How to make a resume for your first job: Template and tips

You’ve wrapped up your education and are keen to make your debut into the workforce. You might have already started bookmarking jobs you like – but there’s something you're still not clear on: how to make a resume for your first job.

A good resumé is an essential tool for every job seeker. And it’s even more important for new job seekers with limited or no work experience. It’s the first thing that prospective employers and recruiters want to see, no matter what stage of career you’re at. A well-written, professional-looking resumé makes all the difference when you’re applying for roles and need to stand out. 

How to approach a first job resumé when you don’t have any experience? First-time job seekers have to take a different tack to writing a resumé than people with years of work experience. If you’ve researched resumé examples for a first job, you’ll have noticed that overall they’re shorter and have a greater focus on education and soft skills than resumés for those with work experience.

In this article, we show you how to write your first resumé, the best fonts and formatting to use, and what skills to put on your first job resumé. We also provide resumé examples for a first job and a resumé template you can use, to give you a head start.

Why a resumé is important for your first job

A resumé serves as an at-a-glance introduction to you for hiring managers. It provides a quick overview of who you are and your educational, professional background. Resumes aren't just about listing work skills and experience; they're also for providing a snapshot of your extra-curricular activities, any uni or TAFE projects you've worked on, and any transferable skills you've picked up. Importantly, almost all online job ads will require you to upload a resume before you can apply; they're a must, no matter where you are in your career.

Steps to make your first resume

Before sitting down to write your first job resumé, it’s important to gather all the information you want to include. By preparing all this information up front, you’ll find it much easier to tailor your resumé to your skills and the types of roles you’re applying for. 

Take a moment to assess your goals. What kind of job are you aspiring to get? Who is your target audience (a hiring manager, a recruiter, an industry leader)? Make a list of all your soft skills and technical abilities. Write down the formal names of your qualifications, which school or institution they’re from, and when you started and finished the course/training. 

Once you have all your information together, you can start to write your resumé and tailor it to your audience and purpose. For example, if you’re applying for an entry-level role in finance, you’ll want to highlight any education you have in economics or mathematics, and mention soft skills like critical thinking and communication. 

You should also read through any job descriptions you’ve saved and look at the specific criteria they list. It’s important to understand exactly what your prospective employer is looking for before you start to write your resumé. On that note: you should tailor your resumé to suit every role you apply for, changing it to reflect the job requirements listed in each ad.

How to structure a resumé

Once you’ve decided on the information you want to include on your first job resumé, it’s time to format it. The right formatting ensures that you’re highlighting the correct information and that your skills and qualifications are easy to scan. Not only that, a well-formatted and well-structured resumé makes a professional first impression. It sends a message to the recruiter that you’re organised, competent and have good attention to detail – all desirable qualities in an employee. 

Your resumé doesn’t have to be exactly the same as your peers’ or any first job resumé examples you may have seen online. Resumés come in a wide variety of designs, with different sections, headings and formats. However, there are certain elements you must include, whether it’s your first job resumé or your tenth. Here's a good resume structure to base yours from.

1. Your details

Your details should be at the top of your first job resumé, in a bold, easy-to-read font. You want it to be effortless for the hiring manager to get in touch with you. While your home address is not necessary, you should include your phone number, email address and potentially links to your social media accounts, in hyperlinks. 

2. A resumé summary

It’s a good idea to write a resumé objective for a first job as it helps provide some insight into you, your skills and your career ambitions. Without any work experience on your resumé, this is your chance to tell the hiring manager why you’re suitable for the role.  For example: I am a recent environmental engineering graduate with an interest in sustainable urban infastructure. I'm keen to put my skills to work in a full-time engineering role within a global company.

3. Education

Your resumé should always include your academic background. List schools and colleges/universities you’ve attended, as well as key qualifications and any special awards you’ve received. There’s no need to include your grades for most job roles, unless they are particularly impressive or relevant to your industry. However, do include any specialisations you took at uni or technical college and even accolades from senior high school. Did you get any prizes in a maths comp? Did you receive any achievement awards? These things provide a good impression of your capabilities.

4. Experience

You might not have any formal experience to list on a first job resumé, but you can still include this section if you have done any casual or informal jobs. You might have done voluntary work or helped out at the family business. If it’s relevant to your career path, include those duties and what your main responsibilities were.

What do you do if you don't have work experience?

Employers don't expect a recent graduate or school leaver to have much, if any, formal work experience. For an entry-level role, they are more interested in seeing transferable skills or evidence that you can be a conscientious and capable addition to their team. Instead of a Work Experience section, include a Hobbies, Sports or Volunteering section.

5. Skills

This is one of the most important parts of your first job resumé. It’s where you list all of your skills, prioritised by how relevant they are to the job you’re applying for. You can list all the skills you accrued in your studies: software proficiency, analytical skills, public-speaking skills, teamwork, graphic design, editing, coaching, accounting – any abilities you have that will grab the attention of the recruiter.

