How to write your first resume with no work experience

Choose evidence that relates to the work

Match the role's tasks to examples you can explain. Basic spreadsheet requirements point towards Alex's school project; teamwork points towards the library volunteering.

Note your part and what you produced. “Prepared a spreadsheet of survey responses” describes useful work without claiming advanced expertise or a business result.

A complete first-job resume

Alex
[City, country] | alex@example.com

PROFILE
First-job applicant with a secondary school certificate,
school-project experience in basic spreadsheets and presentations,
and experience working with other community-library volunteers.

EDUCATION
Secondary school certificate
Example School (fictional) — completed June 2026

SCHOOL GROUP PROJECT
March–May 2026
• Prepared a spreadsheet of survey responses.
• Presented the group's findings.

VOLUNTEERING
Community library volunteer
September 2025–June 2026
• Helped two other volunteers organize book returns.
• Prepared a shared task checklist.

SKILLS
Basic spreadsheets — prepared a spreadsheet of survey responses.
Clear presentations — presented the school group's findings.
Volunteer teamwork — helped other volunteers organize book returns.

Why these sections work together

The profile introduces the experience shown below.

Education comes early for this first-job resume. Keep the qualification's actual status and completion date; coursework alone is not a completed qualification.

The project shows spreadsheet and presentation work, with credit retained for the group's findings.

Volunteering has its own heading. Helping two other volunteers describes Alex's contribution without inventing a paid role or team-management responsibility. The checklist is an output, not proof that book returns became faster.

The skills section connects each capability to an example. It prepares Alex to answer, “When have you used that?”

Use only sections you can fill with relevant, accurate information. Alex needs no empty Employment section.

Adapt it for an internship

For an internship emphasizing spreadsheets, move the school project above Education and keep the spreadsheet bullet first. A suitable alternative profile is:

Applicant seeking an internship, with school-project experience preparing a spreadsheet of survey responses and presenting the group's findings.

The underlying activities and dates stay unchanged. The application goal changes; school and volunteer work do not become company experience.

Make your first draft

List two or three relevant activities. Add dates, your actions and an output you can support. Use the bullet-writing guide to shape those notes; the CV structure guide shows how the balance changes once you have employment experience.

The CV and application writing Skill can help draft editable text from selected material. Your chosen assistant/provider processes it after explaining the sharing boundary and obtaining your explicit agreement. Check each claim before using the draft. The installation guide explains setup.