How to Write a Resume with No Experience [21+ Examples]
It’s time for your first job hunt !
You need to write a resume , which can be nerve-wracking if you don’t have any real-life work experience.
You don’t know where to start, what to include, or which resume format to choose.
On top of that, most advice you find online isn’t relevant because it focuses on emphasizing professional background.
Chances are, you’re straight out of college with no experience to speak of.
Or maybe you're a high-school student applying for a part-time job.
Whichever the case may be, you’re probably having trouble filling in the blank space on your resume that’s supposed to be the work experience section.
Worry not, though. In this guide, we’re going to help you create an AMAZING resume, no work experience is needed.
- How to format your resume with no work experience
- 4 sections to replace work experience (that help you stand out)
- 2 no-work experience resume samples (guaranteed to land you the job)
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.
The sections in your reverse-chronological resume will be:
- Header : Contact Information and Resume Statement
- Internships, extracurricular activities, projects, volunteer work (These sections will replace your work experience)
In this article, we’ll walk you through each of these sections, and explain how to write them in a way that you stand out from the crowd.
Let’s dive in.
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.
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 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 “[email protected].”
You’re sure to leave a wrong impression if you use an email you created back in preschool ( “[email protected]” ).
Make sure to double-check, triple-check your contact information. After all, the recruiter can’t contact you if you have a typo in your phone number.
(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.
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 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.
Here’s an example of what a resume objective looks like:
“ Recent Communications graduate looking to apply for the role of Secretary at XYZ inc. Extremely organized with good writing and multitasking skills. Practical experience in management gained through several university projects, which involved coordinating tasks between different team members and ensuring that everyone was in sync with the latest information. ”
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?
List the following features in this order:
- Name of the degree
- Name of the institution
- Years attended
- Location of the institution (optional)
- GPA (optional)
- Honors (optional)
- Relevant coursework (optional)
- Exchange programs (optional)
As a general rule, if you studied in a prestigious university, you can add the name of the institution before the degree . This way, you will catch the recruiter’s attention faster.
Now, let’s go through some real-life examples:
BA in Computer Science
Tufts University
Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts
10/2015 - 06/2018
Magna Cum Laude
- Exchange Program in Greenville, NY
University of the Arts London
BA in Interior Design
10/2017 - Ongoing
Westwood High
Boston, Massachusetts
Class of 2018
Education Section Q&A
Still have some questions about the education section? Worry not, we’re about to give you all the answers!
Do I include my GPA?
- The answer here is a “maybe.” We’d recommend including a GPA if it’s higher than 3.5. Anything lower than that, and you might be underselling yourself. Keep in mind, though, that most employers don’t care about your grades.
Should I include my coursework?
- Yep, but just as long as it’s relevant. If you have no work experience, including courses can help establish your expertise in a field. Feel free to skip out on any basic courses, though. No one cares about your Maths 101 course.
Do I mention my degree if I dropped out?
- If you studied for more than 2-3 years, yes. A half-finished degree is still better than no degree. If you dropped out after a semester, though, that doesn’t really mean much.
Do I mention my high school degree?
- Only if it’s your only degree. If you have any higher education, your high school degree will only take up space.
4 Sections to Replace Work Experience [With Examples]
Now that you’ve listed your education, it’s time to fill that work experience gap in your resume.
You aren’t still worried about your lack of experience, right?
Because here are four sections you can use instead:
1) Internships
Have 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: Internships
Second , write your internship 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.
Marketing Intern
Full Picture
New York, NY
09/2019 - 12/2019
Easy and straightforward, right?
One more step:
Last , add a list of responsibilities you had as an intern in bullet point form.
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.
Here’s how that looks in practice:
You used to be an Advertising Intern .
You’re applying for the position of Social Media Assistant .
Here’s how you would put down your internship entry:
Internships
Full Picture Company
- Analyzed various social media platforms for trending content
- Managed company social media accounts
- Posted interested content on company Facebook page, increasing engagement by 25%
The listed responsibilities and achievements are directly connected to the Social Media Assistant job requirements.
You’re applying for a Content Writer position. Take a look at the same entry now:
- Assisted the Marketing Manager in writing press releases and new blog posts , which increased web traffic by 25%.
Notice how the internship title remains the same.
But in this case you’re applying for a Content Writer position, so you are highlighting your writing experience instead.
For more examples, check out our full guides to an internship resume and how to write a cover letter for an internship .
2) Extracurricular activities
Still 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.
Imagine you’re the HR manager, and you can pick between these 2 candidates:
- Josh Johnson. Studied at Massachusetts State. 4.0 GPA, but that’s all he did in college - no extracurricular activities, internships, or anything else.
- Suzie Activeson. Also studied at Massachusetts state. 3.2 GPA. Vice-president of the business club. Served as a student government senator for 2 semesters. Organized several events as part of the marketing club.
Sure, Josh is probably qualified, but we don't know anything about him, other than that he studied a lot.
Suzie, on the other hand, can manage a team (business club VP), organize events (marketing club), and is passionate about making a change (student government).
So, which one would you pick?
Now, let’s explain how to list extracurricular activities on your resume:
- Title of the section: Extracurricular Activities
- Name of the organization and/or team
- Your role in the organization
- Time period
- Noteworthy awards or achievements
Extracurricular Activities
Public Speaking Club
Vice-President
09/2018 - 09/2019
- Organized 10+ public speaking lectures
- Brought in speakers from all over the state
- Conducted public speaking workshops
3) Volunteering Experience
Volunteering 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?
Well, it follows the same logic as your internship and extracurriculars:
- Title of the section: Volunteering Experience
- Name of the organization
- Relevant tasks and achievements (bullet points)
Volunteering Experience
Grand Archive Library Volunteer
Washington, D.C
08/2017 - 02/2019
- Performed secretarial activities, such as sorting mail, filing documents, answering phone calls, and taking messages.
- Led a poetry reading event twice a month.
4) Projects
In 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:
- 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:
- Title of the section: Projects
- Project name
- Project type
- Related organization
- Relevant responsibilities and achievements (optional)
And now, for some practical examples. Here’s what a journalism student project could look like:
Online Privacy and Social Media: a Journalistic Study of Facebook and Cambridge Analytica
Journalism Capstone Project
Harvard University
09/2018 - 11/2018
And here’s a law school example:
In-House Pro Bono Project
Columbia Law School
11/2018 - 03/2019
- Completed a full petition for U nonimmigrant status, interviewed legal persons and drafted affidavits.
If you have anything physical to back up your project with, feel free to include a link.
For example, if you’re a developer, you could include a link to your GitHub profile.
Stand out with your Skills
There are two types of skills you can include on your no-experience resume:
Soft skills and hard skills.
What’s the difference?
Soft skills are attributes or habits that describe how you work. They are not specific to a job, but indirectly help you adapt to the work environment.
Here are some of the most popular ones: teamwork, responsibility, leadership, creativity, etc.
Hard skills , on the other hand, refer to specific tools, technical knowledge and training and other work-specific skills. They apply directly to the job.
Technical writing, C++, financial accounting, etc. are all examples of hard skills.
So, which of these skills should you include?
That depends on a lot of factors, but as someone with no work experience, you should opt more for hard skills .
See, you could write all the cool buzzwords like “Critical Thinking” and “Leadership,” but the recruiter won’t believe you.
Fun fact - that’s what 90% of students do.
Instead, you should focus on skills that make you stand out , and in most cases, those are hard skills.
So, how do you decide which hard skills to mention? Easy! Just check the job ad you’re applying for.
Let’s say you’re applying for an entry-level creative internship, and you find these requirements in the job description:
- Video editing experience (Premiere, After Effects)
- UI design experience
- Photo editing experience (Photoshop)
- Photography experience
- Experience with Adobe Illustrator
You’d transfer this into your skills section:
- Premiere & After Effects - Expert
- Photoshop - Expert
- UI Design - Intermediate
- Adobe Illustrator - Intermediate
- Photography - Intermediate
Not sure which skills to mention? Check out our article on 150+ must-have skills for all sorts of professions !
Other Sections You Could Include in a No-Experience Resume
A resume without experience does have one advantage: extra space .
You can use this space to create other sections that highlight how awesome you are!
Here are some sections you could include:
- Hobbies and Interests . Add flair to your resume by showing your genuine passion and interest in the industry.
- Languages. Do you know a second language? Or even a third? Awesome! Most companies these days are pretty international and appreciate an extra language skill or two. Be mindful not to over-exaggerate your proficiency, though. Only knowing how to ask “¿Donde está la biblioteca?” doesn’t warrant a Spanish entry on your resume.