How to write about skills without work experience 

Even if you've never had a job, you still have marketable, transferable skills. These are the 'soft' skills that support any technical skills and knowledge needed for being a productive and collaborative member of a team. Your skills don't need any qualifying, you can simply list them with bullet points. Make sure to include any skills listed in the job ad at the top of this section. Here's an example:

6. Hobbies

To add more dimension to your resumé, add sections for extracurricular activities, hobbies and/or references. You could also add any sporting achievements, linking your skills to the criteria for the role. For example, as captain of the local soccer team, you may have acquired leadership or conflict-resolution skills. Including hobbies and sports injects your resume with more of your personality and gives the impression that you would be a motivated and capable team member.

How to include school or volunteer experience

In your Experience section, list school projects or volunteer work you've done. List this experience as you'd list formal work experience, starting with the most recent first. For example:

How to enhance your resumé

Don’t worry if your first job resumé is a little light on content. There are ways you can enhance it without filling it with irrelevant information. Here are three ways you can enhance your first job resume, to get you closer to an interview.

1. Format it professionally

No matter what type of resume template you opt for, it’s important that the layout is tidy, the design is clean, and the font is professional and easy to scan. It doesn’t matter how skilled or qualified you are if your resumé uses a font that’s too small or hard to read, or your most relevant skills are buried in a big block of text. 

Recruiters usually receive a high volume of applications and have a limited amount of time to read each resumé and cover letter. They might only have time to skim-read for your skills, so it’s worth paying extra attention to the top third of your resumé. 

2. Make it ATS-ready

One important thing to note is that many organisations use software called applicant tracking systems (ATS) to scan resumés and sort them automatically based on key words and phrases. For this reason, it’s also a good idea to tailor your resumé to include the exact words used in the job description. Include the job title you’re applying for in the heading at the top and include keywords that connect to the field of work you want to do.

3. Include a cover letter

It’s also good to remember that your resumé is only one factor in your application. In most cases, it will be supported by a cover letter, where you can be more specific and detailed about your suitability for the role. 

Finalising your resumé

Before you send off your first job resumé, read it through for any typos or spelling errors. After that, share it with a friend or family member for feedback, in case you missed any little mistakes. Refer back to the job description and see if you’ve included all the right keywords and phrases. Look up skills to put on your first job resumé if you feel it needs more targeted content to help it stand out.

Once you’ve finalised your resumé, print it out and do a final proofread, as sometimes mistakes are easier to notice on paper than on a screen. If it’s good to go, convert your file to a PDF and print it out a final time to make sure it’s still formatted correctly. 

Resumé templates and examples

To give you an idea of how to make a resume for a first job, here is an example that you can use as a template for your own. Read the example, then write your own personalised version, substituting in your details and skills relevant to the job role. Here’s a simple starter resumé example:

Dos and Don’ts: Common first-time resumé mistakes to avoid

A resumé is an essential part of the job-seeker’s toolkit, so it’s worthwhile spending time to get it right. If you're wondering how to make a resume for a first job that'll get you shortlisted for an interview, are some tips you shouldn't forget and some mistakes you want to avoid.

Dos

• Do spend time assessing your experience, skills and attributes, and try to see it from an employer's perspective
• Do tailor your resume to the job ad, incorporating keywords from the job ad
• Do format your resume neatly and professionally
• Do proofread your resume and have someone else read it as well, asit shows your attention to detail
• Do use a template, and personalise it to you and for the role

Don'ts

• Don't make your resume more than one page long
• Don't overstate your skills or qualifications
• Don't include a profile picture
• Don't use fancy formatting that may confuse the ATS
• Don't include any pastimes that conflict with the values of the company

For recent graduates, that means focusing on education, skills and a well-written resumé objective – and making sure your formatting and structure looks neat and professional, so it makes a good impression. 

Tailor your resumé to the job you’re applying for and include important keywords and phrases for potential automated tracking systems. Importantly, remember that your resumé is only a part of your application – keep it concise and to the point and save any extra details for your cover letter.

Download free resume template here.

FAQs

What do I include in my first job resume?

Your first job resume should include your contact details, a resume summary, your education, skills, experience, hobbies and any awards you may have received. Your first-job resume should be tailored to the job your applying for, incorporating keywords from the job ad and addressing any criteria listed by the employer.

How do I write a resume if I have no experience?

While you may not have much, or any, work experience, it's helpful to keep this section and list any other informal roles you may have had. Include volunteer work, extracurricular activities, sports, hobbies, education and qualifications. If you've received any awards at high school or university or belong to any clubs or sports teams, that's also helpful to include.

How to make a resume for a first job after school?

If you don't have tertiary qualifications, you should still include all of the main sections (Education, Skills, Experience), but be more detailed about your studies im high school. List your elective subjects and final projects (if you had any). Include any extracurricular activities you were involved in (the school cricket or netball team, for instance). If you surf or go to the gym regularly, you can list things like this in your Hobbies section. If you have a social media following or curate your own content feeds, include this as well. Assess all your skills and pastimes and include anything that's relevant to the role.