The key is to sell yourself to the recruiter by crafting a perfect resume by highlighting whatever you have achieved in the absence of any work experience in your targeted field. Every skill that you have acquired outside the job counts, but more importantly, how you present them in your resume is what gets you the job.
Resume tips for writing a resume with zero work experience
Even if you have not held a formal job and don’t have any work experience, you can still make your resume get considered by the recruiter. Consider these resume tips:
● Go for entry-level jobs: Aiming too high with no experience is inviting rejection. Aim for entry-level jobs, since recruiters don’t expect too much experience for handling such positions.
● Mention your life experiences: If you have participated in volunteer work or been part of civic groups and youth organizations, such as the Scouts or 4-H, you can mention them in your resume, also stating the skills you have acquired doing so. Most recruiters view them as valuable experience and will consider your resume, even in the absence of any work experience.
● Keywords are important: Look for keywords that a recruiter values. In job listings you may find phrases like “successful candidate will be a self-starter who delivers on time and on budget”. Mentioning this will be readily lapped up by the recruiter.
● Academic qualification holds weight: Your academic achievements will indicate to the recruiter, whether you will be an asset to the company or no. So, mention your complete educational background and the extracurricular activities, such as sports, clubs and activities, that you took up during your academic period. These achievements will indicate the assets you possess, such as leadership qualities, time management, team work, financial handling, etc. Also mention how these qualities will add value to the job applied for.
● Mention honors and awards: If you have received honors and awards or any other kind of distinction, make it a part of your resume. This conveys that you are an achiever and dedicated. For recruiter, you may come across as someone who would be an asset to the organization.
● Highlight your skills: All skills count, so if you have spent days selling food on the beach or fixing computers or learning Photoshop or making YouTube videos, mention them in your resume. This will indicate your go to the recruiter. Even your professional or industry-related social media groups, such as Facebook, Instagram and the like can be included, where you have helped or educated other members of the groups. Even if you are not active in any such group, it is not too late to start one, just to make it figure in your resume.
● Appear professional: If you make your resume appear professional, it is half the battle won. Use consistent style in writing a resume, using same style and font all throughout. Be extra vigilant in eliminating typos and grammatical errors, since they can show you in a negative light. This means, going through your resume several times before submitting it.
● Never fib in your resume: Last, but not the least, don’t make false claims in your resume. You might get tempted to mention things like “proficient in Microsoft Office”, when you may not have any experience in it. This may go against you. It is better to acquire this skill beforehand, since it is going to be useful at some point in your career. False claims invariably get caught and cause embarrassment and even get you fired, if you have got the job.
Conclusion
No work experience doesn’t mean you are not qualified. It only means that you don’t have the requisite skills for the job applied for, but have dollops of aptitude for it. Once this is highlighted in the resume and you follow the resume tips, it will make it easier for you to land that job.