- Awards & Certifications . Do you have any fancy pieces of paper that show you’re smart? Maybe it’s an award for a terrific essay in a competition, or a certificate from an online course . Whichever the case may be, awards and certifications show that you’re a winner, so definitely include them in their own respective section.
Need Inspiration? 2 No Work Experience Resume Samples
Do you still have questions or don’t know where to begin?
That’s when a resume sample comes in handy.
It provides you with a predetermined format.
It also helps you picture how your no-experience resume is supposed to look like.
As Picasso put it: Good artists copy; great artists steal!
Here are 2 no work experience resume samples you can borrow ideas from:
Business Student Resume Sample
High-school Student Resume Sample
Create a Matching Cover Letter
All done with your resume?
It’s not over yet. You need to write a cover letter to go with it.
A cover letter is a single-page letter that accompanies your resume and is part of your job application.
Look at it this way: your resume describes your experiences, and your cover letter explains (in simple words) how they’re relevant to the job.
Now, here’s a quick infographic on what to include in a cover letter:
Finally, as with everything else in your resume, make sure to keep your cover letter relevant, short, and concise.
The hiring manager doesn’t have time to read an autobiography, they’ll only review your cover letter for a few minutes.
There’s a lot more to creating a good cover letter than what we just explained.
For a complete, all-you-need-to-know walk-through, check out our Complete Guide on How to Write a Cover Letter !
Key Takeaways
...and that’s a wrap!
At this point, you should know everything there is to know about writing a killer no-experience resume.
Just to keep things fresh, though, let’s quickly go through everything we’ve learned so far:
- When creating your no-experience resume, use the reverse-chronological format.
- You can create a killer no-experience resume by emphasizing your education instead. Include relevant internships, soft & hard skills, and projects.
- Other sections you can include on your resume are hobbies & interests, languages, certifications, or achievements.
- Keep all the content on your resume clear, precise, and relevant. Use bullet points for all your descriptions.
- After you’re done with your resume, you want to write an awesome cover letter that goes with it. The cover letter is a one-page letter that tells the story behind your resume content and reemphasizes why you’re a great fit for the job.
Related Resume Examples
- Internship Resume
- High School Resume
- Research Assistant Resume
- College Resume
- Students and Graduates Resume
- Teacher Resume
Recommended Readings:
- 43+ Resume Tips and Tricks to Land Your Next Job in 2024
- 20+ One-Page Resume Templates [Free Download]
- 35+ Common Interview Questions and Answers [Complete List]
To provide a safer experience, the best content and great communication, we use cookies. Learn how we use them for non-authenticated users.
How to Make a Resume With No Experience
You can lean on internships, class projects and extracurricular activities.
Making a resume early in your career feels like a classic catch-22: A good resume highlights relevant work experience, which you don’t get until you land a job.
The truth is you don’t always need professional experience for entry-level jobs. By highlighting your existing skills, coursework and extracurricular activities, you can craft a resume that will impress employers — even without work experience.
Writing a resume with no experience
- Start with a professional summary
- Emphasize your education
- Include relevant experience like internships and extracurriculars
- Highlight your accomplishments
- Showcase your skills
- Don’t include a headshot, hobbies and other unnecessary details
Even if you don’t meet all the requirements described in a job description , there are still ways to write a resume that catches a company’s eye. First, you may want to get your hands on a resume template (word processors like Google Docs and Microsoft Word have resume templates to guide you with a general structure). From there, you can fill in the details by following the tips below.
1. Start With a Professional Summary
Career coaches have mixed opinions on including a short professional summary at the top of your resume. Lesa Edwards, founder of Exclusive Career Coaching and the former director of the career center at Truman State University , is in favor of a professional summary because it can set the stage and contextualize the experiences that follow. It also allows you to set yourself apart in a large stack of resumes.
If you decide to include a professional summary, ask yourself: What do I bring to the table? What soft skills could I transfer over to this role? What do I have that other candidates don’t have? If written well, this two-to-three-sentence summary could encourage recruiters and hiring managers to take a closer look at your resume and cover letter.
2. Emphasize Your Education
If you recently graduated from college, put your education experience as one of the first headers on your resume. You should list your major, any academic honors and your GPA (if it is 3.5 or higher). The education section of your resume can also include a subsection for industry-relevant certifications . As your career progresses, you can bump your education section further down the resume to make room for more relevant professional experiences.
3. Include Relevant Experience and Activities
Instead of focusing on the requirements you don’t meet, think about any transferable skills or experiences you might have gained from internships , extracurricular activities, part-time jobs, volunteering or school projects.
Jill Silman Chapman, director of early talent programs at Insperity , said she favors candidates who have a well-rounded set of experiences. It shows they are able to multitask, work in different types of environments and adapt to changing circumstances.
“In today’s workplace, we’re changing all the time,” she said. “That ability to adapt is critical.”
Internships
Internships are the best way to gain relevant work experience before entering the professional world. They offer an opportunity to apply the lessons you’ve learned in the classroom in real-world situations.
Part-Time Jobs
If you worked in a service industry job and you are seeking your first professional job after college, you could highlight soft skills , like time management skills needed to juggle school and work responsibilities. Customer service is an especially underrated skill, Silman Chapman said, because it translates to customer-facing roles and interpersonal skills within the workplace.
Extracurricular Activities
This could include student government, fraternities and sororities or any number of campus organizations or community activities. Athletics is also a resume-booster in some industries, especially sales and other professions that tap into a competitive spirit. You might also note if you were an Eagle Scout, helped out at a peer tutoring program or volunteered your time in other ways that show you are engaged in your community.
Class Projects
Projects you worked on as part of a class or online certification program can also be incorporated into your resume. This could include your marketing class working on a semester-long campaign that culminated in a big presentation. If your class partnered with a company on a large project, that could be a relevant real-world experience for your resume.
Online certification programs are also a good way to gain professional experience, and often provide a chance to apply your learnings to a project, which can then be highlighted on your resume, said Karen Scully-Clemmons, assistant director of career services and employer relations at the University of Texas at Austin . You’ll want to detail what you accomplished, what technologies you used and what you learned . If possible, you should also link to your project on your resume.
Related Reading How to Use the STAR Interview Method to Land a Job
4. Highlight Your Accomplishments
For each experience you list, showcase the results in bullet point format, and look for ways to quantify your results. For example, don’t just rattle off what you did as president of a school organization, highlight how many new members joined during your tenure or how much money you raised while leading fundraising efforts.
These accomplishments don’t need to be groundbreaking, but you might have to reflect deeply and think creatively to recognize and articulate the value you provided in each role. Just be sure to align these accomplishments with the responsibilities in the job description.
“Sometimes I think the hardest thing for students is to think of an achievement, because they think it has to be a super big deal,” Edwards said. “So much of it is a shift in mindset of what constitutes an achievement.”
5. Showcase Your Skills
For a skills section, you can include your software proficiencies, as well as soft skills like organization, time management, communication, adaptability to change and the ability to work as part of a team . If you are going to highlight soft skills, though, you should also include evidence of a role or situation in which you demonstrated those skills.
“It may not be numbers, dollars or percentages,” Edwards said, “but maybe you could talk about how you took a leadership role in a class project that was presented to a community organization.”
Related Reading 5 Things New Grads Need to Know About the Job Market
6. Don’t Include These Elements
You only have so much space on your resume, so be sure to leave off these unnecessary details.
Objective Statement
Don’t include an “objective” statement that lays out what you are looking for in a job. Instead of talking about what you want, use that space to describe what value you can offer the employer.
Hobbies and Interests
While you might think a job is related to your hobbies and interests, Edwards said these are of little practical interest to recruiters and hiring managers. Leave them out of your resume.
A GPA below 3.5 is not likely to win over a company, and a GPA below 3.0 could only hurt your chances. Only include your GPA if it’s above 3.5.
Headshot or Photo
Recruiters and hiring managers don’t need or want to see what you look like. Unless you are applying for an acting job, don’t attach a picture to your resume because it could be potentially used to discriminate against you.
Your Full Address
In the electronic age, there is no need to put your address on your resume. Providing your city and state is typically enough, unless an online application requires your full address.
Graphics
Don’t employ resume templates with fancy graphics: most companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) , which can’t read resumes that are decorated with graphics, special fonts, columns and other formatting tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can i put on my resume if i have no experience.
In lieu of professional experience, you could highlight your education, skills, internships, extracurricular activities, part-time jobs, volunteering experiences and school projects.
How to write a professional summary for a resume with no experience?
A well-written professional summary will draw upon the experience you’ve gained from school, internships and other extracurricular activities to demonstrate the impact you have made and the value you would bring to your desired role.
How do you say you have no experience but are willing to learn?
Employers are often willing to train entry-level candidates who have shown initiative and a hard work ethic in school, internships and extracurricular activities. You can emphasize your willingness to learn through your professional summary statement on the top of your resume or through the cover letter that accompanies the resume.
