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How can I write a great resume without having any job experience?
Posted by
brian
in
Resume Writing HELP
on
Sep 13th, 2010
|
7 responses
How can I write a great resume without having any work experience? I also haven’t done any community service work.
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7 Responses to “How can I write a great resume without having any job experience?”
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Concentrate on your education and volunteer experience. Even without community service you must have done some kind of work.
You can definitely create a great resume without any job experience. It is called a functional resume, and its based on your skills. Google student resumes and functional resume, there are some great samples online that you can use for your skills. Remember to include all your activities that match the skill set for the job you want. Good Luck!
Write every accomplishment you’ve every had since birth, such as instruments, teams, clubs, certificates, being recognized for something, and if possible, just don’t include the date it was received (don’t lie, you’ll usually get busted, just don’t put the date on if you can get around it).
Also, have A LOT of references (thought not just all of your neighbours, and DEFINITELY not a lot of family, or any if you can avoid it, as this looks desperate). Have a few neighbours, friends, teachers who like you, coaches, anything, but have a variety.
you need to put your education with dates because you don’t have anything else to add, I just hope your young since you have never had a job before, if your over the age of 25 and have been out of school for more than a few months your not going to have a lot to show that you will be a good hire because you will look lazy and not a very good choice for the job
just put the dates that you graduated from high school and, if it applies, college, that along with your personal information, name, DOB, SS# etc. is all you have to put on your resume
I agree with the gentleman who stated that he hopes you are a young student with no work experience. That makes it infinitely easier to obtain employment. My advice would be to stop seeing your lack of work experience as a hindrance and start emphasizing all of the great things about you such as volunteer work, academic studies, affiliations, clubs, and/or organizations to which you belong. It is especially important to highlight your service to others so a potential employer knows that you possess a strong work ethic and a sense of teamwork.
I am the Owner/Principal Consultant of a resume writing and career counseling firm and I assist people with functional resumes all the time. If you need further assistance, please visit my website : http://www.immconsultingservices.com.
Concentrate on your academic achievements and any clubs or organizations you participate in. Written in the right way, these will show a potential employer that you are reliable and trustworthy in lieu of any work experience.
An employer’s top concern is whether or not you will be able to perform the duties of the position well, not whether or not you got paid for work you’ve done in the past. Volunteering within your community and doing well in school can be great environments to learn about customer service, accountability, and problem solving. Don’t try to add more activities to your resume if they don’t exist; instead, spend time fleshing out the experiences you’ve had in light of your skills and accomplishments. This Monster.com article explains how students can communicate their strengths even if they don’t have lots of directly applicable work experience:
http://content.office.monster.com/resume-writing-basics/legal/Ten-Resume-Laws/home.aspx
Check out this article on how to best present your education to a potential employer:
http://content.office.monster.com/resume-writing-basics/Let-Sample-Resumes-Inspire-You-Not-/home.aspx
If you’d like more articles on resume writing for students and everything else related to browsing the job market, you should visit the Tips/Advice tab on Microsoft’s Office Live Student Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/officelivestudent#/officelivestudent?v=app_7146470109&viewas=7300773
Best of luck with your job search!
-Kate
MSFT Office Live Outreach Team
PS Become a fan of the Facebook Page if you’d like occasional information about job searches!