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How do I make my resume stand out when I don't have any work experience?

I'm a final year student who has to go into the corporate world soon. However, it's hard writing and building my resume because I have no previous work experience. How can I stand out? #job
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Paul’s Answer

One of the best ways to make your resume stand out, even if you do have work experience, is to showcase your skills through any volunteering you may have done. If the places you volunteered at relate to your major, that's an added bonus but don't worry if they don't. You could explain that you choose to volunteer because you wanted to make a big impact on someone else's life. Of course, that's just an example so come up with your own explanation but just make sure it's sincere.

In addition, participation in clubs, organizations or teams can help set you apart as well. This is especially true if you held any positions such as President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Team Captain, etc. Positions like that will provide examples of your leadership capabilities and working with others to meet a common goal. If you didn't hold any positions, it's not a big deal. Just talk about how your contributions and how you helped the club or team meet it's objective .
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Simeon’s Answer

The best you can do with no experience is to list any classes or clubs that you've been in and put bullet points under your education and club experience to explain some of the specific skills that are relevant to the job you're applying for. Also, don't forget to network and build connections with people. The more people you know, the wider your prospects for job opportunities becomes.
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Ujjaini’s Answer

Hi ,

First of all good luck! I know the search for that first job can be daunting, confusing , but know you are not alone!
I would highlight any volunteering you have done, any school or college level competitions you participated in. I would also go into more details about your academic interests and where possible create individual resumes that tie your academic interests to the role you are applying to.

Best of luck!
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Mufhim’s Answer

Hi Sharmilla,

A lot of the answers covered volunteering and life experiences, which will definitely add value.

In addition to these, you can also note down any interesting or noteworthy projects you have worked on. This could be assignments or research deep dives you have done. Add these projects to the CV along with a description for each.

I'm assuming you're a fresh grad building out your CV. The important thing to remember is, you'll be evaluated for your potential early in your career. They're likely looking for your drive, your attitude, and what you can bring to the table, not entirely on hard skills. So think about what can you add to the CV that shows your potential?

Hope this helps. All the best!
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Claire’s Answer

I agree with the previous answers but would also say do your homework about the company / organisation you are applying to. What are their goals or commitments and how do your skills match these, for example if their primary commitment is trust can you give an example where you have demonstrated this? Its great to map your experience / successes to a companies ethos.
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Nadia’s Answer

When you want to stand out when you do not have work experience focus on your natural gifts and what you already know. Leverage organizations and clubs you currently work with. Use any skills on your resume that are transferrable to the profession you are interested in. And get recommendations from people you know.
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Pia’s Answer

Agree with all of the above! Also would add that outside of your resume, networking with folks in positions you are interested in will be very helpful. They can provide guidance about the specifics of your field, and if a new entry-level opening on their team arises, they might even keep you mind.
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Marcus’s Answer

Perhaps Create a 1-2 line statement on top of resume about yourself that briefly highlights your prior life experiences demonstrating interest to learn or help others. You can be more specific about those in a section below focusing on “Life Experiences”. Then you can list your Formal Education

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Henning’s Answer

It is ok not to have any work experience (everyone needs to start somewhere!). I have reviewed plenty of resumes in my career and these are some of the things I am looking for: (1) consistency - avoid gaps, make sure things are consistent; (2) initiative - what are some of the things the candidate has done to show interest/drive (volunteering, course work etc); (3) interests - a lot of people think this section does not matter and put very generic interests. don't do that. use interests to make yourself unique/interesting; (4) grades - make sure you do as well as possible. while it is not the most important part to me, it is the easiest way to throw resumes out. so make sure you put yourself into a reasonable position.
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