Do I need a resume if I don't have experience?
Yes, you need a resume when applying for a job, regardless of your experience. Most word processors, like Google Docs and Microsoft Word, offer free resume templates to get you started.
Recent Career Development Articles
Resume Templates
Resume samples
Create and edit your resume online
Generate compelling resumes with our AI resume builder and secure employment quickly.
Write a cover letter
Cover Letter Examples
Cover Letter Samples
Create and edit your cover letter
Use our user-friendly tool to create the perfect cover letter.
Featured articles
- How to Write a Motivation Letter With Examples
- How to Write a Resume in 2024 That Gets Results
- Teamwork Skills on Your Resume: List and Examples
- What Are the Best Colors for Your Resume?
Latests articles
- Top 5 Tricks to Transform Your LinkedIn Profile With ChatGPT
- Using ChatGPT to Prepare for Interviews: Top Tips and Steps
- How to Create an Effective Cover Letter with ChatGPT
- 10 Jobs in High Demand in 2024: Salaries and Expected Growth
Dive Into Expert Guides to Enhance your Resume
Entry-Level Resume Writing Guide
Get a headstart with an entry-level resume format
Certified Professional Resume Writer
Entry-level resume writing involves studying the candidate and their goals in order to construct an effective, customized resume for a new or different line of work.
When it comes to creating an entry-level resume , the case may be that the applicant does not have very much or relevant work experience for the position they’re interested in.
It’s also important to understand the difference between first resumes for teenagers, for college students and freshers, a first job resume, and entry-level . The latter focuses more on building a career in that specific area.
This means that standing out in the application process for an entry-level position can be somewhat difficult, which is why we’ve created this writing guide to help entry-level jobseekers compile a comprehensive, tailored resume to kick start their career.
But do not worry! There are many ways of catching the eye of potential recruiters through a resume without work experience by inviting the reader to get to know your character, skills, potential, and other achievements that make you the ideal entry-level candidate.
Tips for writing your entry-level resume
Due to the general nature of entry-level candidates having little to no work experience, the content and layout of these types of resumes are crucial to attracting potential employers.
Check out the following guide to find some tips and tricks of the trade for writing entry-level resumes :
The hardest thing about writing an entry-level resume is deciding what the goal is; which direction the applicant wants to go in. Once that is clear, the rest will practically write itself.
If you need help figuring this out, try answering the following questions to get a clearer idea of the target audience for your resume :
- What work or projects have I done in the past that motivate me?
- In which field or profession can I see myself in 10 years?
- What skills do I have that can be applied to an occupation?
With the objective in mind, the candidate can start by choosing which format is best for an entry-level resume and specifically the ideal resume structure for each position or company they apply to.
There are 3 main resume formats which include the most popular chronological resume, the functional (skills-based) and combination or hybrid resume .
Depending on each individual’s background and skills it may be preferable to use one of the less traditional resume types such as the functional or combination resume which either focuses more heavily on the qualities and attributes of each candidate or emphasizes both skills and work experience without highlighting one more than the other. These are often optimal for applicants with little to no professional experience such as students or individuals seeking entry-level positions.
- To complete a winning entry-level resume , applicants should demonstrate various marketable skills and relevant industry knowledge through the different areas they include in their document, detailing the ways they’ve earned or developed these qualities.
- Another top tip when writing a resume for freshers or graduates with little to no work experience is the inclusion of keywords. The importance of keywords cannot be stressed enough as it is the best method for passing Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and grabbing the attention of hiring managers who are looking for specific attributes for each position.
Use the job description as a guide to find the best keywords for each vacancy
- Finally, before sending an entry-level resume, it is essential that all candidates review their final resume to ensure that it is correctly adapted for the position offered. This means including the appropriate keywords and relevant information. Perhaps most importantly, check that the polished entry-level resume does not have any typos or mistakes , because even a small error can lose the applicant the chance at an interview for their dream job!
Remember, if you’re not sure of how to write an entry-level resume from scratch, you can either choose from a selection of entry-level resume templates to help or even use an online resume builder as a guide.
Writing your first resume: Sections to include
No matter the resume format chosen, each entry-level resume should include the following sections as standard and provide all the relevant information to the prospective employer clearly and concisely in one place.
At the very beginning of all entry-level resumes , candidates should supply a brief statement regarding their career objective which should be no more than 3-4 lines.
This part is vital to capture the attention of the Hiring Manager or HR personnel who will be reviewing resumes to find suitable candidates for the interview stage.
To make it through this first step, it is essential to include in these few lines the most important skills that a candidate will bring to the position , making sure to use keywords from the job description, a reference to their relevant experience, and if applicable, their credentials.
The education section plays an important role when writing resumes for freshers or those just out of college , as the candidate may have little to no experience in the workplace and will rely more heavily on their academic achievements. According to the AACU , 95% of recruiters give hiring preference to candidates with college degrees.
Each degree, course, or diploma should be separated and detailed individually with corresponding names, dates, awarding bodies, and grades if applicable, beginning with the most recent and following a chronological order . We only recommend including your GPA if it is 3.0 or higher.
Also, this is the best area to show off your academic awards and accolades that you’ve gained through research, investigation, participating in school or college societies, or through extra-curricular courses. Here you will find a complete guide on how to write and format the education section on a resume.
Within the Work Experience section of an entry-level resume candidates should detail any paid or unpaid previous jobs they have held whether full or part-time, temporary or permanent contracts as well as internships and voluntary positions, indicating the dates, roles, companies and locations for each.
Additionally, an entry-level applicant should include in their resume any leadership positions they have undertaken and describe the responsibilities, achievements and improvements accomplished through their participation.
This area should be adapted to fit the role or sector that the applicant is applying for using specific keywords and including action verbs to identify areas of expertise and general abilities. Only supply relevant work experience that can be tailored to fit the vacancy.
In entry-level resumes the skills section is vital . It helps to market a candidate and allows potential employers to understand each individual profile. It is essential to make this part of an entry-level resume because an applicant needs to highlight their suitability for the position through their abilities.
In this section, entry-level candidates can showcase their technical and practical skills including IT programs, languages, and ‘soft skills’ which allure more to the individual character, professional manner, and their working methods. A study by LinkedIn suggests that 80% of employers want to see good soft skills from potential hires.
It is also important to include keywords from the job description and vacancy advert as well as adapt the top skills to fit the role adequately.
Luckily for entry-level candidates, Hiring Managers are often used to seeing resumes from freshers who do not have much professional experience. This means they will be paying more attention to the skills sections to find out if the candidate possesses the correct skill set for the job.
First Resume for a Teenager
As young students reach an age where they start to look for first jobs or summer work , they come up against the first challenge in the job hunt: resume writing!
And although resume writing for teenagers can be tough at times, nothing is impossible!
Read on for tips on how to write a teenager’s first resume .
- First things first, as young people often have little to no paid work experience to detail, it is recommended that entry-level candidates use a functional or skills-based resume format to showcase a blend of skills and activities that benefit teenage jobseekers .
- Secondly, as an extra support there are hundreds of specific first job or teenage resume templates to use which are hugely advantageous providing a structure, advice and examples for first resume writers .
- The next step is to consider the content of a teenager resume , including the headings and texts. Teenagers are often active participants in social and athletic groups which allow them to develop skills and experiences that are crucial to mention on a first resume . These activities can be detailed under the headings ‘education,’ ‘experience,’ ‘extra activities,’ ‘achievements,’ etc.
- Finally, when the content is compiled, it is vital that a teenager ALWAYS edits and reviews the first resume as much as possible; even ask a teacher, coach or parent to take a look for you to ensure 100% that there are no grammar or spelling errors , confusions or irrelevant information which could put a hiring manager off contacting you.
Whether you’re looking to go straight into work from school or need a first resume for an internship or college application or an entry-level position in a business where you’d then like to work your way up the ladder, a general rule to follow is use your unique knowledge and individuality to stand out so that the potential employer gets a feel for what kind of worker you will be.
Entry-Level Resume Templates
Take a look at our entry-level resume template library for the best resume samples for entry-level positions and choose the one that can be best customized to your needs.
A useful tool for learning how to make a resume for entry-level positions is to use a resume example which can serve as a basis for all the positions you apply for.
Although these samples give examples of what to put in each resume section , it is essential that all candidates remember to adapt their resume to their chosen field and the specific vacancy available.
Templates like this offer you a tried-and-tested structure to take as a starting point and also provide advice on how to complete each resume section with guides as to what to include and what you should avoid in order to attract the right employers.
Making an entry-level resume which stands out in the search for a job can be made simpler also by employing an online resume builder. Resume creators allow jobseekers to make and download their finished resumes straight from the internet to start applying right away.
