Taking the “Fright” Out of Lack of Experience on your Resume

Writing a resume can be challenging for anyone, but even more so when you have little experience to point to. Young adults fresh out of high school or college transitioning into the work force can find it difficult to know what to include and may worry that this lack of experience will negatively impact their job search. The important thing is to focus on the knowledge, skills, and training that you do have, rather than those that you don’t. You want to show employers why you are worth taking a chance on and will fit well within their organization.

Elaborate on projects that show transferable skills or are related to the type of position that you seek. Highlight your role and what you accomplished. Even though they may be strictly academic, it still emphasizes a solid foundation that you can then continue to build upon.

Include extracurriculars where you held leadership roles or developed skills as a team player. These can show your strengths in organization, problem solving, collaboration, planning, and more. While the specific activity may not be related to your future career, oftentimes the skills used are transferable across various settings.

Highlight volunteer work to show real-world experience. It may be unpaid but it is valuable experience nevertheless. Focus on what you accomplished, skills gained, and any other relevant information. Volunteering in a soup kitchen or helping to run a fundraiser can emphasize interpersonal skills, communication, time management, leadership, event planning, or marketing. Look for broader connections to the type of job you are seeking.

Emphasize your best strengths in your summary of qualifications and throughout the content. Your summary is your chance to capture an employer’s attention and show them what you bring to the table. Complement this with a section of core competencies that quickly showcases your various skill sets and training.

Don’t go overboard or lie to make your resume look more impressive. Stick with the facts. If you start overinflating your accomplishments or participation, this can raise a red flag to employers. When you go in for an interview, you may be stuck in an awkward position trying to explain yourself and the skills that you can’t defend. While you want to present your accomplishments in the most positive light, you want to be honest.

Keep your resume clean and easy to read so that employers can find exactly what they are looking for. Including fancy fonts, graphics, or other tricks to try to take up space can make you appear unprofessional and actually draw attention to the fact that you are trying to cover something up.

Taking the “Fright” Out of Lack of Experience on your Resume