How to write a resume with little experience

1. Choose your sections before your layout

Start with your name and contact information, then Education, Experience, Projects and Skills. For your first job, Education can go near the top. Include your degree, school and expected graduation date.

Put entries newest-first within each section. Include a campus job even if it is unrelated to your target role. Accurate examples of organizing work, handling questions or supporting a team can show transferable skills.

Use Projects for relevant class work when paid experience is thin. Name the project, explain your contribution and identify the tools you actually used. You do not need an empty section just because another resume has it.

2. Turn duties into evidence

Start each bullet with an action verb. Explain what you did, how you did it and the result or purpose. Aim for 1–2 lines per bullet rather than a paragraph.

Numbers help when you know they are correct. If you cannot verify a percentage improvement, describe the work and its purpose instead. Do not invent outcomes or take credit for the whole team's contribution.

3. Match the role without stuffing keywords

Read the job posting and identify the skills you can demonstrate. Use its terminology only when it accurately describes your experience. Move your most relevant project or bullets higher within their section.

If the role asks for Excel, show what you built or checked in Excel. If it asks for teamwork, describe your contribution to a shared task. A concrete example says more than simply listing “team player.”

4. Make the document easy to read

Applicant tracking systems, or ATS, are software employers use to collect and manage applications. They may extract information from your resume. Simple formatting can reduce parsing problems, but no layout guarantees an interview or correct parsing in every system.

• Use a single column and familiar section headings, such as Education and Experience.
• Keep fonts, spacing and date formats consistent.
• Avoid tables, text boxes, photos and decorative icons for important information.
• Follow the employer's requested file format. A Word or PDF file is not automatically compatible.
• Complete the application fields instead of writing “see resume.”

As a basic check, copy your resume's text into a plain-text editor and read it in order. Missing or scrambled information is a reason to simplify the layout. This check is not a substitute for testing an employer's actual application system.

Before you send it

Check your contact details, dates, spelling and every number. Ask someone to read it once for clarity. Keep a separate editable copy so you can tailor the next application without starting again.

For layout ideas, see our sample resumes. These are illustrative previews; downloadable templates and the premium bundle are not available yet. See the planned bundle before deciding whether to return when it launches.