What should you include in your resume if you're a student with little experience/ skills?
Looking to develop a resume that is effective and stands out, but I'm a high school student without much experience or skills. Are there any things you can include that someone reviewing your resume would find useful to know? Does the fact that I volunteer as a teacher assistant or that I'm oldest to 5 children make any difference? Would really appreciate guidance! #resume #resume-writing #resumes #evaluating-resumes #experience #interviewing-skills #interview #interviews #interviewing #interview-preparation #writing
14 answers
Anwar’s Answer
When you're first entering the work force, it's challenging to prove your competence, skills, and value without a solid work history to point to. Question is You know that you'd make an excellent employee, but how can you convince your potential employer of this in just a handful of words?
So it's crucial that you make a good impression and give a well-rounded look at your skills and talents.
You may not have an extensive work history, but you've no doubt been doing something to fill your hours the last few years.
Turn your school activities, volunteer jobs, and educational achievements into worthy inclusions for your resume.
You can use your experience as a summer camp volunteer or the skills you learned in a computer class to fill out your resume.
If you're struggling to identify your strengths, ask around. Teachers, parents, friends, and family members can help you identify areas where you stand out from the pack. Point out that you're a strong speaker, an organized and punctual individual, or a natural leader, particularly when these skills translate well to the job that you want to land.
Tailor your resume to the position that you're applying for as much as possible. Highlight the most relevant skills and try to give some cohesion to your no-experience resume whenever possible.
For example, if you're applying to work on construction of park facilities, you can make your teamwork, physical abilities, and experience with outdoor activities into relevant features that show why you're right for the job.
Best Regards and Wishing you luck
Thank you so much for your advice, this was so helpful!
Mireia
Karina’s Answer
You could include stuff like:
1) Some relevant courses (from your coursework of last attended college/school)
2) Soft skills that you possess
3) Any (academic) projects that you completed as part of your coursework (or on your own)
4) Any competitions where you won award/prize
5) Any professional memberships that you might have
Hope this helps!!!
Aundraya N.’s Answer
Hi Mireia!
You can absolutely include your volunteer work as a teacher assistant! Most employers understand that high school students will not have a strong “paid” work history. Volunteer activities are a great way to build experience and showcase your skills and abilities.
My recommendations would be to create a Volunteer Experience section and include any volunteer work activities you may have (especially if related to the job you are applying for). As the oldest sibling, you have an opportunity to highlight your responsibilities for taking care of your younger siblings (homework assistance, preparing meals/snacks, hygiene needs, etc.). If you participate in any extra-curricular activities on campus, you can create a section for these activities as well (and be sure to highlight any leadership roles you may have). You can also include a Skills section and tailor your list based on the job requirements. Remember to be prepared with examples of how you have applied your skills to share during the interview. Including any attendance, academic, or teamwork awards you may have is also a great way to show employers that you will be a productive and punctual employee.
Good luck with your job search!
Aundraya N. recommends the following next steps:
Poonam’s Answer
You should follow these guideline for making your resume:
1. STICK TO EMPLOYMENT ONLY:
Name the section either “Work Experience,” “Work History,” “Employment Experience,” “Employment History” or whatever another title that compactly uncovers what the section involves. It should just incorporate experience for which you were paid. This incorporates full-time jobs, part-time jobs, freelance work, temporary jobs, and projects for which you were a piece of temporarily. It does exclude volunteer jobs, or some other sort of unpaid, charity/social work.
On the off chance that you do feel there are unpaid jobs that the employer should think about, the information ought to go in its own particular area. Mark it “Relevant Experience” or “Other Experience.” Write in a similar way you will write work history.
for more click here: Write Your Resume Work Experience Section
Thank you so much for your expert advice!
Mireia
Irene’s Answer
Here's another way to think about it - What characteristics would a person in that role have to be successful? For example, should a person in that role be a team player, communicate well, think on their feet, or be organized? Highlight your experiences that showcase these abilities. Best of luck!
Leon’s Answer
Lucie’s Answer
#1 Ask your network
By that I mean your family and friends. If they had to give you one skill, what would it be?
#2 Focus on your extracurricular activities
You might not have an internship or other work experience, but you must have experience. For example: you worked as a ticket volunteer during a play. Well this showcase your ability to handle money, be organized, communicate, etc.
#3 Don't lie about your experience
Sooner or later, the hiring manager will figure it out and it won't help. I would really focus on #1 and #2 to cop with the little experience you have!
Hope this helps,
Cheers
Miste’s Answer
Yes, yes and Yes! A lot of people do not realize that VOULUNTEERISM and/or COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT is valid work experience and can be included on your resume. Please know that if you have done special projects in school that these count. I think that athletics can also count as well.
You can put your Volunteerism under the Work History or under a section itself called Volunteerism or Community Involvement. If you do not have much of a work history, I suggest putting it under the Work History heading section and it will be listed chronologically from the latest work and volunteer effort going back.
If you volunteered and it was ended you would put the time frame you did the volunteer work. Be consistent throughout the resume if you use Month and year beginning and ending dates.
If you are still volunteering for the organization it would be one of the first ones listing under Work History and whatever month and year you started you would list and you would put PRESENT.
The important thing to realize are the skills that you are using in your volunteer activities do translate. Transferable skills are the key, connect with your transferable skills and these are skills you can do on any and every job/volunteer opportunity (ie. data entry, customer service, fundraising, etc)
Employers have very positive opinions of volunteerism and people that do it. They tend to think people you volunteer are community and globally minded, think outside of themselves and are team oriented.
Mandy’s Answer
Fiona’s Answer
Do you have any unique skills? E.g. language skills?
Any volunteering experience?
Interesting hobbies or extra curricular activities and achievements for those?
Shiqi’s Answer
Even if you didn't have a lot of work experience, there are still a lot of things you can talk about for the time you spent at school. For example, if you are a Residential Advisor, an athlete, or a leader in a student organization, you can put them on your resume because they show your leadership skills, and other soft skills you would like to highlight.
You can also apply to become a teaching assistant for an introductory class you took, or a grader for a professor. Any of these experience shows that you have been actively looking for opportunities. And try to line up your experiences to make them your story!
Jay’s Answer
It is always tough forming a resume when you are just starting out.
My suggestion is to keep your experience and content to your past jobs, volunteering efforts, and academics. While being one of 5 children does indeed influence your ability to work and adapt in groups, it is not necessarily something that fits in with a resume.
If you have included all of your volunteering, jobs, and academics, and you are still finding your resume a little light, I would recommend crafting unique cover letters for each role you apply to explaining why you are interested in the role and explaining that you are new to the working world, and are eager to gain experience.
Best of luck
Alejandra’s Answer
Hi Mireia! You should defenitely include your volunteer, as you are a high school student you should also include projects and things you have participate in besides school; for example any extra curricula activities will work. Also include your skills and strenghts.
Bradley’s Answer
This is definitely a tough question. You should always try to include any situations where you have taken on a leadership role. In whatever situation, companies are always looking for people with leadership qualities. It is tough to be a young professional with not a lot of experience but for a lot of companies, it is all about finding someone with the right qualities over the right experience.