These expert-approved resume templates for professionals highlight the skills and experience that each individual includes and allows the jobseeker to improve the impact of their application.
Struggling with Resume Writing?
Ease the process with our templates
Resume Worded | Proven Resume Examples
- Resume Examples
50+ Entry Level Resume Examples - Here's What Works In 2024
Writing your resume is the first step to landing your first job in a new industry. this guide will cover several examples of real resumes that helped people break into a new industry, whether it was their first job or if they changed careers..
Choose a category to browse Entry Level resumes
We've put together a number of free Entry Level resume templates that you can use. Choose a category depending on your field, or just scroll down to see all templates.
Entry Level Resumes
Entry level data analyst.
Entry Level Project Manager
Entry-Level Program Manager
Entry Level Business Analyst
Entry Level Product Manager
Entry Level Data Engineer
Entry Level Social Media Manager
Entry Level Software Engineer
Operations Associate (Entry Level Operations Manager)
Entry Level Scrum Master
Entry Level Web Developer
Entry Level Human Resources (HR)
Entry Level Bookkeeper
Entry Level Customer Service Representative
Entry Level Data Scientist
Entry Level Front End Developer
Entry Level Administrative Assistant
Entry Level Data Entry Analyst
Entry Level/Junior Financial Analyst
Entry-Level Business Development Manager
Entry Level Digital Marketing
Entry Level UX Designer
Entry Level Account Manager
Junior Graphic Designer
Entry Level Accountant
Junior Python Developer
Junior Full Stack Developer
Entry Level Full Stack Developer
Entry-Level Sales Associate
Entry Level Cyber Security Analyst
Entry Level Supply Chain Analyst
Entry Level Financial Advisor
Entry Level Electrical Engineer
Junior System Administrator
Entry Level Interior Designer
Entry Level Civil Engineer
Entry-Level Civil Engineer
Entry Level Legal Assistant
Entry Level QA (Quality Assurance) Tester
Junior Network Administrator
Entry Level Network Administrator
Junior Mechanical Engineer
Entry Level Manufacturing Engineer
Entry Level Network Engineer
Junior SQL Developer
Junior Data Scientist
Modern Two-Column
Entry-Level (Free)
Entry Level Communications
Junior Policy Analyst
Entry-Level Journalist
Junior Data Modeler
Entry-Level Copywriter
Junior Copywriter
Entry-Level Virtual Assistant
Entry-Level Recruiter
Junior Recruiter
Junior Data Analyst
Junior Project Manager
Junior C# Developer
Entry-Level Programmer
Junior Salesforce Administrator
Junior Business Analyst
Entry-Level IT Support Specialist
Regulatory Affairs Associate (Entry Level)
Junior Software Engineer
Entry-Level Loan Processor
Junior Scrum Master
Junior Web Developer
Junior ETL Developer
Junior Sharepoint Developer
Junior Art Director
Junior Software Developer
Entry Level Software Developer
Entry Level Industrial Engineer
Junior Hadoop Developer
Junior Front End Developer
Entry Level Audio Engineer
IT Help Desk (Entry Level)
Entry-Level Executive Assistant
Entry-Level Occupational Therapist
Entry-Level Product Owner
Junior Accountant
Junior Finance Executive
Entry-Level Technical Writer
Entry Level Biomedical Engineer
Entry-Level Radiologic Technologist
Entry-Level Attorney
Entry-Level Project Coordinator
Entry Level Environmental Science
Junior Cyber Security Analyst
Entry Level Research Assistant
Junior Lawyer
Entry-Level System Administrator
Junior Java Developer
Entry-Level Java Developer
Entry Level Brand Ambassador
Entry-Level Mechanical Engineer
Entry Level Real Estate Agent
Entry Level Dental Assistant
Entry Level Production Assistant
Entry Level Intelligence Analyst
Entry Level IT Auditor
Entry-Level Case Manager
Entry-Level SQL Developer
Entry-Level Pharmacy Technician
Entry Level Medical Coder
Architectural Intern/ Entry Level Architect
Entry Level Environmental Engineer
Entry Level Claims Adjuster
Entry-Level UX Researcher
Entry Level Business Development Manager
Entry Level (Two Column)
Action Verbs For Entry Level Resumes
- Collaborated
- Established
How to use these action verbs?
When writing your resume, you should be using action verbs which effectively tell recruiters your role in specific accomplishments. As an entry-level or junior job seeker, you should focus on using action verbs that highlight your core soft skills like teamwork, communication, or initiative. Use action verbs like "Teamed", "Presented" or "Developed" to stress these skills. Additionally, refer to the resumes above for examples of how to put these skills into practice.
Entry Level Resume Guide
- Entry Level Action Verbs
- All Resume Examples
Download this template for free
Download this ats-compatible resume template in word or google docs format. edit it directly in google docs., access samples from top resumes, get inspired by real resume samples that helped candidates get into top companies., get a free resume review, get actionable steps to revamp your resume and land more interviews using our free ai-powered tool..
- Have an account? Sign in
E-mail Please enter a valid email address This email address hasn't been signed up yet, or it has already been signed up with Facebook or Google login.
Password Show Your password needs to be between 6 and 50 characters long, and must contain at least 1 letter and 1 number. It looks like your password is incorrect.
Remember me
Forgot your password?
Sign up to get access to Resume Worded's Career Coaching platform in less than 2 minutes
Name Please enter your name correctly
E-mail Remember to use a real email address that you have access to. You will need to confirm your email address before you get access to our features, so please enter it correctly. Please enter a valid email address, or another email address to sign up. We unfortunately can't accept that email domain right now. This email address has already been taken, or you've already signed up via Google or Facebook login. We currently are experiencing a very high server load so Email signup is currently disabled for the next 24 hours. Please sign up with Google or Facebook to continue! We apologize for the inconvenience!
Password Show Your password needs to be between 6 and 50 characters long, and must contain at least 1 letter and 1 number.
Receive resume templates, real resume samples, and updates monthly via email
By continuing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy .
Lost your password? Please enter the email address you used when you signed up. We'll send you a link to create a new password.
E-mail This email address either hasn't been signed up yet, or you signed up with Facebook or Google. This email address doesn't look valid.
Back to log-in
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
The 'no experience' developer resume: a step-by-step guide (with templates)
When you're looking for your first job in a new career, having the right resume can be the difference between landing your dream role, or not even getting to speak to the company.
But how do you get taken seriously (and make yourself look good!) when you're just trying to break into an industry?
This guide will give you a detailed, section-by-section walkthrough of how to write your first developer resume . It will cover what to include, what to leave out, and how to structure each section.
It's aimed at new software developers without professional experience, and especially those changing career from a non-traditional background.
🔗 In this guide
- What does your resume need to do?
- Who does your resume need to convince?
- General resume best practices
- Main sections to include
- What NOT to include
- Free resume templates
🔗 What does your resume need to do?
The purpose of your resume is to represent you before you interact with a company in person . And you often have just a few seconds to make a good first impression.
So what does this mean?
Your resume needs to showcase your skills in a clear, scannable and visually appealing way. When you have no experience, there are several key techniques you can use to draw attention to the most relevant information (while staying honest about your background).
So, your resume is not solely responsible for getting you hired, but it does need to get you through that first stage of the process.
🔗 Who does your resume need to convince?
The initial point of contact for your resume might be an online jobs page (which I wouldn't recommend; more on that later), a recruiter who you've connected with on LinkedIn, or a hiring manager while they decide whether to move you forward in their interview process.
These different audiences will be looking for different things.
🔗 Online jobs portals
These are sites like Indeed, or the jobs pages of companies using systems like Greenhouse or Lever.
These portals often have automated screening of resumes that are uploaded. They look for relevant keywords, and could determine whether your resume even gets seen by a human. So, including the right keywords in a machine-readable format is important here.
Pro tip: If you save your resume as a PDF, make sure you can select the text with your mouse—this means it will be readable by automated systems too.
🔗 Recruiters
Unless it's a very small company, your resume will usually be reviewed first by a recruiter. They will be scanning it for relevant keywords and experience to determine whether you're a possible candidate for the position.
Unlike machines, recruiters will also likely base their decision on how professional your resume looks, so this is where clarity, layout and overall design are important.
🔗 Hiring managers
If you pass the recruiter screen, your resume will make its way to a hiring manager. This person will likely have an engineering background, and therefore more technical knowledge, so will be looking for more than just keywords.
This is where explanations of your projects and experience come into play. Hiring managers will want to know not only what tools and technologies you've used, but how—and why you used those specific ones.
🔗 General resume best practices
- Keep it to 1 page. When you have no professional experience, you don't have enough content to justify a longer resume. Anything you might put on a second page is likely not relevant to the role you're applying for.
