How to Write a Resume with No Experience: A 2025 Guide

Experience plays a huge factor when it comes to writing a resume. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) suggests that working experience was required for at least 48% of workers, which makes writing a resume with no experience a much more daunting task.

However, it doesn't always have to be this way - especially for individuals who are new to the workforce. Continue reading the guide below to learn how to write a resume with no experience, basic dos and don'ts, as well as templates that you can follow.

Steps for writing a resume with no experience

Listed below are basic steps on how to write a resume with little to no experience.

1. Identify experiences that could count
   Remember that internships and summer part time work can count as experiences - thus, if you have those, then it's safe to put them in your resume if you have little working experience. However, if you do not have any of these, then putting down volunteer work and babysitting experience can count as an experience as well.
2. Know your soft and hard skills
   Next, identify the soft and hard skills that you possess through the little experience that you have. These can range from transferable skills that may vary from one job to another like computer skills to soft skills like verbal communication skills and problem-solving skills.
3. Follow a template
   After you've identified everything that needs to be included in your resume, the next step is to follow a reliable resume template. This ensures that you have a reliable resume to work with even with little working experience.
4. Remember to put only relevant information
   It may be tempting to list everything you've ever done but only include relevant skills and experiences that strengthen your application.
5. Double check for spelling and grammatical errors
   For the last step, it's important to double check your CV, especially if you're making a high school student resume. It needs to be flawless to express your desire to work for the company, as well as highlight your professionalism to the hiring managers as well.

Resume writing dos and don'ts for beginners

Knowing how to write a resume for individuals with little to no experience can be difficult. Thus, below are some resumes writing dos and don'ts, especially for beginners.

Dos:

• Include personal accomplishments
• Highlight your achievements
• Send it from a professional email address
• Ensure it doesn't look like the original template
• Tailor it to which company you're applying for

Don'ts:

• Use jargons
• Use excessive bullet points
• Mix your resume and cover letter
• Make generalized claims
• Exceed one page

The best resume template for people with no work experience

For those either writing a high school student resume or those who want to write a resume with little or no experience, you can use the template below to make sure that you have a flawless resume.

5 resume examples for those with no experience

Learning how to write a resume with no experience does not have to be that hard. Thus, below are some variations of resume examples that individuals with little to no experience can customize for their job application, especially for entry level positions.

1. Fresh high school graduate

Since you have just finished high school and you're writing your first resume, it's completely alright to have no prior experience first. However, you should still put your skills as well as some awards and academic achievements that you've received throughout the years. Below is a sample resume format for students.

2. For fresh college graduates

College graduates have a bit more leverage compared to high school student resumes, especially considering the fact that they can put their internships as a part of their working experience on their first job resume. Thus, it's important to put it in the working experience field of your resume as a relevant experience, especially for first time job seekers.

3. For high school dropouts/high school students looking for part time work

Although it can be hard to look for jobs if you don't have a high school degree, the job market for minimum wage workers with specific technical skills is still relatively high. Thus, for high school students or dropouts, it's important to properly highlight your skills.

4. For college dropouts/college students looking for part time work

Similar to the prior example, the job resume for college dropouts/students looking for part time jobs should properly highlight their skills. Their extracurricular activities should also be listed there to help show their current skill set.

5. For individuals with little working experience

Lastly, individuals with little working experience should put everything on their resume and highlight the skill set that they earned during their job experience. Highlighting the hands-on experience that you earned during your previous tenure is also a good thing to do. Below is an example of an entry-level resume.

FAQs

Listed below are the frequently asked questions on how to write a resume with no experience.

What can I do to make my resume more appealing if I have little working experience?

If you have little experience, highlight awards, academic projects, or passion projects. These can show transferable skills and initiative. The easiest way is to list the skills most relevant to the job description and highlight them clearly.

Is resume and CV the same?

Technically, ATS-friendly resume and CVs are two entirely separate entities. This is because resumes are designed to highlight your professional experience, key skills, and relevant projects to your potential employer, whereas a CV is mainly responsible for highlighting your educational background as well as a place for you to put the relevant coursework that's needed for the role.

What are the common factors between these resumes?

The common factor between these resumes is their simplicity. It's always important to keep your resume on the simpler side, especially if you're writing a high school student resume.

What are some resume tips for beginners?

A good, general rule of thumb for beginners is to properly list out their soft and hard skills, their notable experiences, and their specialties and start from there. Afterwards, they can search for a reliable template from sources like Harvard and move forward from there to make an effective resume.

Should I include my GPA on a resume with no experience?

Include it if it's above 3.5 or if you're applying for academic or competitive roles. Otherwise, it's optional.