One of the best parts of finishing college is finally getting out into the world and finding your footing in a new job. One of the hardest is actually getting that job. You can’t get hired without experience, but you can never gain experience if you don’t get hired. I’ve totally been there before! I’ve always been told that the key to landing that gig I’ve had my eye on is to make a bangin’ resume. So what do you do when you’re writing a resume but you don’t have any job experience? You vamp it up! This is where the ultimate ladybrag comes into play. No need to be humble, lets show them why they need to stop what they’re doing and hire you.
The first step to writing your resume without job experience is to capitalize on any large projects you were a part of in the past. This includes volunteer work or donated time that you’ve done for your school, area of study, or even just your community. If you’re trying to work with animals and you have donated time volunteering at local pet shelter, then make this a focal point on your resume. Volunteering shows that you care and can even give them an idea of who you are by showing off your passions.
Internships count as experience as well. Even if the internship was not paid or was only over a short period of time, employers love to see where you were an intern at. This shows them that you have the dedication needed for the job and that you can function in a work environment even without the technical experience. Give them a detailed experience of the office you interned at over the summer. List your daily duties and overall achievements like you would a job.
Make a list of any degrees or certificates that you’ve earned over time. A lot of the time local libraries and colleges can offer free courses and certification programs for hundreds of different fields of study. You can find classes that can be done fully online too! While you can’t get hired based off of certifications, employers love seeing what steps you’ve taken to work on your future. Grab a certification for your career field (medical field jobs are always looking to certify students) and use that as an added bonus not only to your degree but to your resume.
Finally, my favorite part of any resume is getting the chance to show them what you’re working with! Showcase who you are as a person in a way that says “Hey, I’m really awesome and this is why you need me on your team”. Show them exactly how their company can benefit from bringing you on. I like to make a bullet point list of my personal traits that would fit the position. These skills could be anything from being seriously social media savvy or being able to speak three different languages. Not only could these skills help out in a future job, but they make you stand out from any other applicants.
Be confident in yourself, girl! You don’t need to have a laundry list of job experiences to wow your future employers with your skills and your can-do attitude. New get out there, write those resumes and find your way into your next career.
(Feature image via @misspoppydesign)
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