How to Write a Resume with No Experience: 5

Tips

How to Write a Resume with

No Experience: 5 Tips
Written by Coursera Sta! • Updated on Dec 2, 2023 Share

Writing a resume with no formal work experience

means emphasizing other aspects of your life that’ll
showcase your skills and passions—like your
education, and involvement in activities like
extracurriculars or volunteering.

Having dedicated sections for a summary and a list

of skills can round out your resume.

Resume with no experience:

Template

Templates can help you organize your thoughts,

inspire you with ideas, and take the guesswork out
of how to format your resume. And regardless of
how much experience you have, starting a resume
from scratch can be daunting.

Here’s a resume template you can use if you have

no work experience.

Here’s the resume filled out below.

PATRICIAWILLIAMSON

Outgoingandambitioushighschoolgraduate.Eagertousemy
123-456-7890 programmingexperienceandcommunicationskillstoworkasanIsupport
pwilliamson@email.com technicianat123Inc.tohelpimplementtechsolutionsandkeeptheteamup
andrunning.

123AnyStreet
EDUCATION
Albuquerque,NM CityHighSchool,Albuquerque,NM
77777 GraduatedMay2021

GPA:3.85
ReicYantcourscwork:

•Computerorganization

•Programmingfundamentals
Additionalactivities:

•NationalHonorSociety2019-2021

•GoogleITSupportProfessionalCertificate

EXPERIENCE
AlbuquerqueAnimalShelter,Volunteer-2018-present
•collaboratedwithateamofvolunteerstocreateanapptomatch
adoptablepetswithtutureowners

•Respondpromptlytorequestsforhardwareandsoftwaresupportinthe
frontoffice

Assistcustomerswiththeiradoptionpaperworkatadoptionevents

Tutoring-2020-2021
•Providedmathandsciencepeertutoringinanafter-schoolprogram

•Usedcommunicationskillstoexplainditticultconceptsinsimpleterms

SKILLS
•AdeptwithWindows,MacOS,andLinux

•FamiliaritywithGoogleSuite

•ProficientinJava,C#,Python
•Problemsolving

•Timemanagement

Read more: How to Get a Job with No Experience: A

Job Seeker’s Guide

How to write a resume with no

experience: 5 tips

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 background.

Some items you’ll want to consider including in the

education section of your resume are:

Relevant coursework: Be sure to list any

courses that will emphasize skills that can be
helpful for the job. These might include
courses that focus on technical skills—like
economics, math, or computer science. But
don’t forget the importance of courses like
English or writing that can show your
competence in communication or other
human skills. Look through job descriptions
to see what kinds of skills are desirable for
the field you’re interested in.

GPA and honors: A strong grade point

average (GPA) can indicate a willingness to
work hard and an aptitude for your field.
Experts recommend listing your GPA if it’s at
3.5 or above [1]. If you’ve received any
academic honors, it’s a good idea to list
them, too.

Relevant projects: If you’ve completed

projects in classes that are particularly
relevant to the job you’re applying to, list and
briefly describe them. If you have more than
one, this can be its own section.

Certifications and online courses: If you’ve

completed any coursework outside of school
or received a professional credential, list
these under the education section as well.

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2. Include relevant experience.

When you first start putting together a resume, you

might feel like you don’t have any relevant
experience to refer to. But a little digging into your
life could unearth several experiences that show
your professionalism, interests, and character—all
things a potential employer can consider
important.

You can include the following in a section titled

“Relevant Experience”:

Volunteer experience: Volunteering

demonstrates your community involvement,
ability and willingness to work with others,
and your interests. It might even have gained
you some hands-on experience in a related
field.

Part-time jobs: Maybe you worked part-time

while you were in school, tutored or babysat
kids, or helped your parents out at their small
business. If you’re applying for your first full-
time job, don’t shy away from including
these. Part-time jobs can demonstrate your
employability and experience with key skills
like customer service.

Extracurricular activities: Whether you

played sports, were part of a cultural club, or
participated in student council,
extracurricular activities can help show a
willingness to explore your interests, develop
new skills, and work on a team. Don’t forget
to include any leadership positions you might
have held in these activities.

3. List your skills.

Chances are even if you don’t have any formal work

experience, you probably have skills that will be
useful in the field. Look through several job
descriptions of positions you’re interested in to see
what skills are commonly requested.

The relevant skills you’ll choose to list will likely

depend on the job, but might include:

Research
Microsoft Office products like Word, Excel, or
PowerPoint
Communication
Computer programming
Leadership
Social media
Foreign languages
Public speaking
Customer service

Not sure if you have the skills you need

to land the job you want?

Try emphasizing your transferable skills,

like critical thinking, problem solving,
and teamwork. Or try taking some
coursework in essential skills in your
field—data analysis, IT, UX design, and
digital marketing skills are all in demand
across many industries.

You can also look out for entry-level jobs, which

typically have fewer skill requirements than other
jobs.

4. Include a summary.

A resume summary is a brief description of your

experience and qualifications. Usually one to three
sentences long, a summary gives recruiters a way of
quickly understanding your background and assets
as a worker.

Don’t forget to emphasize traits and skills that fit

the job you’re applying to. You can also include a
sentence about your objective—what type of job
you’re looking for. Here are two examples:

Recent college graduate with background in

computer science and communications. Seeking to
leverage strong skills in Python, C++, and public
speaking for full-time engineering opportunity.

Curious and hard-working high school honors

student with passion for working with children and
one year experience baby-sitting.

5. Use a template.

Eliminate the stress of coming up with your own

layout by using one of the many resume templates
you can find online—like this one.

Customize any template you find to fit your needs

and tastes. A word processing program like
Microsoft Word or Google Docs can be helpful here.
Need access to one? Try approaching your local
public library. If you’re a student, your school
library will likely have resources you can use. You
can also create a Google account for free.

Next steps

Start building skills for an in-demand career in

project management, data analytics, UX design, IT
support, sales, or social media marketing with a
Professional Certificate from industry-leading
companies like Google, Meta, and Hubspot. Gain
hands-on experience through job-relevant projects
you can add to your resume or portfolio.

Build job-ready skills with a

Coursera Plus subscription
Get access to 7,000+ learning programs from
world-class universities and companies,
including Google, Yale, Salesforce, and more

Try different courses and find your best fit at no

additional cost

Earn certificates for learning programs you

complete

A subscription price of $59/month, cancel

anytime

Start 7-day free trial

Article sources
1. CNBC. “This is the only time you should include
a GPA on your resume,
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/31/when-to-
include-your-gpa-on-your-resume.html.” Accessed
May 19, 2023.

Keep reading

How to Get a Job with No Experience: A Job

Seeker’s Guide
7 min read · December 1, 2023

How to Write a Resume Summary + Examples

November 27, 2023

How to Use ChatGPT to Write Your Resume

November 29, 2023

How to Write a Resume Objective

[+Templates]
November 29, 2023

How to Write a Standout Resume When You’re

a Stay-at-Home Parent
November 29, 2023

Electrical Engineer Resumes to Get

Interviews: With Examples
November 29, 2023

Updated on Dec 2, 2023 Share

Written by:
Coursera Staff
Editorial Team
Coursera’s editorial team is comprised of highly
experienced professional editor...

This content has been made available for informational purposes

only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to
ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their
personal, professional, and financial goals.

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