- Put the most relevant content first. This goes for overall structure, and for the content within each section. For example, if you don't have relevant education, don't put your education at the top—put your (relevant) skills or projects first. Then inside each section, list items in reverse chronological order. This means your employment section should list your most recent job first, and so on.
- Double check for errors. You would be surprised how many professional resumes contain basic spelling or grammatical errors, inconsistent capitalization, or typos. If this kind of thing isn't your strong suit, get a friend to proofread your resume for you. One or two mistakes probably won't cost you a job, but it doesn't give a good impression of your attention to detail.
- Keep the design modern but professional. One or two accent colors is fine, but no more than that. Stick to readable fonts in legible font sizes. Use obvious headings and leave some white space for breathing room (if you cram the page with tiny text, it won't be easily digestible).
- Format it as a PDF. This ensures a consistent layout for anyone viewing your resume. Text files (like .doc or .docx) render differently in different programs, so you risk your formatting looking broken for other people if you use them.
- Consider using a template. Not everyone is a designer, but luckily anyone can get a good-looking resume by using a template. There are hundreds of free options available online, that can be edited in Google Docs and exported to PDF.
🔗 Main sections to include
This is the core structure of a 'no experience' career-changer resume:
- Header section
Let's look at each section in more detail.
🔗 Header section
This is the section at the top of your resume which shows things like your name, contact details, and social links. It's often boldly formatted to stand out and grab attention.
It should include:
- Name. This should be the name you are known by, and would like to be called.
- Job title. Something simple like 'Software Engineer' is best, but you can be more specific, e.g. 'Front-End Developer' if you know you want to specialize in a particular area. It doesn't matter if you haven't had this as an actual job title yet. Avoid words like 'junior' because this could be interpreted negatively before the reader even gets to the rest of the content—let them figure that out for themselves.
- Phone number and email. This is the only information a company should need to get in touch with you. Make sure they're both accurate, and use a professional-sounding email. Gmail is fine, but ideally your email address features your name, and isn't something like '[email protected]'.
- Social links. Stick to relevant ones—developers should generally include GitHub, LinkedIn, and your personal blog/portfolio/website if you have one. A portfolio site can be a great way to show off your skills, particularly if you're a front-end developer.
- Citizenship/work authorization. If your resume implies you're an international candidate (e.g. you list jobs or education from abroad), it can help to mention if you are authorized to work in the country where you're applying for jobs.
🔗 Optional extra: profile
Your header area could also include a profile, overview or objective paragraph.
It's not required, but you can add it if you have space, or a template that includes one. It's basically a sentence or two to summarize who you are and what you're looking for. Keep it short, and use it to draw attention to one or two specific points .
Because you have no experience, you should focus on your enthusiasm, willingness to learn, and what direction you hope to take your career (you can also include any interesting relevant experience you do have).
Pro tip: Avoid generic descriptors like 'results-driven', 'detail-oriented' or 'passionate' without qualifying examples. Anyone can claim these things, so they are meaningless if you don't also demonstrate how they actually apply to you.
Some examples of profile statements that show specific interests and direction:
Motivated software engineer with a background in journalism. Seeking a role in a fast-paced startup where I can continue to develop my backend engineering skills using Python and Go.
Front-end developer with 7+ years of design agency management experience. Looking to grow my technical skill set with the goal of making use of my senior leadership abilities in future.
JavaScript developer with a track record of open source contributions. I'm looking to join a company with a strong open source culture so I can continue to give back to the community.
This section is where you list the skills you've learned that are relevant to your future job as a developer . Most people list technologies here (programming languages, frameworks etc.) but I also like to include things like any agile methodologies I've used, or collaboration skills like pair programming or reviewing other developers' code.
This section is actually optional, but I recommend including it as it's a good way to communicate your experience to the reader in a format they can digest easily—even if they're just quickly skimming your resume.
If you do include this section, keep it focused (don't include too many skills) and be sure to group skills in ways that make sense . For example, if you're looking for a full-stack role, you might list technical skills arranged by stack area (so into front- and back-end sections). If you're just focused on the back end, you might have separate sections for programming langages, frameworks and databases.
🔗 How to present skills on a resume
Skills often work well as a more graphically interesting section on your resume. Simple bullet points are fine, but many resume designs display skills in a table or pill/chip format.
You'll also notice that a lot of templates include skill charts or star ratings for skills, the idea being that you can grade yourself based on your proficiency in each skill. These might be pretty, but I actually don't recommend using them, for the following reasons:
- They're ambiguous. What are these bars relative to? What does each rating mean? How does a 4 out of 5 star rating for CSS with no other context show anyone that you have the ability to do the job?
- Many skills can't be compared equally. Say you want to list, as I mentioned above, a skill like pair programming. Are you better or worse at this than at JavaScript? They're so different that it doesn't even make sense to ask that question.
- There's no proof or validation. People are bad at estimating how proficient they are at things. Describing a real example of how you applied the skill would be more informative (and let the reader decide for themselves whether your skill level is enough) than giving yourself an arbitrary chart rating.
🔗 Experience
This section should be the main focus of your resume. It's where all the most interesting and unique information goes, and is your chance to add the kind of detail that's going to make you stand out.
I use the title 'Experience' rather than 'Employment' deliberately. As a self-taught career changer, you might not have had a job yet, but you can (and should) use this section to showcase all the relevant experience you do have.
So what can you include here?
- Projects. If you know how to code at all (which hopefully you do if you're at the stage of applying for jobs), list your most interesting personal projects here. It's great if you can tell a story with each one: why you built this project (what problem it solves), how you approached it, which technologies you used, and why you chose those ones in particular to solve the problem.
- Open source contributions. This is one of the best ways to get 'real' experience when you haven't had a job. There many large open source projects all looking for new contributors, and it's a great way to work with experienced professional developers, on mature codebases, that operate just like the kind of projects you might work on when you land your first job.
- Freelance work. Another great way to get experience as a new developer is to take on a few small freelance projects. Maybe you had a family member with a small business who wanted a tool or website, or perhaps you found some projects through a freelancing site like Upwork . This type of work isn't usually well paid, but it can be worth it when you're just starting out because it's real experience you can list here.
- Hackathons. You might have participated in events like hackathons or coding challenges, and often this means collaborating in small groups. That's all valuable, relevant experience you can absolutely put on your resume.
If you don't feel like you have enough experience to even fill out this section, I would recommend trying to do some more of these types of projects before applying for a job. You'll have a much easier time getting someone to hire you once you have at least some way to demonstrate you can do the job.
🔗 How to present experience on a resume
To keep the information digestible, use clear headings and short, snappy bullet points rather than walls of text.
The basic structure of each experience entry should be:
- Role, Title or Project Name
- Date (range or single month)
- Description
- Bullet points with extra detail
Here are some examples of how the first three items could look:
🔗 Open Source Contributor, [Name of Project]
June 2020 - present Contributed several bugfixes which led to an improved user experience by... [add more detail about what you did]
🔗 Participant, [Name of Hackathon]
May 2020 Working in a team of 4, we created an app... [describe what your app did and what role you played]
🔗 Personal Project: CoffeeWalks
January 2020 Built a React Native app to guide me on walks around new cities, ensuring I pass at least one coffee shop en route.
If you completed multiple freelance projects, you could group these all together under one 'role' like this:
🔗 Freelance Front-End Developer
Web Design & Development, Joe's Pizza June 2020 Created a new website for this small business to replace an outdated design.
Website Development, Stem & Petal February 2020 Developed a responsive, image-heavy website using React for a local florist.
Blog Development, Prism Marketing November 2019 Added a blog to this marketing agency's website using WordPress.
For each entry, you then want to add a few bullet points going into more detail. Don't just say what you did, but talk about the impact , outcomes and reasons for your choices.
Another way to think about this is every time you state something you did, explain more by answering the question: so what?
For example, this:
Wrote unit tests using the Jest framework.
...is not as good as this:
Introduced unit testing with the Jest framework, which reduced the need for manual testing, saving around 2 hours per week.
Pro tip: Consider introducing some more advanced concepts in your projects like testing, monitoring and performance (and then mention them in your resume). Most people with no experience don't do this, so it will make you come across a lot more professional than the average entry-level candidate.
If you're wondering whether to write your bullet points in the first or third person, it honestly doesn't matter. I've seen both. It's not necessary for a tech resume to sound super formal, so just pick whichever you prefer and be consistent.
🔗 Where to put previous career experience
If you're changing career, you might have several years of employment experience that you don't know what to do with. Do you just list it in with your tech experience? Should you even include it at all?
This depends on how relevant the work is. If you've had roles where you dabbled in something technical, like basic coding or SQL or data analysis, I'd include it for sure (talking up anything that sounds particularly relevant to your new career, of course).
