It only takes a few seconds for HR to review your resume, so it’s important to include essential components to catch the attention of a potential employer. A resume is your chance to showcase your skills, experience, and qualifications to potential employers. It's often the first impression you make, so you want to make sure it's a good one. If you don’t have enough experience, don’t worry. You can still create a resume that will help you land a job.

☎️ Don’t forget the essential information

To begin, focus on essential details: provide your name, desired job position, and contact information including phone number and email address. It's also important to include your city or country to inform the recruiter of your location. In Canada, it is not necessary to include a photo of yourself, so you can skip that step.

📝 Start with a strong objective statement

If you don't have much work experience, start with a strong objective statement. Here, you can introduce yourself, outline your career objectives, and emphasize any pertinent skills or qualifications that align with the position.

Recent college graduate seeking a design position where I can use my strong creative skills to help the company grow. Passionate about producing innovative design solutions, I am excited to collaborate with a team of like-minded professionals to develop visually compelling content and marketing materials

📗 Focus on your education

The education section holds particular significance if you have limited work experience. Ensure to list your degree, GPA, as well as any pertinent coursework or academic accomplishments. Additionally, remember to include any relevant courses and/or certifications you have completed.

Algonquin College (ON, Canada) - Graduate Certificate Interactive Media Management 2015- 2016

Curriculum: UX design, web development, social media, photo & video. GPA 3.0

Courses: Google UX Design Certificate ‘2022 / Coursera Design Thinking Course ‘2020

Emphasize your skills

While you may lack work experience, it's important to recognize that you possess valuable skills that are applicable to the position you are seeking. Begin by highlighting your hard skills and proficiency with software. Additionally, don't overlook soft skills like communication and leadership abilities. Be sure to also showcase any technical skills you have acquired through coursework, hobbies, or volunteer work.

Skills: sketching, wireframing, prototyping, animation

Software: Figma, Adobe CC, Principle, Zeplin, Sketch

💼 Include relevant experience

Although your background may not feature conventional work experience, you may have acquired valuable skills through internships, volunteer positions, or extracurricular engagements. Showcase these experiences and elaborate on the skills you developed or exhibited during these opportunities.

Created graphic design assets (posters, business cards, invitations) and helped design websites for events I volunteered at
Volunteered at EventName where I gained experience in communication
Taught myself how to animate prototypes with the help of YouTube

🏆 Don’t forget about your achievements

If you have won various competitions, received scholarships, or earned a spot on the dean’s list, be sure to include these achievements as well. When adding accomplishments to your resume, it's crucial to provide specific details and quantify your successes whenever feasible. For instance, instead of just mentioning a sales increase, you could specify that you boosted sales by 20% within a quarter. This approach offers potential employers a clearer insight into the extent and significance of your achievements.

Received a scholarship for international students
Achieved Dean's List status for outstanding academic performance

📄 Use a functional resume format

Opting for a functional resume format emphasizes your skills and experience over your work history, making it an excellent choice if you have limited work experience. Utilize headings like "Skills" and "Experience" to structure your resume effectively. Keep your resume concise, ideally fitting onto a single page, and ensure key sections are prominent for easy navigation. You can easily find functional resume templates online to help guide you through the formatting process.

📌 Customize your resume for each job

Finally, customize your resume for each job you apply for. Tailor your resume to the specific job, emphasizing the skills and qualifications that are most relevant to that position. This will help you stand out and show the employer that you're a good fit for the job.

And this is how you write a resume when you don't have much work experience. Just a friendly reminder: don't worry if your work history is a bit light. Focus on your skills, education, and any relevant experiences you've had. Try using a functional resume style to really show off these strengths. Remember, it's all about how you showcase and talk about what you bring to the table, not just the jobs you've had.

How to write resume with no experience