How to Write a Resume With No Experience: Students & Fresh Graduates Guide

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You are in your last semester, and with a pile of project work, you have mounting trouble getting your first job. We all have been there. There is no shame in it. However, in a state of panic or making mistakes, it is better to set your priorities and then make your move in the practical world.

Before you apply to any entry-level job, you need to have a resume in your hand. Now, the main question: How to write a resume with no experience? Very valid and quite frightening. But you just need to read a complete guide on entry-level resume writing. This blog is the right place to solve all your problems. Here you will know the first job resume tips and how to nail them.

With a free resume builder, you can quickly create a professional resume even without prior work experience and start applying to your preferred jobs with confidence.

Can You Write a Resume With No Experience? Absolutely

You are already afraid of getting an opportunity for yourself, don’t undermine your abilities more. Experienced or not, you can easily make a resume for yourself on your own without any help.

A resume for students with no experience is not a very difficult task. You just have to mention your academic interests, achievements, and internship experience, and make them transferable to the applied job. In this way, recruiters understand your strengths and qualify you for the job.

Best Resume Format for Students & Fresh Graduates

Since you are here to learn how to make a resume with no experience, you should know about the resume templates. Normally, there are three types of professional resume formats:
Reverse Chronological Format

This format shows the most recent experience followed by the rest, and then the education and skills sections.

Functional Format

A functional resume format focuses on skills and abilities at the top rather than experience details.

Combination Format

This format is a blend of reverse-chronological and functional resumes. It keeps the focus consistent on skills and experiences.

Recommended Format: Combination/Hybrid Resume

For entry-level resume writing, students should use a combination resume format. In this format, you can list your internship experience and conveniently mention the skills earned during that period.

You may not like this resume structure at first, but honestly, it works best as it positions your profile as more professional and ready to take on responsibilities.

For a detailed view of Student Resume Examples & Templates for 2025, head to Jump Resume Builder and make your application in just 5 minutes.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Write a Resume With No Experience

The Institute of Student Employers did a survey for entry-level hiring and found that graduates have fewer vacancies to explore, and the competition has become harder for them. Thus, as a fresh graduate, you should pay more attention to making your resume so as not to miss out on jobs.

A beginner resume guide is essential as it helps you give a clear direction on how to write a resume with no experience. It is simple and effective as follows:

Start With a Strong Resume Header

Your resume document needs a strong header, which should include your complete personal information. This is your professional introduction for the recruiters. It should include the following:

Name
Contact number
Email address
LinkedIn profile link
Portfolio website link

Keep this information at the top of the page at all costs. Ensure that all the text is written in different lines with equal spacing for better readability and focus.

Write a Powerful Resume Summary for No Experience

You must have heard about profile summaries and how they always feel robotic. So, as a student, your resume summary for no experience should contain what skills and strengths you bring to the job.

Just keep a simple and professional tone and mention in 2-3 lines how you can be a good candidate for the position.

Highlight Your Education the Right Way

In your first job resume tips, you need to mention your education section properly. Just mentioning your degree major is not enough, complete educational details should follow this format:

What to Include Under Education

Mention educational degree, Bachelor of Science or Arts, details, and the institution name. Then add your major and specialization subjects to add educational value to the job. Also, mention your CGPA and close the section. Remember to add your degree tenure alongside the degree.

Honors & Academic Achievements

This is an additional section, and it will come after the educational details. Here, you can mention your other achievements, like:

Dean’s list
Scholarships
Academic awards
Thesis or project

Suggested Read: How Long Should a Resume Be? A Complete Guide

Add Skills Employers Value

You may feel uncomfortable and think you are unqualified for the job because you don’t have enough skills. But even then, you need to design this section properly. The resume skills for students should be categorized like this:

Hard Skills for Students

Software usage skills
Research and fact-checking abilities
Beginner knowledge of technical methodologies
Job-specific tools

Soft Skills That Matter

Communication
Teamwork
Adaptability
Time management

How to Choose the Right Skills Based on a Job Description

You may have some of the common resume skills for students to choose from, but it is still important to mention those skills that match the job advertisement. So, paste the job description in the AI resume builder and ask it to extract the list of skills required for the job.

Match the listed resume skills for students and add them to your application accordingly in the specified sections.

Replace the Experience Section With These Powerful Alternatives

A resume for students with no experience may look like a simple application without any tangible experience. But it doesn’t mean that you forget to mention your achievements. So, instead, you can write the following details:

Academic Projects

The academic projects that you completed in your bachelor’s degree are your strengths here. These projects demonstrate the academic work you have done. For further added value, you can add the methodology and results of the project in bullet points to show yourself as a capable candidate.

Internships (Paid or Unpaid)

We are talking about entry-level resume writing, and how can we forget about internships? So, write your internship title like ‘backend developer intern’, then followed by the company name. Then, in bullet points, list your responsibilities and skills used in that role.

Volunteer Work

A resume for fresh graduates needs to have a holistic view of practical strengths. Since you don’t have real job experience yet, you must keep your value defined on the basis of every project, internship, or volunteer work.

Even if you think that your volunteer work was completely different from your job, still mention it anyway. For example, if you volunteered for creating awareness for wildlife conservation, you should mention ‘volunteer as a mention position’ and then describe the responsibilities of that position.

Extracurricular Activities

During your bachelor’s degree tenure, if you have managed your university’s art or debating club, then add these extracurricular activities to create more impact in your resume.

Freelance Work or Side Projects

Don’t forget to mention your freelance work and side projects in the resume. This sort of experience makes your resume for fresh graduates more thoughtful and professional.

How to Write Strong Bullet Points Without Job Experience

On your first job resume tips, you must learn how to write your project details and internship experience in bullet points. Simply listing the details won’t work as they don’t appear impactful. Instead, you should use action verbs like ‘delivered’, ‘accomplished’. Also, try using numbers along with these action verbs to make your contributions appear positive.

Add Certifications & Online Courses That Boost Your Resume

As a student fresh out of your degree, you may have some time to complete some courses to gain more skills for your preferred job. Thus, if you have the digital certification, you should include it in the entry-level resume writing guide list.

Do mention the course title and the institution or board name, like Google or HubSpot, and briefly explain what you have learned in the digital course.

Common Mistakes Students Make on Their First Resume

Since you know how to write a resume with no experience, you should also have some ideas about the common mistakes fresh candidates make in their applications. Such clarity will save your time and efforts for entry-level resume writing:

Overfilling the resume with too much information.
Don’t use informal email addresses that alter your professional image.
Adding irrelevant coursework that doesn’t match your resume profile.
Don’t write long paragraphs explaining experience instead of bullet points.
Ensure that your resume is free of typos and formatting issues.

Final Checklist Before You Submit Your Resume

After you have made your resume, give it another look and ensure that it is fully ATS optimized. You need to take the following steps:

Tailor your fresh graduate resume to the job description.
Use job-specific keywords correctly and sparingly where needed.
Check formatting and line spacing for the resume.
Proofread the document and save your completed resume in a PDF document.

Final Thoughts

There are many first-job resume tips out there, but none of them are useful if you don’t follow them properly. So, all students and fresh graduates should keep a high spirit and use a free resume builder for their applications.

Now that you know how to write a resume with no experience, you can use Jump Resume Builder and build your first application today. Just follow the steps of the resume-making tool and start applying today to your preferred jobs.