First Job Resume Template (No Experience)
Writing your first resume with zero work experience? Use this template to turn volunteer work, school projects, and skills into a one-page resume that gets callbacks.
Key Takeaways
Put Education first when you have no work history. Include GPA (if 3.0+), honors, and relevant coursework.
Volunteer work, school projects, and extracurriculars count as experience. Format them like jobs with action verbs and results.
Keep it to one page. Recruiters spend 6-10 seconds scanning a resume (Ladders Eye-Tracking Study).
Include 15-25 keywords from the job description to pass ATS screening systems.
Use the free AI Resume Builder to format your resume professionally.
What Should You Put on a Resume With No Experience?
Lead with education, skills, and any unpaid experience like volunteering, school projects, or extracurricular leadership. Employers hiring entry-level workers expect no formal work history. They're looking for signals that you're reliable, trainable, and motivated.
Your first resume should include these sections in this order:
- Contact info (name, professional email, phone, city/state)
- Professional summary (2-3 sentences: who you are, what you bring, what you're looking for)
- Education (school, degree/diploma, GPA if 3.0+, relevant coursework, honors)
- Skills (hard skills + soft skills matching the job posting)
- Experience (volunteer work, projects, clubs formatted like paid work)
Format each experience entry like a job:
- Title | Organization | Dates
- 2-4 bullet points starting with action verbs
- Include numbers where possible ("organized events for 50+ students")
How Do You Write a Professional Summary With No Experience?
Open with what you bring (skills, education, attitude), not what you lack. Never write "I have no experience." Instead, focus on your strengths.
Template: "[Adjective] [student/graduate/worker] with [skill or quality]. Seeking [type of role] where I can [contribution]. [One relevant achievement or certification]."
Examples:
- "Reliable, detail-oriented high school graduate with food handler certification. Seeking a hospitality role where I can apply my customer service skills and grow into a supervisory position."
- "Organized, physically active student looking for flexible warehouse shifts. Completed OSHA 10 safety certification and available evenings and weekends."
- "Bilingual (English/Spanish) recent graduate with strong communication skills. Looking for retail or hospitality work to build professional experience while finishing college."
Keep it under 50 words. Skip buzzwords like "passionate" or "hard-working" without evidence.
Which Skills Should You List for Entry-Level Jobs?
Match your skills to the job description. Use the exact words from the posting because ATS systems scan for keyword matches.
Skills that work across most entry-level temp jobs:
Pro tip: Certifications can replace experience. A forklift certification ($60-150) can unlock warehouse roles paying $18-25/hr (BLS OEWS, 2025). See our Certification Guide for options.
How Do You Format a First Resume for ATS?
Use a simple, single-column layout with standard section headings and a common font. Avoid graphics, tables, headers/footers, and text boxes that ATS software can't read.
ATS-friendly rules:
- Font: Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman, 10-12pt
- File format: PDF (unless the posting says .docx)
- Section headings: Use standard labels: "Education," "Skills," "Experience" (not creative alternatives)
- No graphics or icons: ATS can't parse images
- No headers/footers: Some ATS skip these entirely
- Keywords: Include 15-25 from the job description naturally throughout your resume
Free tools to build your resume:
- AI Resume Builder (free, ATS-optimized)
- Google Docs resume templates (free, simple)
- Canva (beautiful designs, but check ATS compatibility)
See our ATS Resume Tips for a deeper guide.
Ready to put this into practice?
Browse available shifts and start earning on your own schedule
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & References
We cite the underlying sources used to research this article so you can verify any fact yourself.
- 1Staffing apps Picker Packer Resume GuideTier 1 · Primary
Accessed 2026-03-24
- 2BLS OEWS Warehouse Worker PayTier 1 · Primary
Accessed 2026-03-24
Related Guides
Step-by-step guide to creating your first resume with no experience. Learn what employers look for in entry-level candidates and how to stand out.
Breaking into the workforce with no job history? Proven strategies and action plans to land your first job when you have zero professional experience.
Learn how Applicant Tracking Systems work and how to format your resume to pass ATS screening. Boost your callback rate with proven optimization tips.