How to Make a Resume for Your First Job, With No Experience
By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published · Updated
8 min read
To make a resume for your first job, put your contact details at the top, then a two-line summary, then education, then any experience you have from school, volunteering, clubs or helping out, then skills, all on one page. The one constraint is that every line has to show something an employer can use: that you turn up, learn fast and finish things. Harvard's career services office calls a resume "a concise, informative summary of your abilities, education, and experience", and abilities count even without a job. Six complete first-job resumes follow, from a 16-year-old to a new graduate. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.
Every entry-level advert asks for one year of experience, which is a strange thing to ask of a person applying for their first year of experience. The adverts are not going to fix that. The resume can.
Entry level: 16-year-old, no work history, applying for a grocery store job (127 words)
Ava Martinez Phoenix, AZ | (602) 555-0118 | ava.martinez@email.com
Summary High school junior looking for a part-time cashier or stocker job after school and on weekends. Reliable, good with numbers, and used to early starts from swim team.
Education Desert Vista High School, Phoenix, AZ | Expected May 2028 GPA: 3.5 | Honor roll, three semesters
Experience Babysitter, two neighborhood families | 2024 to present - Look after three children aged 4 to 9 on weekday evenings; handle dinner, homework and bedtime
Volunteer, school food drive | 2025 - Sorted and counted over 600 donated items and kept the tally sheet for the student council
Skills Cash handling from school bake sales, Spanish (conversational), Google Sheets
Activities Varsity swim team: 5:30am practice four days a week
What counts as experience on a first resume
Experience does not have to be paid. If you did something regularly, with other people relying on you, it counts. Write it the same way as a job: what you did, how often, and what came of it.
- Babysitting, pet sitting, lawn care and odd jobs. These are real jobs with real customers.
- Volunteering. Food banks, church events, animal shelters, school fundraisers.
- School roles. Class representative, club officer, team captain, peer tutor, lab assistant.
- Projects. A website, a small online shop, a video channel, a car you fixed, an event you ran.
- Helping at home or in a family business. Caring for a relative or working the family store's counter.
Harvard's guide also says to "Tailor your resume to the type of position you're seeking", and adds that "This doesn't mean that all of your experiences must relate directly". So the dog walking stays. You just write it as reliability and customer care.
The section order for a resume with no experience
Use this order, top to bottom, on one page:
- Header: name, city and state, phone, a plain email address.
- Summary: two lines. The job you want, and the two things that make you a safe hire.
- Education: school, expected graduation date, GPA if 3.0 or higher, honors.
- Experience: paid, unpaid and volunteer, newest first.
- Skills: specific tools and languages, not "hard working".
- Activities: sports, clubs, anything with regular commitment.
Purdue's résumé workshop defines a résumé as a document that "summarizes your education, employment history, and experiences that are relevant to your qualifications". Education goes high on your first one because it is your longest commitment so far.
First job resume for a high school student
A senior with volunteering and a summer job has more to show. Lead with the job, because a paid job beats everything else on a first resume.
Entry level: High school senior with a summer job, applying for a restaurant host role (119 words)
Tyler Brooks Columbus, OH | (614) 555-0190 | tyler.brooks@email.com
Summary High school senior with a summer of customer-facing work at a busy ice cream shop. Looking for a host or server assistant role, evenings and weekends.
Experience Counter Server, Sweet Spot Creamery, Columbus, OH | Summer 2025 - Served customers at the counter during a 40-seat shop's busiest hours - Opened the shop alone on Sundays from my second month - Trained two new hires on the register and the cleaning checklist
Volunteer, Mid-Ohio Food Collective | 2024 to present - Pack donations on Saturday mornings, twice a month
Education Westland High School, Columbus, OH | Expected May 2026
Skills Square POS, food safety basics, friendly on the phone
First job resume for a college student
College students can show coursework, projects and campus jobs. Pick the ones that match the advert, not all of them.
Entry level: College sophomore, campus job, applying for an office assistant role (127 words)
Jasmine Patel Atlanta, GA | (404) 555-0133 | jasmine.patel@email.com
Summary Business student with a year of front desk work in a campus office. Organized, quick with spreadsheets, and comfortable answering phones and emails for a busy team.
Education Bachelor of Business Administration, Georgia State University | Expected May 2028 GPA: 3.6 | Dean's List
Experience Front Desk Assistant, Office of Student Life, Georgia State University | 2025 to present - Greet visitors, answer the phone line and route about 30 emails a day to the right staff member - Keep the room booking calendar for six meeting rooms
Projects Class project: built a budget model in Excel for a local coffee shop's second location
Skills Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP), Google Workspace, Outlook calendar, typing 60 wpm
First job resume for a new graduate
A new graduate puts the degree first and fills the experience section with internships, research and part-time work. Our summa cum laude guide shows how to add Latin honors to the degree line.