If your past experience is not at all relevant to software development, I'd group it under a single entry at the bottom of your experience section. Say you had a few jobs in fast food restaurants over several years, that single entry could look like this:
🔗 Fast Food Worker
June 2017 - May 2020 Maintained high standards of customer service across various roles in the food service industry, before retraining as a software developer.
🔗 Education
I put this section last for a reason. If you're a new grad with a CS degree, you probably want to put this at or near the top or your resume. But as a self-taught career changer or bootcamp grad, your practical experience will be more valuable than your education in your job search.
Although it might be at the bottom of your resume, this section is still important, particularly because you likely at least have some relevant education—even if not a STEM degree.
So what should you put here?
- Any degree(s) you do have. Even if you studied something completely non-technical, degrees you earned are still a part of your professional journey. Completing a degree also shows that you have skills beyond just the specific content you covered.
- A bootcamp (if you did one). This has been a subject of some debate since the coding bootcamp boom, with some people even suggesting bootcamps could have a negative impact on a resume. Personally, I don't advise trying to hide your bootcamp, but don't expect it to carry any pedigree either—the value of a bootcamp is in the skills you learned, not the fact you attended.
- Relevant online courses. These can show you're dedicated to and capable of learning technical subjects via self-study (an important skill for software developers ), particularly if you've completed some of the more academic ones from platforms like Coursera and edX.
🔗 What NOT to include
With just a single page to work with, you need to use space efficiently. Here are a few things that people often include in their resumes which don't need to be there.
🔗 Your address
People viewing your resume to assess you as a candidate don't need to know your full physical address. In fact, companies generally only need this information when they've made (and you've accepted) a job offer . So just provide it when they ask for it.
You may also want to share your resume publicly on the internet (e.g. on Twitter or a personal website). If it has your home address on it, that could be a security concern.
There are valid reasons you might want to show your location, such as if you're local to the position, and want to indicate that you could start quickly. But in this case, including just your city is fine.
🔗 References
References are the people your new employer can contact to verify your track record and employment history. But they are also not relevant to the initial candiate screening process , and only needed at a later stage—usually either just before or after the company has decided to make you an offer.
Not all companies even use references, so they'll ask you for them if they need them.
Many resume templates include a photo because it looks nice in a layout—but it's definitely not required, or even common, for a software developer resume.
This one is actually optional, but I advise against it for a couple of reasons: at best, it doesn't provide any necessary information (what you look like should not influence whether you pass a resume screening). At worst, it could contribute to bias and discrimination.
🔗 Free resume templates
- Canva resume buider & templates : 8,000+ beautiful templates, which are also easily customizable through a great UI (and professionally designed—no one will ever guess you used a template!).
- Official Google Docs resume templates : Includes 5 very basic resume templates, but you know they will work with Google Docs, and 3 of them have a matching cover letter design if you need one as well.
- ResumGO resume templates : Modern, well designed selection of templates, many of which are formatted for Google Docs. A lot of them include space for a photo, so if you don't want to add a photo, either pick one where you can remove the photo without affecting the design, or filter by 'No Photo'.
- Resume Genius resume templates : Large selection with lots of different styles, though not all have attractive designs. Check the Modern or Creative sections for some of the better ones.
- Tech Careers
Succeed in tech
Get actionable tips on coding, getting hired and working as a developer.
Build my resume
- Resume builder
- Build a better resume in minutes
- Resume examples
- 2,000+ examples that work in 2024
- Resume templates
- 184 free templates for all levels
- Cover letters
- Cover letter generator
- It's like magic, we promise
- Cover letter examples
- Free downloads in Word & Docs
Ultimate Guide to High Paying Jobs with No Experience
- Understanding the Job Market
- High Paying Entry-Level Jobs
- Strategies for Landing High Paying Jobs
- High Paying Jobs With No Experience FAQs
If you didn’t start on the right career path when in high school, it can feel like the odds are stacked against you. If you don’t have experience, you can’t get a job, but if you can’t get a job, then how can you ever get experience?
The trick is to expand your definition of “experience.” It’s not just about the paid jobs, but also any experience you have using relevant skills in the real world. Utilizing a resume builder and resume templates can help present these experiences effectively.
The key to getting a job without professional experience is understanding what employers want and knowing how to prove you can do it. Below, we’ll provide the best advice for getting a high-paying job without experience.
Understanding the Job Market with No Experience
When people have all the traditionally acceptable qualifications and professional experience for a certain job, they tend to let those credentials do all the work. If you’re applying to jobs without experience, however, you may need to use a different strategy.
The best way to succeed is to put time into every application, learning exactly what that company wants and what it values, so you can sell yourself as the answer to all of its problems. To pull this off, think about the following four areas:
- Evolving employer expectations: A college degree has been the qualification of choice for a long time, but many college courses don’t focus on practical training. This has resulted in a workforce lacking key soft skills like adaptability, problem-solving, critical thinking, organizational skills, and more. These areas of overall competency are quite important, and now employers are starting to go back to the old style of hiring competent, quick learners and training them in any technical skills they lack. This is happening alongside an increasing acceptance of non-traditional education paths like bootcamps and online courses, making professional jobs more accessible to people of all backgrounds.
- Navigating new opportunities: A highly skilled job doesn’t just mean working in a New York City or San Francisco office anymore. Advancements in communication, security, and collaborative software have made it possible for people to work together across states and countries. This removes a very real financial barrier to professional work—you don’t have to build up thousands of dollars in savings so you can move to an expensive city before starting the job. What’s more, you can even gain experience remotely. You can find internships, apprenticeships, and freelance projects that can be completed from the comfort of your own home, and these will boost your employability significantly.
- Building a professional brand: Just because you don’t have professional experience doesn’t mean you can’t present yourself as a professional. Using platforms like LinkedIn, X, Medium, or personal blogs and portfolio sites can help you showcase your skills, knowledge, passion, and commitment. It’ll also help you build a network you can use to learn more about the industry and even find job opportunities. Your resume also needs to reflect your brand, so if you don’t know how to write a resume , find resources that can teach you.
- Strategic job application: Writing up one resume and one cover letter and sending them to every hiring company you find is not the best strategy for finding a job. Instead, you face every application head-on, setting aside time for research, reading, and resume tailoring. Look up the company, read about what they do, look at resume examples for the role, use LinkedIn to see what kind of people work there, and read the job description until you practically know it by heart. Then, all you have to do is tweak your resume and write a cover letter that reflects all these thoughts.
High Paying Entry-Level Jobs in Various Industries
There are plenty of industries you might assume are out of your league if you don’t have experience, but that’s really not the case. Let’s have a look at a few varied examples.
Healthcare & medical field
Medical assistant.
Working in hospitals, clinics, and medical offices, these professionals take care of administrative tasks like taking patient medical histories or scheduling appointments. They might also measure vital signs and assist with examinations. Because of the crucial nature of the role, the number of jobs is projected to grow by 14% in the next 10 years.
- Average salary: $38,270
Entry-level laboratory technician
When you get tests done in a hospital or doctor’s office, lab technicians are the ones who get the results for you. They assist with conducting experiments, analyzing samples, and recording data. They need to know exactly how to prepare specimens, operate lab equipment, and maintain cleanliness and safety standards. Projected growth for this role is 5% over the next 10 years—which is faster than the average of 2-3%.
- Average salary: $57,380
Radiation therapist
Radiation therapists administer radiation treatments to patients with cancer and other serious diseases. They work with oncologists and other medical professionals to develop and deliver treatment plans for each patient, and their main duties are to operate the equipment, monitor the patient, and offer support and education. The number of open jobs is expected to increase by 2% in the next 10 years.
- Average salary: $89,530
Technology & IT sector
It technician.
IT technicians help keep the IT equipment in a company operational and help employees with any problems they might have. They also help with the setup, maintenance, and troubleshooting of the company’s computer systems—performing tasks like installing software, performing system upgrades, resolving technical issues, and managing security and backup procedures. The expected job growth for the role over the next 10 years is 5% .
- Average salary: $59,660
Junior web developer
Web developers are the kind of programmers who build and maintain websites and web applications. They typically work with languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, along with frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js. They design website layouts, write code, debug code, and collaborate with designers and other team members to deploy websites. The projected job growth for this role is 16% over the next decade.
- Average salary: $80,730
Data scientist
Data scientists analyze data to extract useful information we can use to make better decisions. They often work in industries like healthcare, finance, e-commerce, and technology, where they help evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of an organization’s practices and propose data-backed ideas for improvement. They use statistical analysis, machine learning algorithms, and programming skills to turn masses of unstructured data into information we can comprehend and learn from. It’s a very in-demand role right now and is projected to grow by 35% over the next decade.
