How to write a resume with no experience
Everyone starts somewhere. Employers hiring for first jobs and internships know you don’t have years of experience — they want to see that you can learn, work with people and get things done. Your studies, projects, part-time work and activities already show that.
What to put on your first resume
- Contact details — name, phone, email, city, and a LinkedIn or GitHub link if you have one.
- A short summary (2–3 lines) — who you are and what job you want.
- Education — put it first when you have little experience. Include your degree, college, year and good marks if they help.
- Projects — college projects, personal projects, competitions, a website you built, a business idea you tried.
- Experience of any kind — internships, part-time jobs, volunteering, tutoring, family business, club leadership.
- Skills — software, languages, tools and practical skills the job asks for.
- Certificates and awards — online courses, prizes, sports or cultural achievements.
Write a summary that works
Keep it short and specific. Say what you study, one or two strengths, and the role you want.
Example: “Final-year commerce student with internship experience in bookkeeping and strong MS Excel skills. Organised, quick to learn and looking for a junior accountant role.”
Turn activities into achievements
Start each line with an action word and add a number whenever you can. Compare:
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Was part of the college fest team | Organised a 2-day college fest for 1,200 students with a team of 15 |
| Did a project on attendance | Built a face-recognition attendance app used by 300 students |
| Helped in my uncle’s shop | Handled billing and stock for a family shop serving 80+ customers a day |
| Taught kids | Tutored 6 school students in maths every weekend for a year |
See our list of resume action words for more ideas.
Match each resume to the job
Many companies use software that scans resumes for the skills in the job advert. Read the advert and use the same words — if it asks for “MS Excel” and “customer service” and you have those skills, write them exactly like that. In our resume builder, paste the job advert into “Match it to a job” to see which keywords you are missing.
Keep it to one page
- One page is perfect for freshers. Recruiters often spend less than a minute on a first look.
- Use a clean, simple design. Single-column designs are the safest for company job portals.
- Choose a professional email address — firstname.lastname@… rather than a nickname.
- Check spelling twice, and ask a friend to read it.
Make it in 10 minutes
Our free resume builder has a ready-made “Fresher / student” example and designs made for first-job applicants, like Fresher, Scholar and Academic, which put education first. There is no sign-up and no watermark, and your details stay on your own device.