How To Write A Resume With Little or No Work Experience - Resume Template

Summary

In this video, Heather Austin from ProfessorAustin.com offers tips for crafting a compelling resume with limited work experience. She advises focusing on sections like a personal summary, education, selected achievements, volunteer work, special skills, professional affiliations, and language competencies. Heather also recommends downloading the 'Six Second Resume' template for a quick start on job applications.

Takeaways

• 📝 **Focus on Skills**: Emphasize your skills, talents, and abilities even without extensive work experience.
• 🌟 **Include a Summary**: A summary highlights your greatest attributes and why you're passionate about the position.
• 🎓 **Highlight Education**: Place emphasis on your education, especially if you're a recent graduate or have less than 5 years of experience.
• 🏆 **Add Achievements**: Showcase your accomplishments in a selected achievements section to replace the work experience section.
• 🤝 **Volunteer Experience**: Including volunteer work can demonstrate initiative and is valued by employers.
• 💼 **Special Skills Section**: Highlight hard skills (like computer programming) and soft skills (like communication).
• 🔗 **Professional Affiliations**: Listing memberships shows a commitment to staying current in your industry.
• 🗣️ **Language Skills**: If you're multilingual, include this as it's a valuable asset to many employers.
• 📚 **Education Details**: Include academic honors, relevant coursework, and participation in clubs or societies.
• 🔗 **Download a Template**: Use the Six Second Resume template to tailor your resume for job applications.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video transcript?

The main focus of the video transcript is to guide individuals with little or no work experience on how to write an effective resume.

Who is the speaker in the transcript?

The speaker in the transcript is Heather Austin from ProfessorAustin.com and The Career Club on Facebook.

What is Heather Austin's area of expertise?

Heather Austin specializes in providing simple solutions to help people launch careers they love.

What is the first step Heather suggests for creating a resume with little work experience?

The first step Heather suggests is to include a summary section that showcases who you are and what makes you an ideal candidate.

Why is the education section important for someone with little work experience?

For students or recent graduates with less than 5 years of work experience, the education section is crucial as it becomes the flagship part of the resume.

What should be included in the education section of a resume?

The education section should include the name of the school, location, major or degree, and if applicable, a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

What is the purpose of the selected achievements section in a resume?

The selected achievements section serves as a highlight reel of accomplishments that relate to the job applied for, almost replacing the work experience section.

Why do employers value volunteer work on a resume?

Employers value volunteer work because it demonstrates initiative, commitment, and a willingness to take action.

What should be included in the volunteer experience section of a resume?

The volunteer experience section should include the organization or cause, a short description of the organization, the timeframe of volunteering, and bullet points demonstrating accomplishments.

How can a special skills section benefit a resume with little work experience?

A special skills section can highlight hard and soft skills that are relevant to the job, showcasing the candidate's strengths and abilities.

What is the significance of listing professional memberships or affiliations on a resume?

Listing professional memberships or affiliations shows the employer that the candidate is committed to staying current in their industry and is willing to network with peers.

Why is including a language competencies section beneficial on a resume?

Including a language competencies section is beneficial as it highlights the candidate's multilingual abilities, which are highly valued by most employers.

What resource does Heather recommend for creating a resume with little work experience?

Heather recommends downloading the Six Second Resume template, which is a quick and easy-to-use template that can be tailored for job applications.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 How to Write a Resume with Little or No Experience

The speaker addresses a common question: how to craft a resume when lacking significant work experience. The video will focus on showcasing skills, talents, and abilities even with minimal experience. Viewers are encouraged to watch until the end to access a downloadable resume template. The speaker introduces herself as Heather Austin and shares her mission of helping people launch careers they love. She invites new viewers to subscribe, engage, and comment on resume-writing challenges.

05:05

💡 Focus on Other Sections of Your Resume

This section reassures job seekers that it's possible to build a strong resume even without extensive work history by focusing on other aspects. Heather advises thinking outside the box, using experiences like babysitting, dog walking, or volunteer work to highlight work ethic and commitment. She emphasizes that this approach requires creativity and reflection on past activities that demonstrate personal qualities.

📜 Step 1: Include a Summary

The speaker outlines the importance of including a summary on your resume, which is positioned right after your contact details. This brief section should introduce you and highlight your key strengths and accomplishments. It’s an opportunity to explain why you’re passionate about the industry or position you’re applying for, giving employers a quick snapshot of what makes you a strong candidate.

🎓 Step 2: Emphasize Education and Training

Heather suggests that recent graduates or those with limited experience should prioritize the education section on their resume, placing it directly under the summary. Applicants should list their school, location, and major, and include a GPA if it's 3.0 or higher. Adding academic honors, relevant coursework, or involvement in clubs and societies can further enhance this section.

