Applying for an internship or a full time job for the first time can be nerve wracking; not to mention the fact that you need a resume even though yoy are just starting your career. I know it is funny to think you need a resume to apply for a job when you have no experience. You might feel like you have very little information to cover but you still need to show the hiring manager why you are the best person for the job.
It’s totally normal to think like this but every work be it volunteering or summer job counts. An entry level resume would contain information related to certifications you have earned, education, internships, volunteer works, relevant societies you joined and summer jobs. The key thing here is to know that every experience counts in one way or the other; you want to show the recruiter that you have the potential to the job in question.
Tips for writing an entry level resume
Before creating any resume, list all the work you have done so far, volunteer jobs inclusive. After listing these out, think about the lessons or a new skill you learnt through the experiences you listed out.
Professional Summary: The point of this part of your resume is to note your goals for the career path you have chosen. Your professional summary should be short, straightforward and contain skills or information that makes you good at t the profession you have chosen. It is advisable to keep it to two or three sentences.
Education: For your entry level job, list out your school, degree and GPA as it is relevant. There is no need to list out all the courses you have done.
Relevant experience: Under here, list out the relevant experience you wrote down you wrote in the beginning. Write the internships, volunteer jobs, summer jobs or any relevant experience you have done and be specific about what you did. Don’t just write intern or volunteer as the title; if you were a marketing intern, cashier, or fundraiser for an NGO, make sure you note the title down.
Did you help the organisation you worked with achieve anything or were you commended for doing something significant? Feel free to mention any goal you accomplished during that time (e.g Responsible for posting flyers in over 10 communities)
Extracurricular activities, Projects, and Certifications:
You can add extracurricular activities you took part in whether they are relevant or not to show your employer that you are proactive and how you have utilised the skills you mentioned in your resume. If you have taken relevant online courses, attended a boot camp, or taken part, note them down.
After creating your resume, make sure you proofread and check to see if there are any mistakes.