Every new job seeker’s nightmare — you need a resume, but you have no work experience to put on it.
When you’re just beginning your professional life, this can be very frustrating. The resume is what gets your foot in the door and places you in the interview room. You need it to be good to be considered for jobs, but without any experience, it can feel like a losing battle.
I understand the struggles, but here’s a different perspective:
- You feel there’s “nothing” to put on your resume
> Work experience is not the only thing that matters. - You have no idea what companies are looking for
> You just need to learn how to highlight key skills (and trust me, you have them). - You worry they’ll reject you immediately because you lack experience
> Many companies are looking for talent, motivation, drive, and teamwork over specific experience. - You’re unsure how to structure your resume with no work history
> There are a few simple rules to follow, which I’ll explain in a bit.
So, how do you write a resume with no work experience?
#1 Redefine “experience”
Even if the job description says “1–2 years of experience”, this doesn’t mean only paid jobs. Employers are looking for skills, potential, and a willingness to learn. With the right approach, you can still make a positive impression.
You can always include:
- Academic projects that demonstrate real-world skills
- Internships (even short or unpaid)
- Volunteer work
- Leadership roles in student organizations
- Significant class assignments or research projects
- Freelance or gig work
- Personal passion projects
Pro tip: You can also include skills and experiences you gained while managing your household or providing daily care for a family member. Those experiences involve serious skills — organization, problem-solving, time management, and coordination. These are the same skills businesses look for in employees to manage tasks, work with teams, and keep things running smoothly.
#2 Focus on your skills
Without a traditional work history, your skills section becomes crucial. And to the employer, they’re just as important as experience. Even if you never had a formal job, you developed many valuable skills through coursework and volunteering.
Make sure to add:
- Technical skills like knowledge of software or tools
- Soft skills — things like communication, teamwork, problem-solving
- Your language skills (“Fluent in Spanish”, “Professional proficiency in French”)
- Certifications (even those that seem unrelated, like First Aid)
A common mistake students make is listing their skills in a separate section and leaving it at that. Instead of just stating “communication” or “problem-solving,” show how you’ve used them in your experience section.
For example, if you led a group project, mention that you coordinated tasks, resolved conflicts, or did presentations. Employers want to see skills in action, not just in a bullet-pointed list.
How to do this in practice:
- Social media management > Managed a student organization’s Instagram and increased engagement by 40%
- Customer service > Interacted with donors and guests at fundraising events
- Graphic design > Created promotional materials using Canva for campus events
Pro tip: You want to align your skills directly with job descriptions you’re targeting. Use the exact language employers are using in job ads.
#3 Make the most of your education section
Your education is the key part of your resume. You should list your degree, relevant coursework, honors, and extracurricular activities that relate to your career goals.
Make sure to also add:
- GPA (if 3.5 and above)
- Academic honors and awards
- Academic achievements
- Research projects
- Academic clubs and leadership roles
An example I love:
Bachelor of Business Administration, XYZ University (2024)
- Relevant coursework: Digital Marketing, Data Analytics, Public Speaking
- Dean’s List (4 semesters)
- Vice President, Marketing Club
#4 Use accomplishment-driven storytelling
This sounds scary, but it’s actually quite simple — you just need to replace bland statements with achievement-focused descriptions.
❌ “Participated in group project”
✔️ “Collaborated with a team of 12 to develop Marketing Club’s TikTok strategy, resulting in 25% increased engagement”
Why does the second example work so much better?
Because the first one generates questions instead of answering them. What kind of a project? What was the outcome? The second one tells you exactly how big the team was, what the project was about, and how this person delivered results.
If you’re not entirely sure how to do this, you can ask AI tools like ChatGPT to “rephrase this accomplishment to make it quantifiable and more actionable.” This will help, but you’ll have to give it the exact results and numbers.
#5 Highlight your internships and volunteer work
Internships are your golden tickets because they’re the bridge between your academic and professional life. Even if unpaid or short-term, they provide real-world experience, professional references, and new skills.
You can also add group projects, research studies, or presentations if they are connected to the role and have given you relevant experience. Managing a blog, tutoring, or designing websites are all examples of experience.
A good example:
Marketing Coordinator (Student Organization, 2023-Present)
- Managed Instagram and TikTok accounts, increasing followers by 50%
- Created engaging content and coordinated 3 event promotions
- Designed posters using Canva, contributing to a 30% increase in event attendance
#6 Don’t forget layout and design
Your resume should be:
- Clean and professional
- Easy to scan
- Formatted consistently
- No longer than one page
- Free of typos and grammatical errors (you can use Grammarly to check this for free)
Pro tip: A clear, well-structured resume will make you stand out in the right way, so keep the design simple. Fancy fonts, graphics, and complex layouts can make it harder for employers to find key information. If you’re applying for a creative role, show your design skills in the portfolio, not your resume.
#7 Customize your resume for each job
A common mistake people make is creating one general version and mass-sending it to all the companies and jobs they apply for.
You want to customize your resume for each job, as hiring managers look for candidates whose skills and experiences align with the job description.
Pro tip: Apply even if you don’t meet 100% of the requirements. Very few people EVER do. Job descriptions are often wish lists rather than strict criteria. If you meet around 60-70% of the qualifications and can show relevant skills, you have a strong chance, especially since some requirements are flexible or negotiable.
If it’s still hard to transform these tips into an actual resume, Big Interview’s resume tools can help.
You can use Resume Builder to make your resume using ATS-friendly templates. If you are already a Big Interview user, you just need to log into ResumeAI and click on Resume Builder.
You can also scan your resume using ResumeAI and get instant resume feedback. It can help you write better bullet points based on your actual skills and experience and make sure your resume is matched well against the job description.
Rooting for you always 💙
Pamela
