Landing your first job can feel like a rollercoaster — exciting, nerve-wracking, and a little overwhelming all at once.
The pressure builds as you start writing your resume, realizing you’re competing with candidates who may have more experience.
Your mind races with questions: How do I stand out? What should I even include when I haven’t had a formal job?
But here’s the thing: even without years of work experience, you have strengths and skills that employers are looking for. It’s all about showcasing them the right way.
Ready to make an impact?
These 6 resume tips will help you get noticed and give you the confidence to land your first job.
1. Start with a strong summary or objective
As a first-time job seeker, your resume summary or objective is your opportunity to make a memorable first impression.
This short section at the top of your resume should give employers a quick snapshot of who you are, your skills, and your career goals.
If you have some relevant experience or specific skills, use a summary to highlight your qualifications. For example:
“Motivated and detail-oriented business student with experience in project management and customer service. Eager to contribute strong organizational skills and creative problem-solving abilities to a dynamic team.”
If you’re applying for a job where you don’t have direct experience, an objective can help you communicate what you’re seeking and why. For instance:
“Recent graduate passionate about marketing, looking to gain hands-on experience in digital campaigns while leveraging strong communication and creative skills.”
Tip: Keep your summary or objective short — 2-3 sentences. Focus on your key strengths and how they align with the role you’re applying for.
2. Highlight transferable skills
Okay, you may not have much professional experience, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have skills that are valuable to employers.
Have you heard about transferable skills?
Well, these are skills that apply to many different roles and industries and they are key to making your resume stand out.
Think about the skills you’ve developed in school, through extracurricular activities, or in volunteer work. These could include:
- Communication: Writing reports or presentations in class.
- Leadership: Leading a group project or being a club president.
- Time management: Balancing schoolwork, part-time jobs, or extracurricular activities.
- Problem-solving: Tackling challenges in academic or personal projects.
Showcasing these transferable skills will help you demonstrate that you have the foundation to succeed in various work environments, even if you don’t have specific job experience yet.
3. Include relevant experiences, even if they weren’t jobs
You may be wondering how to fill out your resume if you haven’t had a formal job yet.
The key is to include relevant experiences, even if they weren’t traditional work roles. Internships, volunteer work, part-time gigs, or even class projects can showcase your skills and work ethic.
For example, if you were involved in a community service project where you organized events or managed a team, include it under your experience section.
If you’ve done any freelance work — like tutoring, babysitting, or helping with a family business — those can be relevant too.
Structure your experience like you would a formal job, listing the organization or group, your role, the dates, and a few bullet points explaining your responsibilities and achievements.
Here’s an example:
Event Coordinator, Local Community Center (Volunteer) June 2023 – August 2023
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Organized and led a team of 15 volunteers for a fundraising event that raised over $2,000 for local charities.
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Developed promotional materials and increased attendance by 20% through effective social media marketing.
This highlights leadership, organization, and marketing skills, which are valuable to many employers, even though it wasn’t a paid job.
4. Focus on achievements, not just duties
When you’re describing your past experiences, it’s important to focus on achievements rather than just listing duties.
Why?
Because employers want to see what impact you made in your previous roles, even if they were internships or volunteer positions.
For each experience, include bullet points that show specific accomplishments. Instead of saying “Assisted with social media,” you could say, “Increased social media engagement by 15% through targeted content creation.”
This shows not only what you did but also the result of your efforts, making your resume more dynamic.
If you’re new to the workforce, your achievements don’t have to be monumental.
Think of the small wins you contributed to — whether it’s improving a process, solving a problem, or delivering something on time.
Trust us, employers value results, no matter the scale.
5. Tailor your resume to each job
It can be tempting to send the same resume to every job you apply for, but tailoring your resume to each specific job is one of the most effective ways to stand out.
Every job posting has unique requirements, so take the time to adjust your resume accordingly.
That’s why you should start by carefully reading the job description and identifying keywords related to skills and qualifications. Then, match those keywords with your own experiences and skills.
For instance, if a job posting emphasizes customer service, highlight any roles or projects where you interacted with people, solved problems, or communicated effectively.
Customizing your resume not only shows that you’re a good fit for the position but also demonstrates that you’ve done your homework and are genuinely interested in the role.
Tip: Use tools like Jobscan to compare your resume against job descriptions, ensuring you’re hitting the right keywords that recruiters look for.
6. Keep it clean and concise
When creating your resume, especially as a first-time job seeker, it’s essential to keep the layout clean and easy to read.
Hiring managers often spend only a few seconds scanning each resume, so a cluttered or overly detailed document can work against you.
Here’s what to aim for:
- One-page length: Keep your resume to a single page, especially if you don’t have much experience. Focus on your most relevant skills and experiences.
- Simple formatting: Use a clean font, like Arial or Calibri, and ensure the layout is consistent. Avoid overly complicated designs, but feel free to add a pop of color or a creative touch if you’re applying for jobs in creative fields.
- Bullet points: Use short, impactful bullet points to describe your experience. Start each point with an action verb (e.g., organized, led, created) and focus on accomplishments.
Remember, less is often more.
Your resume should showcase your skills and experience without overwhelming the reader with unnecessary details.
Extra tools and resources to elevate your resume
We know that creating a resume for the first time can feel like navigating uncharted territory.
To make it easier, here are some additional tools and resources that can take your resume from good to great, even if you’re new to the job market.
These platforms help you with everything from layout design to optimizing your resume for specific job roles, so you can put your best foot forward:
- Canva: This design platform offers free, customizable resume templates that look professional and modern. Choose from different styles, add your personal details, and download it as a PDF for a polished finish. If you want your resume to stand out visually, check out Canva’s templates here.
- Jobscan: Jobscan helps you match your resume to specific job descriptions by analyzing how well it aligns with the job posting. This tool highlights which keywords to add, ensuring your resume passes through applicant tracking systems (ATS) and reaches a hiring manager’s hands. Try Jobscan here to see if your resume is hitting the right marks.
- Grammarly: A clean, error-free resume is non-negotiable. Grammarly checks your resume for spelling and grammar mistakes, helping you avoid any embarrassing errors. Even if you’re confident in your writing, it’s worth giving your resume a final polish. Get Grammarly here for an added layer of professionalism.
- ResumeWorded: This tool gives you instant feedback on your resume’s strengths and weaknesses. It analyzes your document for readability, impact, and keyword optimization, making it a great resource for first-time job seekers. Learn more about ResumeWorded here.
These resources can simplify the resume-writing process, help you create a visually appealing format, and make sure you’re using the right language to capture attention. Take advantage of them to build a resume that truly stands out.
Conclusion: Your first resume doesn’t need to be perfect—it just needs to be authentic
Writing a resume for the first time might feel daunting, but it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the skills and experiences you already have.
Focus on the strengths you’ve developed, even outside of formal jobs, and highlight how they align with the role you’re applying for.
Starting with a strong summary, showcasing transferable skills, and tailoring your resume to each job are effective ways to give yourself the best chance of standing out — even as a first-time job seeker.
After all, your first resume doesn’t have to be perfect.
It just needs to authentically represent you and your potential.
With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to getting noticed by hiring managers and landing interviews. Good luck!