to send in a resume with only your name and a couple of lines. Recruiters will toss it out faster than you can imagine. At the same time, you don’t want to fill in resume space just to have something listed. Recruiters know when they’re not reading anything useful. Find the happy medium that shows you are unique and the right person for the job.

You can get additional entry-level resume tips on JobMonkey.

Set yourself up for success. Without any experience, it’s going to be hard to land a big time, high paying job. Start small and plan to build your career. Apply for appropriate jobs. Try to find a job that will kick start your career.

Find more resume tips on JobMonkey or upload your new resume on JobMonkey’s Resume Manager. Best of luck!