🏆 Step 3: Add a Selected Achievements Section

In place of traditional work experience, Heather recommends creating a 'Selected Achievements' section. This section allows candidates to showcase personal accomplishments that demonstrate their capabilities, such as budgeting skills or academic successes. Three to four bullet points should focus on achievements relevant to the desired position, providing measurable results where possible.

🤝 Step 4: Include Volunteer Experience

Volunteer experience is highly valued by employers, sometimes as much as paid work. Heather advises candidates to include volunteer roles, listing the organization, the cause, and the duration of their involvement. Bullet points should highlight accomplishments and responsibilities. For those without volunteer experience, Heather encourages them to seek opportunities immediately.

🛠 Step 5: Showcase Special Skills

A 'Special Skills' section should highlight a mix of hard and soft skills. Hard skills include technical abilities learned through education or experience (like computer programming or graphic design), while soft skills relate to personal traits (such as communication or decision-making). Tailoring these skills to the job applied for is crucial.

🤝 Step 6: List Professional Memberships or Affiliations

Including professional memberships or affiliations demonstrates a candidate's dedication to staying updated in their field and connecting with peers. Heather encourages job seekers to research relevant organizations if they aren't already members and include these affiliations to show commitment to their industry.

🌍 Step 7: Add Language Competencies

Heather advises listing language skills on the resume, especially if the applicant is multilingual. Employers value this skill, and candidates should clarify their proficiency levels in speaking, reading, and writing for each language. Being clear about fluency helps prevent misunderstandings.

📄 Wrap-Up: Download the Six Second Resume

In conclusion, Heather encourages viewers to download her 'Six Second Resume' template, which is easy to customize for different job applications. She reminds viewers to hit the like button, share the video, and subscribe for more content. The speaker signs off, promising to see viewers in future videos.

Keywords

💡Resume

A resume is a document used by individuals to present their skills, experiences, and education. In the context of the video, it's the primary tool for job seekers with little or no work experience to showcase their abilities. The video discusses various ways to craft a compelling resume despite limited professional history.

💡Work Experience

Work experience refers to the period an individual has spent working in a professional setting. The video addresses the challenge of creating a resume with little or no work experience by suggesting alternative ways to demonstrate one's capabilities and suitability for a job.

💡Skills

Skills are abilities and proficiencies that an individual possesses, which can be applied to perform job tasks. The video emphasizes the importance of highlighting skills on a resume, especially when work experience is limited, to demonstrate one's value to potential employers.

💡Summary

A summary on a resume is a brief, impactful statement that highlights the candidate's key attributes and what makes them an ideal candidate for the job. The video suggests that even with limited work experience, a well-crafted summary can effectively introduce a candidate to an employer.

💡Education

Education refers to the academic qualifications and training an individual has received. In the video, it is suggested that for those with limited work experience, emphasizing their education can serve as a flagship section of the resume to showcase their knowledge and potential.

💡Volunteer Work

Volunteer work involves contributing time and effort to support a cause or organization without financial gain. The video notes that including volunteer work on a resume can be highly valued by employers, as it demonstrates initiative, commitment, and a willingness to contribute.

💡Special Skills

Special skills are specific abilities that are particularly relevant to the job being applied for. The video advises including a section for special skills on a resume to highlight both hard skills (like computer programming) and soft skills (like communication) that align with the job requirements.

💡Professional Affiliations

Professional affiliations are memberships or connections with professional organizations or associations. The video suggests that listing these affiliations on a resume can show a candidate's commitment to staying current in their field and their desire to network within their industry.

💡Language Competencies

Language competencies refer to the ability to speak, read, and write in one or more languages. The video highlights the value of including language skills on a resume, as multilingualism is a highly sought-after skill in many workplaces.

💡Achievements

Achievements are notable successes or accomplishments. In the context of the video, a selected achievements section on a resume can serve as a highlight reel for personal and academic accomplishments, compensating for a lack of work experience.

💡Templates

Templates are pre-designed formats that can be used as a guide for creating documents. The video mentions a 'Six Second Resume' template that can be downloaded and tailored for job applications, providing a starting point for crafting a resume with limited work experience.

Highlights

Learn how to write a resume with little or no work experience.

Discover where to find a resume template to download and tailor for job applications.

Heather Austin from ProfessorAustin.com provides simple solutions for career launching.

Subscribe and hit the bell notification for more career tips.

Share your biggest frustration with resume writing in the comments.

Focus on other sections of your resume to impress employers without much work experience.

Think outside the box to brainstorm activities that demonstrate your work ethic.

Include a summary section to showcase your attributes and passion for the job.

Highlight your education and training, especially if you're a student or recent graduate.

List academic honors and relevant coursework to make an impact.

Add a selected achievements section to highlight your accomplishments.

Show employers your initiative by including a volunteer experience section.

Demonstrate your special skills, both hard and soft, in a dedicated section.

List professional memberships to show your commitment to staying updated in your industry.

