How To Write Your First Resume With No Work Experience

Writing Your First Resume With No Work Experience

Writing your first after university can be a daunting experience. However, many graduates find themselves facing the same frustrating conundrum: you need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience.

Luckily, the skills which employers value most are not only gained through the world of work. The trick to writing a CV with no experience is finding creative ways that show you have the transferable skills needed to make you a fantastic hire.

Below are ways on how to write an impressive resume with no experience:

a. Identify Your Most Impressive Qualities

Writing a CV is essentially about putting together a personal sales pitch. The first thing to do, therefore, is figure out what you are selling. Make a list of all the things you are good at, regardless of whether they are "professional” qualities or not. Then, match each item on your list to one (or more) of the top skills, employers look for.

b. Begin With An Open Statement

This will be the very first thing any potential employer will read, therefore you have to get it right. Keep it as short and simple as possible using not more than 150 words.

Start by introducing yourself with your education level and a top skill or two ("I am a hardworking and self-motivated recent graduate”). You will go into more detail later, so only add in your degree subject or university if you feel it is particularly impressive or relevant to the role you are applying for. Make sure you also set out what you are looking for.

c. List Your Skills

Most CVs begin by listing the candidate’s most recent employment(s). However, if you have not worked before or have only worked in unrelated industries, it is much better to start your CV with a list of skills you have acquired. Employers will see them as much more interesting and relevant than your stint stacking supermarket shelves.

This is where that pre-written list of skills and examples come in handy. You can quickly cross-reference different experiences so you have multiple examples under each heading, with the evidence to back up your claims. Using examples makes a skill-based CV much more powerful and believable.

d. List Down Your Obvious Skills

Do you have a driver’s license? Can you use a range of software packages? Are you social-media savvy? Often, graduates leave out skills employers want because they think they are self-evident or unimportant. 

If you can do something, which could be useful in the workplace, list it down. Include any computer programs you can use and languages you can speak.

e. Play Up Your Degree

Degrees are a great source of transferable skills. If you wrote a dissertation, then you can talk about your research abilities. If you gave presentations as part of your degree, you can claim to have experience pitching. You could also mention skills gained through group project work, independent organization and planning, and any specific knowledge relevant to the role.

Do not make a mistake of leaving blank space in your CV just because you lack work experience. The experience section of any CV is simply a way to demonstrate how experiences would be useful to a future employer. You will have plenty to draw on from your degree, so use it.

f. Include Your Personality

Employers receive many applications for each graduate job. Standing out from the crowd and being memorable is a big boost. Include any relevant personal achievement; if you won an award, skydived, or ran a marathon list them down.

If there are not any obvious, professional skills related to an achievement or activity, do not try, and crowbar them in. Simply list the hobby under an "other interests” section and do not bother to go into detail. The aim here is simply to be memorable, not to convince employers that jumping out of a plane has prepared you for their workplace.