One of the questions I get a lot is "how do I write a resume with little or no
work experience?" So in today's video, you'll learn how to write a resume that
properly showcases your skills, your talents and your abilities even if you
don't have a lot of work experience and if you stay around until the end you'll
learn where you can find a resume template that you can download today and
tailor for the next position that you apply for. If we've never met before, I'm
Heather Austin from ProfessorAustin.com and The Career Club on Facebook and
on this channel I provide simple solutions to help you launch a career
you love, so if you're new here, consider subscribing and hitting that bell notification
down below so you don't miss a thing and real quick comment down below
with what your biggest frustration is when it comes to writing a resume.
Whether you're entering the workforce for the very first time or you've had a
large gap in your work history, coming up with content to put on your resume might
feel like you're jumping through hoops. The good news is that you can focus on
other sections of your resume to impress an employer and show that you are an
ideal candidate for the job. Before we jump into how to do this, remember that
creating a resume with little or no work experience will require you to think
outside of the box. Because this is not your traditional resume that is heavy
with work experience, you'll really need to brainstorm things that you've done in
your past or are currently doing that demonstrate your work ethic and
commitment. Think of things like babysitting, dog walking, fundraising or
even Scouts or maybe you've done contract work or freelance work or even
volunteer work. Focusing on these other sections on your resume can go a long
way. So let's jump into how to add that to your resume. Step number one is to
include a summary. A summary is a great place to showcase who you are and what
makes you an ideal candidate. It falls right below your name and
contact information and is one of the first sections an employer will look when they
review your resume. So in a few sentence explain some of your greatest attributes
and accomplishments. You'll also want to mention why you are passionate about the
company, the position or the industry. Tip number two to creating a resume with
little or no work experience is to focus on your education and training. If you're a
student or a recent graduate with less than 5 years of work experience the
education section on your resume is going to be the flagship. You want to
make sure you place it right below the summary section. Start by listing the
name of the school you attended or are attending, followed by the location, then
list the major or the degree. Now if your GPA is 3.0 or higher,
feel free to list it here as well. Now to really make an impact with this section,
make sure you add academic honors or relevant coursework or even clubs and
societies that you participated in. Tip number three is to add a selected
achievement section. The selected achievements section will help you expand
on your education and your training and almost takes place of the work
experience section. Think of this as the highlight reel of what you've
accomplished so far in life. You'll want to include three to four bullet points
that you are most proud of. Maybe you've developed a personal budget where
you've been able to save ten percent every month for the past year or maybe
you received the highest level on a test out of a classroom of 50 because of your
dedication to learning. Either way, nail down accomplishments that relate to the
position that you are applying for and put them in bullet point format in the
selected achievements section. Tip number four to writing a resume with little or
no work experience is to include a volunteer experience section. Employers
absolutely love to see volunteer work on a resume.
in fact, it's been reported that 41% of employers value volunteer work as much
as they do paid work. This is the place to demonstrate to an employer your
willingness to take an initiative and to get things done. Now if you don't have
volunteer experience ,go out and get some today. So you'll start by listing the
organization or the cause that you volunteered for, followed by a short
description of the organization and then the timeframe that you volunteered.
Include a few bullet point items that demonstrate what you accomplished
as a volunteer. This leads us to tip number five to write a resume with
little or no work experience and that is to add a special skills section. A
special skills section is a great way to highlight your strengths as they pertain
to the position you are applying for. Use a combination of hard skills and soft
skills. Hard skills are things that you've acquired through your education
and your experience. This includes skills like computer programming languages,
mathematics, even graphic design. Soft skills are things that represent your
personality and behavior such as communication, decision-making,
creativity. Tip number six is to include a professional memberships or
affiliations section. Listing professional memberships or affiliations
on your resume is a great way to show the employer that you want to stay up to
date in your industry. It also demonstrates your willingness to connect
with others in your same field. If you're not a member of any professional
organizations or affiliations and you don't know which ones to join, do a
search on Google for these types of organizations in your industry. You'll
find plenty. Tip number seven to write a resume with little or no work experience
and that is to add a language competencies section. If you speak more
than one language, make sure you include that on your resume. This is a very
impressive skill that most employers will value. Now to
clear up any confusion as to your fluency in each language, you can list
your experience in speaking, writing and reading that language. Now to make sure
you get it right when it comes to writing a resume with little or no work
experience, make sure you download your copy of the Six Second Resume. It's a
quick, easy to use resume template that you can use today and tailor to the next
position that you apply for. I'll go ahead and link that up below and if you
found this video useful remember to hit the like button down below and feel free
to share this with anyone you know that might benefit and don't forget to
subscribe for more videos just like this and I will see you guys next time.