- Average salary: $103,500
Software developer
Software developers design, develop, and maintain software applications or systems across all kinds of industries. They can work on desktop, web, mobile, or enterprise applications, or even work on video games. The most common languages for a software developer are Java, Python, C++, and JavaScript. Over the next ten years, the number of software developer jobs is expected to increase by 25% .
- Average salary: $124,200
Finance & accounting
Junior financial analyst.
Financial analysts extract information from financial data to aid in decision-making. They gather and organize financial information, perform financial modeling and forecasting, conduct variance analysis, and use various other techniques to assess and understand an organization’s financial data. They also assist with budgeting and financial planning processes. The projected growth for this role over the next decade is 8% .
- Average salary: $96,220
Junior staff accountant
Staff accountants assist in the day-to-day financial operations of an organization, taking on tasks like recording transactions, reconciling accounts, preparing financial statements, and assisting with audits. Some staff accounts will also conduct financial analysis to identify trends or discrepancies and make sure everything complies with accounting principles and regulations. The number of jobs is expected to grow by 4% over the next 10 years.
- Average salary: $78,000
Entry-level in accounting & finance
Entry-level roles in this area can include a range of responsibilities, such as data entry, basic accounting tasks, financial analysis support, and administrative duties. They can make a great starting point if you want to grow into a more senior accountant role, as you’ll learn all the basics of accounting and build valuable experience. The projected growth for financial managers over the coming decade is 16% .
- Average salary: $139,790
Administration & customer service
Administrative assistant.
This kind of assistant typically provides support to executives, managers, or teams within an organization. They perform clerical and administrative tasks like answering phones, scheduling appointments, organizing meetings, drafting correspondence, managing files, and handling office logistics. Unfortunately, the number of jobs is projected to decline by 10% over the next decade, though this will still result in around 316,000 job openings per year.
- Average salary: $44,080
Human resources assistant
HR professionals take care of areas such as employee recruitment, onboarding, training, benefits administration, and personnel records management. Tasks might include posting job openings, screening resumes, scheduling interviews, processing new hire paperwork, maintaining employee databases, and assisting with employee relations activities. The number of HR jobs is expected to grow by 6% over the next 10 years.
- Average salary: $64,240
Customer service jobs
Customer service jobs cover a wide range of roles, from shop floor managers to call center representatives. The goal is either to help customers find what they’re looking for, learn more about a product or service, or tackle any problems they might be having with something they already purchased. The number of these roles is expected to decline by 5% over the next 10 years. However, total employment will still be over 2,500,000, and 373,400 jobs are expected to open every year.
- Average salary: $37,780
Executive assistant
Executive assistants provide high-level administrative support to executives, senior managers, or business leaders within an organization. Their work often goes beyond typical admin tasks and includes strategic planning, project management, and coordination of executive activities. This level of assistant needs to have a good understanding of the industry and the company they’re working in to provide relevant and effective support.
- Average salary: $70,310
Creative & design
Junior graphic designer.
A junior graphic designer assists in creating visual concepts using computer software or by hand to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. They develop the overall layout and production design for various applications such as advertisements, brochures, magazines, and corporate reports. The number of jobs for this role is expected to grow by 3% over the next decade.
- Average salary: $57,990
Freelance writer
Freelance writers are self-employed writers who complete work for a number of different clients. They craft articles, blog posts, website content, marketing materials, and more, often on a contractual basis. These writers have the flexibility to choose their projects and manage their schedules, but they must also actively seek out new opportunities and manage client relationships. The projected growth for this kind of role is 4% over the next 10 years.
- Average salary: $73,150
Bloggers create and maintain online platforms where they regularly publish written content on topics of interest to their target audience. There are all sorts of subjects to choose from, such as fashion, travel, food, technology, or personal development. Successful bloggers engage with their audience through comments, social media, and email newsletters to build a loyal following or work as in-house bloggers for an established company.
- Average salary: $40,000 – $80,000
Law enforcement & public safety
Entry-level police officer.
Entry-level police officers are responsible for maintaining public safety and enforcing laws within their jurisdiction. Typical responsibilities include patrolling assigned areas, responding to emergency calls, conducting investigations, and making arrests when necessary. There are different units you can work in, such as traffic, narcotics, or community policing, depending on department needs and your individual interests. The number of police officer jobs is expected to increase by around 3% by 2032.
- Average salary: $69,160
Firefighter
Firefighters respond to emergency situations involving fires, accidents, hazardous materials, and medical emergencies. They extinguish fires, rescue people and animals, and provide medical assistance as needed. Firefighters also conduct inspections, educate the public about fire safety, and participate in training exercises to maintain their skills. It’s a physically demanding profession that requires bravery and teamwork. The projected growth over the next decade is 4% .
- Average salary: $51,680
Security guard
Security guards monitor and protect property against theft, vandalism, and other illegal activities. They patrol assigned areas, enforce rules, and use surveillance equipment to maintain security. Depending on the specific role, they may also screen individuals and vehicles for unauthorized items or behavior. The number of jobs is expected to stay around the same over the next decade.
- Average salary: $34,770
Sales & marketing
Sales representative.
Sales representatives promote and sell products or services to businesses or consumers. They identify potential customers, make sales presentations, negotiate contracts, and follow up to ensure customer satisfaction. You can find them working in various industries such as pharmaceuticals, technology, real estate, or retail. To succeed in sales, you’ll need excellent communication skills, persuasive abilities, and a results-driven mindset. The number of jobs is projected to grow by around 4% in the next 10 years.
- Average salary: $130,600
Marketing associate
Marketing associates help businesses create advertisements that target specific audiences and promote products as effectively as possible. They conduct market research, analyze consumer behavior, and assist in creating advertising materials such as social media posts, email campaigns, and print ads. Marketing Associates also help monitor campaign performance and gather feedback to inform future strategies. Job numbers are estimated to grow by around 6% over the next decade.
- Average salary: $138,730
Real estate agent
Real estate agents help clients buy, sell, or rent properties such as homes, commercial buildings, or land. They guide clients through the entire transaction process, including property listings, market analysis, negotiations, and closing procedures. Estate agents also network with other industry professionals, attend open houses, and stay updated on market trends to better serve their clients. Growth for this role is at the national average with a 3% increase in job numbers expected by 2032.
- Average salary: $52,030
Education & tutoring
Tutors provide academic support and instruction to students in one-on-one or small-group settings. They cover subjects such as math, science, language arts, or test preparation. Tutors assess student needs, develop customized learning plans, and track progress over time. Patience, adaptability, and a passion for teaching are essential qualities for effective tutoring. The expected growth for this job is 3% over the next decade.
- Average salary: $36,680
Virtual assistant
Virtual assistants provide administrative support to teachers, professors, or educational institutions remotely. They may perform tasks such as scheduling appointments, organizing documents, managing emails, and assisting with online course materials. These kinds of assistants also help facilitate communication between students, parents, and faculty members.
Miscellaneous jobs
Claims adjuster.
Claims adjusters investigate insurance claims to determine the extent of coverage and the appropriate settlement amount. They interview claimants, witnesses, and experts, and inspect damaged property to assess the validity of claims. It’s also common for them to negotiate settlements with claimants or their representatives and even testify in legal proceedings if disputes arise. Employment in this kind of job is expected to decline by around 3% over the next decade.
- Average salary: $72,040
Garbage collector
Garbage collectors collect and dispose of waste and recyclable materials from residential, commercial, and industrial areas. They operate garbage trucks, pick up trash containers, and transport waste to disposal sites or recycling centers. Garbage collectors may also sort recyclables and assist in maintaining collection equipment. It’s quite a physically demanding job that requires stamina, teamwork, and a commitment to environmental sustainability.
- Average salary: $45,760
Strategies for Landing High-Paying Jobs without Experience
The first step to landing a well-paid job is choosing what you want to aim for. If you want to shoot for the stars salary-wise, the best kind of jobs to aim for are those with skills you can learn online and showcase through a portfolio. This goes for jobs like software developer, data scientist, graphic designer, web developer, accounting roles, freelance writer, tutor, and more.
As you study your new set of skills, it’s also important to start building a network right away. Look for online communities, participate in subreddits and forums, attend events, or get to know other students if you’re taking a course.
When you’re starting out, you don’t really know enough about the industry and the role to be picky about your network, so it’s best to just connect with everyone you can to increase your chances of success. Stay up to date with the communities you join and stay visible on social media like LinkedIn so people remember you and think of your name when an opportunity pops up.
The idea here is to create the foundations of a career that will last for decades, so it’s important to do things properly. Remember that you’ll be aiming for an entry-level role to start with, and keep yourself on track by looking at job descriptions and learning what people expect from entry-level employees in your chosen career.