Entry level: New graduate with one internship, applying for a junior marketing role (110 words)
Daniel Kim Seattle, WA | (206) 555-0147 | daniel.kim@email.com
Summary Marketing graduate with a summer internship running social posts for a regional retailer. Writes fast, reads analytics and likes testing what works.
Education Bachelor of Arts in Marketing, University of Washington | June 2026 GPA: 3.4
Experience Marketing Intern, Cascade Outdoor Supply, Seattle, WA | Summer 2025 - Scheduled and wrote Instagram and email posts for 12 weeks - Built a weekly report of open rates and clicks for the marketing manager
Barista, campus coffee shop | 2023 to 2026 - Worked 15 hours a week through school; trusted to close and cash up
Skills Canva, Mailchimp, Google Analytics, copywriting
First job resume for a trade or apprenticeship
Trade employers want to see that you are safe, hands-on and reliable. Put certifications near the top.
Entry level: Trade school student applying for an electrical apprenticeship (96 words)
Marcus Johnson Dallas, TX | (214) 555-0162 | marcus.johnson@email.com
Summary Electrical technology student finishing a one-year certificate, looking for an apprenticeship with a residential or commercial contractor. OSHA 10 card holder.
Certifications OSHA 10-Hour Construction | 2025
Education Certificate in Electrical Technology, Dallas College | Expected May 2026
Experience Helper, family friend's handyman business | Summers 2023 to 2025 - Carried materials, set up job sites and cleaned up at the end of each day - Helped replace outlets and light fixtures under supervision
Skills Hand and power tools, reading basic wiring diagrams, valid driver's license
First job resume as an adult
Some people get their first formal job later: after raising children, caring for a relative, or moving to a new country. The rules are the same. Unpaid work that kept a household or a family running is real experience, and it goes in the experience section.
Entry level: Adult first job after caring for a family member, applying for a receptionist role (110 words)
Elena Rossi Tampa, FL | (813) 555-0124 | elena.rossi@email.com
Summary Organized, calm and used to managing appointments, bills and paperwork after five years as a full-time family caregiver. Looking for a receptionist role in a medical or dental office.
Experience Family Caregiver, full time | 2021 to 2026 - Managed medical appointments, prescriptions and insurance calls for a parent with a long-term illness - Kept a shared calendar and paperwork file for three siblings and two doctors' offices
Volunteer, church welcome desk | 2023 to present - Greet visitors on Sundays and keep the events sign-up list
Skills Phone and email etiquette, Google Calendar, Microsoft Word, bilingual English and Italian
Mistakes that cost a first resume the call
- A blank page because "I have nothing". You have the six things listed above. Use them.
- An email address from middle school. Make a plain one with your name.
- Two pages. A first resume is one page. Our guide to two-page resumes explains when the second page is earned.
- The same resume for every job. Change the summary and the skills to match each advert.
- Words with no proof. "Hard working" means nothing. "Opened the shop alone on Sundays" means a lot.
The U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop also runs a free resume writing guide that says: "Use this Resume Writing Guide to help you write each section of your resume." For the words to use, see our resume action verbs, and if you need help with the skills part, the soft skills for a resume guide shows how to prove each one. For the full process at any stage, see how to make a resume.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a resume for my first job with no experience?
Use one page: header, a two-line summary, education, then experience from babysitting, volunteering, school roles or projects, then skills and activities. Write each unpaid role like a job, with what you did and how often. Change the summary and skills for every job you apply to.
What do I put on a resume if I have never had a job?
Put your education, any regular unpaid work such as babysitting, pet sitting or volunteering, school roles like club officer or team captain, and projects you finished. Add specific skills such as a language, a software tool or cash handling. Anything that shows you are reliable and can learn counts.
Should a first job resume have an objective or a summary?
A short summary works best: two lines naming the job you want and the two things that make you a safe hire, such as reliability and a relevant skill. Avoid long objectives about what you want from the employer. The reader wants to know what you will do for them.
How long should a resume be for a first job?
One page. A first resume rarely has enough material for more, and a second page filled with hobbies or old coursework weakens the first. If you have a lot of school activities, pick the ones that match the job and drop the rest.
Do I need references on my first resume?
No. Leave references off the page and do not write "references available on request". Prepare two or three names separately, such as a teacher, coach or volunteer supervisor, and ask them first. Give the list when the employer asks for it, usually after an interview.
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