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How to Create a Resume for Fresh Graduates without Experience
Looking to land your first job as a fresh graduate? It might seem tough without experience, but don't worry, companies are hiring new grads too! In this article, we'll show you how to make a killer resume that highlights your skills.
Updated May 21, 2024
How to Create a Resume for Fresh Graduates without ExperienceAs a job seeker, the first step you need to take is to create a resume that will catch the attention of potential employers.
"I don't have any work experience, how do I make a resume that will attract employers' attention?"
Don't worry. Believe it or not, even as a new graduate without any work experience, you can still create a compelling and standout resume.
You can refer to some tips and important steps to create your first resume as shared below. Let's read.
1. Decide on a resume format
Choosing the right resume format is an important step that requires attention. Generally, there are three types of resume formats: Chronological, Functional, and Combination.
For job seekers without work experience, the appropriate resume format to use is functional or combination format.
Chronological
This is the most traditional and widely used format. List down your work experiences from the latest to the oldest.
Pros: Employers can easily see your progression.
Cons: Not good if your experiences are not linear.
Functional
Functional resume highlights your skills and achievements, rather than work history.
Pros: It’s good for showing specific skills you can use in any job.
Cons: Some employers don’t like it because it doesn’t tell them the whole story.
Combination
A combination resume adds the element of both chronological and functional format. You begin with listing your skills in the first section and continue with your work history in the second section.
Pros: It can highlight both your skills and experience.
Cons: It may be harder and longer to read.
2. Start Your Resume with a Header
Ensure your resume has an attention-grabbing title. Include your full name, email address, and phone number.
If you have sample work, provide easily accessible links. This gives employers additional information about your skills and achievements.
A well-crafted resume title helps ensure your personal information is easily identifiable. Remember, employers typically spend less than 3 minutes skimming through your resume, so important information should be readily identifiable at a glance.
3. Include a Concise Summary Statement
Provide a section for a brief self-summary. Keep it concise, around 20-30 words.
Ensure it gives an essential overview of yourself, highlighting strengths and professional goals. For example:
As a results-oriented individual with strong project management and corporate strategy experience, I excel in data analysis and strategic decision-making, driven by a commitment to professional excellence.
4. Highlight Your Education and Certifications
List your education details comprehensively. Include academic achievements such as GPA, awards, and relevant projects or courses related to the desired job.
Education level often serves as a benchmark for your qualifications and suitability for the job.
- Start with your most recent formal education and include the name of the degree, institution, dates of attendance, and graduation
- Write down your GPA if it’s higher than 3.5
- Describe honors, achievements, and relevant coursework
- Include certifications and online courses that are relevant to role
Include certificates and online courses you have completed. This can add value to your profile and differentiate you from other candidates. It also demonstrates your commitment to continuous learning and professional development.
5. List All Relevant Skills
Many companies use Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to screen resumes. To increase your chances of passing through these systems, you should list relevant skills that match the job specifications. Review the job posting to find the keywords that match your actual skill, and write them down in your skills section.
Be selective and concise (cause you don’t want to overload the recruiter), and place the most critical ones at the beginning to grab attention.
Here are categories of skill and its examples.
Relevant Skills for Resume without Experience
6. Write Relevant Experience
Recruiters want to see what you’ve done before. As a fresh graduate, you can write down any relevant part-time job, freelance work, volunteering exprience, and extracurricular activities in your college.
When writing your experience, the best practice is to describe achievements, rather than job descriptions. Make sure to use action verbs such as “developed”, “managed”, or “increased”, and put quantifiable results whenever possible.
If you feel that none of these experiences are relevant, you can still put it in your CV by highlighting the soft skills that you gained from it.
For example:
Position: Sales Assistant, XYZ Bookstore, [Date]
Job Details: Responsible for customer service, inventory management, and handling sales transactions.
Project: Design of Promotional Brochure for Sports Event, [Date]
Job Details: Produced engaging brochures to enhance awareness of the upcoming sports event.
Organization: XYZ Orphanage, [Date]
Job Details: Involved in volunteer activities, assisting in educational programs and children's welfare initiatives.
7. Final Tips
Now that you know how to write your resume, it’s time to consider the final touches.
- Don’t forget to proofread what you’ve written. Check for any typos and grammar errors.
- Keep everything concise. It’s not a long resume that will get you the job. It’s relevancy and clarity that make a lasting impression.
- Be confident in your resume because, at the end of the day, you’ll need to prove what you wrote there.
Last but not least, we’ve prepared a fresh graduate CV example and template that you can you use for your job search.
Fresh Graduate Resume Example
CARISSA EVELYN
+62512445782 | [email protected] | Singapore
Portfolio: bit.ly/carissaeve
Enthusiastic recent graduate with a degree in Communication Studies. Skilled in effective communication, content creation, and social media management. Eager to contribute creativity and strong interpersonal skills to a dynamic team in the communication field.
Education
Nanyang Technological University, Bachelor of Communication (2020 – 2024)
GPA 3.6 / 4.0
Recipient of Maju Scholarship for outstanding academic
Head of the student council
Coursework: mass communication, communication psychology, marketing
Experience
Intern, Airi Media Agency
June 2023 - September 2023
- Assisted in social media content creation, increasing engagement by 15%
- Collaborated with the team to develop communication strategies for client
- Conducted market research to identify trends and audience preferences
Volunteer, Community Outreach Program
May 2021 - Present
- Organized and promoted community eventsCreated informational materials for outreach programs
Skills
- Communication Strategies
- Social Media Management
- Content Creation
- Team Collaboration
- Adobe Photoshop
- Canva
By following the shared tips and applying them to your resume, rest assured it can enhance your chances of securing that coveted interview call, even without prior work experience.
If you're keen on further refining your resume, don't hesitate to try Enhance Resume by Epicareer. There, you can assess your resume score and align it to stand out more, meeting recruiters' sought-after criteria. So, seize the opportunity to elevate your qualifications in the professional realm!
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