How to Format Your Resume [with No Work Experience + Examples]
A resume format is the layout of your resume. The ideal resume format usually depends on how much work experience you have.But what happens when you have none? For a no-experience resume, we recommend that you use the reverse-chronological format. It’s the most popular format amongst applicants and a recruiter favorite.
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How to Format Your Resume [with No Work Experience + Examples]
The sections in your reverse-chronological resume will be:1. Header: Contact Information and Resume Statement2. Education3. Internships, extracurricular activities, projects, volunteer work (These sections will replace your work experience)4. SkillsIn this article, we’ll walk you through each of these sections, and explain how to write them
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How to Format Your Resume [with No Work Experience + Examples]
in a way that you stand out from the crowd.Ready?Let’s dive in.
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Start With Your Resume Header
Your resume header includes your contact information and your resume statement.Below, we’ll show you how to write both of these elements and how to include them in your header section.
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Put Down Your Contact Information
Just like the name suggests, the first thing you add to your header is your personal and contact information. It’s the easiest part to get right, just keep it short and to the point.In your contact information section, mention the following:– First and Last Name– Phone Number– E-mail Address– A link to a professional
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Put Down Your Contact Information
profile (e.g. LinkedIn) or personal webpage (if you have one)Make sure to use a professional-sounding E-mail.I.e. something along the lines of “FirstName.LastName@gmail.com.”You’re sure to leave a wrong impression if you use an email you created back in preschool (“hotshot999@hotmail.com”).
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(Optional) Write Your Resume Objective
A resume objective is a short heading statement in your resume, where you describe your professional goals and aspirations.Fun fact - hiring managers look at your resume for 5-6 seconds max. Yep, that’s right. In most cases, the hiring manager is literally drowning in resumes. So, they have a couple of seconds to skim each one.
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(Optional) Write Your Resume Objective
Well, this section is your chance to catch their attention (and let them know you’ve got what it takes).A resume objective is usually 3-4 sentences max and includes information on:– What your field of study is;– What your skills and experiences are (ones that are relevant to the job);– Why you’re applying for this
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(Optional) Write Your Resume Objective
position and/or this company.As with contact information, you don’t need to label your resume objective with a title. Just write it underneath your contact information section.
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Emphasize Your Education
In your average resume, the first section would be work experience. Since you don’t have any, though, you’ll want to omit that and replace it with the education section.This way, you bring a lot more attention to your education, which is one of your main selling points. What should you include in the Education section?
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Emphasize Your Education
List the following features in this order:1. Name of the degree2. Name of the institution3. Years attended4. Location of the institution (optional)5. GPA (optional)6. Honors (optional)7. Relevant coursework (optional)8. Exchange programs (optional)
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4 Sections to Replace Work Experience
1) InternshipsHave you done an internship that is relevant to the position you are applying for?Now’s the time to mention it.Here is how you add an internship to your resume:First, place the Internship section right after the education section.Title it: InternshipsSecond, write your internship
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4 Sections to Replace Work Experience
title and role. Be specific.If your internship was in the marketing department, instead of just “Intern”, say “Marketing Intern”.Third, put down the company name, location, and duration of the internship - in that order.Easy and straightforward, right?One more step: Last, add a list of responsibilities you had as an intern in bullet point form.
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4 Sections to Replace Work Experience
If you have any tangible achievements, even better! Write those in as well.Finally, tailor both the responsibilities and achievements to the role you’re applying for.
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4 Sections to Replace Work Experience
2) Extracurricular activitiesStill have a ton of empty space in your resume? Extracurricular activities are always a great addition! Whether they’re related to the job you’re applying for or not, they still show one thing:You’re hard-working and motivated.Now, let’s explain how to list extracurricular activities on your resume:
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4 Sections to Replace Work Experience
1. Title of the section: Extracurricular Activities2. Name of the organization and/or team3. Your role in the organization4. Time period5. Noteworthy awards or achievements
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4 Sections to Replace Work Experience
3) Volunteering ExperienceVolunteering shows dedication and passion to apply yourself.And there’s nothing recruiters love more than a committed employee.Whether you spend your free time in a soup kitchen, or you helped collect trash in the countryside, you can mention it in your resume! But how do you list volunteering experience?
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4 Sections to Replace Work Experience
Well, it follows the same logic as your internship and extracurriculars:1. Title of the section: Volunteering Experience2. Name of the organization3. Location4. Time period5. Relevant tasks and achievements (bullet points)
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4 Sections to Replace Work Experience
4) ProjectsIn this section, you can add any relevant projects you were part of during your time in school or at an internship.Your capstone project, graduation thesis, or research project go here. No need for work experience! You can also mention any other type of project you’ve worked on in school, including:
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4 Sections to Replace Work Experience
– Business project for a real-life client– Mock website you created in Web Design 101– Fake magazine you created as a capstone project– Market research you did as part of your graduation thesis– Software you developed in Software Engineering class...And so on!Here’s how you put them down:
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4 Sections to Replace Work Experience
1. Title of the section: Projects2. Project name3. Project type4. Related organization5. Time period6. Relevant responsibilities and achievements (optional)