Include a language competencies section if you speak more than one language.

Download the Six Second Resume template for an easy-to-use resume format.

Like and share the video if you found it useful.

Subscribe for more career advice videos.

Transcripts

One of the questions I get a lot is "how do I write a resume with little or no

work experience?" So in today's video, you'll learn how to write a resume that

properly showcases your skills, your talents and your abilities even if you

don't have a lot of work experience and if you stay around until the end you'll

learn where you can find a resume template that you can download today and

tailor for the next position that you apply for. If we've never met before, I'm

Heather Austin from ProfessorAustin.com and The Career Club on Facebook and

on this channel I provide simple solutions to help you launch a career

you love, so if you're new here, consider subscribing and hitting that bell notification

down below so you don't miss a thing and real quick comment down below

with what your biggest frustration is when it comes to writing a resume.

Whether you're entering the workforce for the very first time or you've had a

large gap in your work history, coming up with content to put on your resume might

feel like you're jumping through hoops. The good news is that you can focus on

other sections of your resume to impress an employer and show that you are an

ideal candidate for the job. Before we jump into how to do this, remember that

creating a resume with little or no work experience will require you to think

outside of the box. Because this is not your traditional resume that is heavy

with work experience, you'll really need to brainstorm things that you've done in

your past or are currently doing that demonstrate your work ethic and

commitment. Think of things like babysitting, dog walking, fundraising or

even Scouts or maybe you've done contract work or freelance work or even

volunteer work. Focusing on these other sections on your resume can go a long

way. So let's jump into how to add that to your resume. Step number one is to

include a summary. A summary is a great place to showcase who you are and what

makes you an ideal candidate. It falls right below your name and

contact information and is one of the first sections an employer will look when they

review your resume. So in a few sentence explain some of your greatest attributes

and accomplishments. You'll also want to mention why you are passionate about the

company, the position or the industry. Tip number two to creating a resume with

little or no work experience is to focus on your education and training. If you're a

student or a recent graduate with less than 5 years of work experience the

education section on your resume is going to be the flagship. You want to

make sure you place it right below the summary section. Start by listing the

name of the school you attended or are attending, followed by the location, then

list the major or the degree. Now if your GPA is 3.0 or higher,

feel free to list it here as well. Now to really make an impact with this section,

make sure you add academic honors or relevant coursework or even clubs and

societies that you participated in. Tip number three is to add a selected

achievement section. The selected achievements section will help you expand

on your education and your training and almost takes place of the work

experience section. Think of this as the highlight reel of what you've

accomplished so far in life. You'll want to include three to four bullet points

that you are most proud of. Maybe you've developed a personal budget where

you've been able to save ten percent every month for the past year or maybe

you received the highest level on a test out of a classroom of 50 because of your

dedication to learning. Either way, nail down accomplishments that relate to the

position that you are applying for and put them in bullet point format in the

selected achievements section. Tip number four to writing a resume with little or

no work experience is to include a volunteer experience section. Employers

absolutely love to see volunteer work on a resume.

in fact, it's been reported that 41% of employers value volunteer work as much

as they do paid work. This is the place to demonstrate to an employer your

willingness to take an initiative and to get things done. Now if you don't have

volunteer experience ,go out and get some today. So you'll start by listing the

organization or the cause that you volunteered for, followed by a short

description of the organization and then the timeframe that you volunteered.

Include a few bullet point items that demonstrate what you accomplished

as a volunteer. This leads us to tip number five to write a resume with

little or no work experience and that is to add a special skills section. A

special skills section is a great way to highlight your strengths as they pertain

to the position you are applying for. Use a combination of hard skills and soft

skills. Hard skills are things that you've acquired through your education

and your experience. This includes skills like computer programming languages,

mathematics, even graphic design. Soft skills are things that represent your

personality and behavior such as communication, decision-making,

creativity. Tip number six is to include a professional memberships or

affiliations section. Listing professional memberships or affiliations

on your resume is a great way to show the employer that you want to stay up to

date in your industry. It also demonstrates your willingness to connect

with others in your same field. If you're not a member of any professional

organizations or affiliations and you don't know which ones to join, do a

search on Google for these types of organizations in your industry. You'll

find plenty. Tip number seven to write a resume with little or no work experience

and that is to add a language competencies section. If you speak more

than one language, make sure you include that on your resume. This is a very

impressive skill that most employers will value. Now to

clear up any confusion as to your fluency in each language, you can list

your experience in speaking, writing and reading that language. Now to make sure

you get it right when it comes to writing a resume with little or no work

experience, make sure you download your copy of the Six Second Resume. It's a

quick, easy to use resume template that you can use today and tailor to the next

position that you apply for. I'll go ahead and link that up below and if you

found this video useful remember to hit the like button down below and feel free

to share this with anyone you know that might benefit and don't forget to

subscribe for more videos just like this and I will see you guys next time.