How to Create a Resume for Fresh Graduates with No Experience

There are three common resume formats that you can choose from, and each of them has pros and cons.

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 great if your experiences are not linear.

Functional

A functional resume highlights your skills and achievements, rather than your 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.

This section is meant to provide the recruiter with your personal details and contact information in case they want to proceed with your application. Write down your name, email address, and portfolio link, and make sure the fonts are readable.

You can just add a link to your resume page or file, link to your LinkedIn, and link to your email here.

Write down a few sentences long summary that underlines your skills and passions. Emphasize your educational background that aligns with the job, or highlight critical transferable skills, such as:

• creativity,
• problem-solving, and
• teamwork.

It’s also worth mentioning that you are a fresh graduate, so the recruiter knows what to expect.

Use quantifiable results and highlight your best achievement here. This section is your summary statement, treat this section as your elevator pitch.

Here’s a quick guide to highlight your education:

• 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 (on a 4.0 scale)
• Describe honors, achievements, and relevant coursework
• Include certifications and online courses that are relevant to the role

Many companies use the 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 their examples.

Recruiters want to see what you’ve done before. As a fresh graduate, you can write down any relevant experience:

• part-time job,
• freelance work,
• volunteering experience,
• organization experience, and
• extracurricular activities.

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 resume by highlighting the soft skills that you gained from it.

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, you can check resume examples and templates that you can use for your job search:

• Harvard college resumes and cover letter guide
• Harvard Extension School resume and cover letter guide
• Resumes and cover letters - Stanford Career Education
• Sample resumes – Career Advising and Professional Development | MIT

Securing your first job as a fresh graduate may seem daunting, but with the right approach, you can effectively showcase your skills and experiences to potential employers.

Once you've crafted your best resume, don't forget to upload it on Epicareer to receive curated job recommendations tailored to your qualifications.

Further reading:

• How to write a resume with no experience: 5 tips
• How to make a resume with no experience: Examples and tips

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