Resources for your job search
The biggest tip for landing a job without experience is to make sure you can prove your skills. Proving your skills means different things in different careers, so you’ll need to research what applies to you. Typically, certifications and portfolios are the way to go. They take the emphasis off how you learned and put the spotlight on what you can do.
Always remember to leverage services like recruitment agencies, and platforms like LinkedIn, X, and Medium to interact with people and share your skills.
You can also get help with your resume and cover letter writing—using a resume builder can help you get a concise and professional resume more quickly, and resume checkers can even grade the result. Writing a new cover letter for every application can also get tiring very quickly, especially if writing isn’t your strong suit, but you can speed things up with a cover letter generator .
Exploring and researching is an important step in finding the right career, so don’t be afraid to look into anything you enjoy or don’t know much about. You don’t know where you might find something that sparks your interest. When you find a path to follow, just remember to focus on your skill-building and networking because knowing the right people and being able to do the job are the most important things! Just stay optimistic, do things at a pace that doesn’t put you in financial discomfort, and keep at it until you get there.
List of Keywords for Job Seekers
- high paying jobs no experience
- high paying jobs with no experience
- no experience jobs
- high paying entry-level jobs
- high paying jobs without a degree
- high paying careers
- easy high paying jobs
- high paying jobs no degree
- high paying jobs that don’t require a degree
- entry level jobs that pay well
- easy jobs that pay well without experience
- high paying online jobs no experience
- best paying jobs without a degree
- jobs that pay well without a degree
- well paying jobs without a degree
- jobs with no experience needed
- good paying jobs with no experience
- high-paying jobs without a degree or experience
- easiest high paying jobs
- best jobs without a degree
- jobs that don’t require a degree
- careers that pay well without a degree
- high-paying jobs with no experience and no degree
- entry-level jobs that pay well no degree
Highest Paying Jobs with No Experience FAQs
It’s possible to get a well-paid job without professional work experience , but it’s still important to gather as much alternative experience as you can. This means internships, apprenticeships, freelance work, open-source work, charity work, and any other opportunities you can find to test your skills in a real-world situation.
The best-paying jobs you can get without any experience are often ones where you can start in an entry-level role and move up quickly. This applies to many tech sector jobs, like software developer, web developer, data analyst, UX designer, and more.
A college education can definitely help you find a job if you don’t have experience, but current trends are starting to turn away from degrees. It’s much more inclusive to interview candidates based on skills, so companies are starting to accept online studies, bootcamps, and other forms of education as well.
Salary negotiation is a difficult topic, and it’s always best to get professional advice on your individual circumstances. However, if you’re applying for your first role, it’s typically okay to accept a job offer with a lower salary so you can take the opportunity to get your foot in the door and earn some of that all-important professional experience.
There are entry-level roles in just about every industry, so it’s more about the position than the industry itself. For example, you won’t be able to get a job as a doctor without the required education and experience, but you can get other jobs in the medical industry, like medical assistant or laboratory technician.
Related articles
- Letter of Interest Examples
- Letter of Introduction
- How to Accept a Job Offer
- Resignation Letter
- How to Write a Resume
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
How to format a resume with no experience: Follow the reverse-chronological order (i.e. put the most recent info up top). Add section headings to make your first-job resume easier to navigate. Use professional-looking fonts that are easy on the recruiter's eyes. Stick to the 11-12pt size range for regular text.
The goal of a first job resume is to demonstrate your value as an employee and show employers why hiring you would benefit their company: 1. Review the job description. Carefully review the job description and note any specific skills you have or requirements you can fulfill.
Here are five more steps you can take to make your entry level resume just as effective: 1. Use a professional entry level resume title. Hiring managers receive hundreds of resumes for entry level jobs. Make your application stand out by writing an attention-grabbing resume title that includes your: job title.
Here's how to write a resume when you have no formal work experience, step-by-step: Build My Resume. Our free-to-use resume builder can make you a resume in as little as 5 minutes. Just pick the template you want, and our software will format everything for you. 1. Choose the best format and style for your resume.
But first: Here's a job-winning formula for a good resume profile: Start with a personality trait that says you're a great employee, such as "dedicated," "goal-oriented," "personable," etc. Follow with the desired job title, field of study, or education level, e.g., "third-year BBA student" or "personal assistant.".
Here are some steps you can take to write an effective entry-level resume: 1. Add a resume header. A resume header is a simple aspect of your resume, but it's one of the most essential. This section is at the top of your resume and includes your contact information.
3. Add contact info to the header. When you write a resume without experience, your mission is to get an employer's attention and get called for an interview. That makes your contact info extremely important and something you should highlight at the top of your document in the header.
Here is how you add an internship to your resume: First, place the Internship section right after the education section. Title it: Internships. Second, write your internship title and role. Be specific. If your internship was in the marketing department, instead of just "Intern", say "Marketing Intern".
Position your education section near the top of your entry-level resume. Include the following: school name, degree, field of study, starting & graduation dates. Additionally, add these to improve the section: GPA (if above 3.5), relevant coursework, projects, honors, and awards.
Making a resume early in your career feels like a classic catch-22: A good resume highlights relevant work experience, which you don't get until you land a job.. The truth is you don't always need professional experience for entry-level jobs. By highlighting your existing skills, coursework and extracurricular activities, you can craft a resume that will impress employers — even without ...
Here's a List of Our Most Popular No Experience Resume Samples: No Experience Academic Advisor Resume. No Experience Account Manager Resume. No Experience Accountant Resume. No Experience Accounting Assistant Resume. No Experience Accounting Clerk Resume. No Experience Analyst Resume. No Experience Bartender Resume.
If you have no experience you can point to in your resume, highlight your education, include relevant non-work experience, list your skills, and include a summary. Get started by using a template. 1. Highlight your education. If you have little work experience, emphasizing your education is a great way to showcase your strengths, interests, and ...
Entry-level resume writing involves studying the candidate and their goals in order to construct an effective, customized resume for a new or different line of work. When it comes to creating an entry-level resume, the case may be that the applicant does not have very much or relevant work experience for the position they're interested in. It ...
50+ Entry Level Resume Examples - Here's What Works In 2024. Writing your resume is the first step to landing your first job in a new industry. This guide will cover several examples of real resumes that helped people break into a new industry, whether it was their first job or if they changed careers. We've put together a number of free Entry ...
Entry Level Resume With no Experience Sample. Dillon Parker. Philadelphia, PA 11111. E: [email protected] T: 555-555-7349. Summary Statement. Motivated and analytical junior bookkeeper with a BBA in Accounting. Proven record as a diligent and responsible employee able to thrive both independently and as part of a team.
What you lack in practical skills in your entry-level accounting resume can be compensated with your strong analytical and research competencies. Your projects and voluntary work can make a strong impression on your abilities. Highlight your numeracy and research skills and familiarity with accounting tools, such as QuickBooks and Excel.
3. Make Your Entry-Level IT Resume Education Section Shine. You're not going to go far in IT with the proper schooling. Here's how to get your education section to make recruiters commit you to virtual memory: Include: college/university name and location, years you studied, degree, major and minors.
7. Write a cover letter. Cover letters boost your chances with your employer, especially at entry-level jobs. This is because it gives you an excellent opportunity to stand out, particularly if you have no work experience. As a new professional, writing your first resume is a thrilling experience.
1. Start with a strong objective statement: Begin your resume with a concise objective statement that highlights your motivation and eagerness to contribute as an entry-level administrative assistant. Emphasize your organizational and communication skills and your ability to handle multiple tasks with attention to detail. 2.
Choose a good resume font like a Noto in 11-12pt. Leave 1-inch margins and plenty of white space. Limit your resume to just one page - it's what recruiters expect and prefer at entry level. Include at least these resume sections: Header, Objective/Summary, Experience (if you have any), Education, and Skills.
When you have no professional experience, you don't have enough content to justify a longer resume. Anything you might put on a second page is likely not relevant to the role you're applying for. Put the most relevant content first. This goes for overall structure, and for the content within each section. For example, if you don't have relevant ...
If you are applying for an entry-level esthetician position with no experience, you can follow these steps to help you write your resume: 1. Write your name and contact information. The first step in writing a strong resume is including your contact information neatly at the top of your document.
Entry-level roles in this area can include a range of responsibilities, such as data entry, basic accounting tasks, financial analysis support, and administrative duties. They can make a great starting point if you want to grow into a more senior accountant role, as you'll learn all the basics of accounting and build valuable experience.
Dedicated Warehouse Worker with [no.] years of experience. ... Entry-level warehouse resume. Download This Free Template. Example highlights. ... Colorful design: This modern resume template is colorful yet professional, which means it's more likely to grab employers' attention.