How do you make a resume for your first job?
A first resume uses the same basic structure as any other resume. The difference is that it leads with your education, skills and activities instead of a long job history. Follow these eight steps.
- Pick a simple layout. Use a blank document or a one-column template in Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Skip designs with photos, tables, icons or sidebars.
- Write your header. Put your name at the top in larger type, then your city and state, phone number and a professional email built from your name, such as elijah.carter@example.com. Leave off your street address.
- Add a short summary. In 2 or 3 sentences, say who you are, your strongest qualities and the job you want. These resume objective examples include several written for first jobs.
- List your education. Include your school, city and state, and graduation date or expected date. Add your GPA if it is 3.0 or higher, plus honors and relevant classes.
- Add your skills. List 6 to 10 skills that match the job posting. Our guide to skills for a resume shows how to pick them.
- Turn activities into experience. Format volunteer work, clubs, sports and informal jobs like real job entries, with a title, organization, dates and 2 or 3 bullets.
- Add certifications and awards. CPR, a food handler card, honor roll or a perfect attendance award all help.
- Proofread, then save as a PDF. Read it aloud, ask a teacher or parent to check it, and fix every typo.
How do you type a resume for a first job?
If you have never formatted a document like this, here is how to type a resume in Google Docs or Word.
- Open a blank document. In Google Docs, choose Blank document. In Word, go to File, then New, then Blank document.
- Set 1-inch margins. In Google Docs, use File, then Page setup. In Word, use Layout, then Margins, then Normal.
- Choose a font. Use Calibri or Arial at 11 points for body text and 18 to 20 points, bold, for your name.
- Type section headings in bold capital letters, such as EDUCATION and SKILLS, and leave a blank line above each one.
- Use the bullet list button for your bullets instead of typing dashes or asterisks.
- Put each entry on one line: title, organization, city and state, then a vertical bar and the dates.
- Save as a PDF. In Google Docs, use File, then Download, then PDF Document. In Word, use File, then Save As, and choose PDF as the file type.
- Name the file clearly, such as “Elijah-Carter-Resume.pdf.”
Not sure which sections to include or in what order? Our guide to the parts of a resume shows the best section order for high school and college students.
What can you put on a resume instead of work experience?
Almost anything where you showed up regularly, took responsibility or produced a result. Here is how common first-time experiences look as resume bullets.
| Experience | Sample resume bullet |
|---|---|
| Babysitting or pet sitting | Cared for 3 children ages 4 to 10 for two families, about 10 hours a week |
| Lawn care, snow shoveling or odd jobs | Built a client list of 8 neighbors and handled scheduling and payments |
| Volunteer work | Packed grocery boxes for 150+ families each Saturday at a community pantry |
| School clubs or student government | Organized a club fundraiser that raised $1,200 for new robotics parts |
| Sports and teams | Balanced 12 hours of practice a week with a 3.4 GPA as a varsity swimmer |
| Class projects | Led a 4-person team that built a budget spreadsheet for a mock small business |
| Family business or farm | Ran the register and restocked produce at the family farm stand on weekends |
| Online or freelance work | Sold 60+ handmade bracelets online, tracking orders and shipping in a spreadsheet |
| Certifications and training | CPR and First Aid certified; earned a county food handler card |
Volunteer roles often carry the most weight. See how to put volunteer work on a resume for 12 formatted examples.
Sample 1: High school student resume with no work experience
This fictional student is applying for part-time grocery and retail jobs. For a full version with tips, see our high school student resume example.
ELIJAH CARTER
Sacramento, CA | (916) 555-0148 | elijah.carter@example.com
SUMMARY
Reliable high school junior with a 3.4 GPA and two years of volunteer and team experience. Comfortable with customers, quick with numbers and used to early mornings from swim practice. Seeking a part-time courtesy clerk or retail associate job, available weekday evenings after 4 p.m. and weekends.
EDUCATION
Valley Oak High School, Sacramento, CA | Expected graduation: June 2028
GPA: 3.4 | Honor roll, 4 semesters | Relevant classes: Business Math, Spanish II
EXPERIENCE
Pantry Volunteer, Northgate Community Pantry, Sacramento, CA | Sep 2024 - Present
- Check in 60+ families each Saturday and keep the sign-in records accurate
- Unload deliveries and rotate stock so older items go out first
Pet Sitter (Self-Employed), Neighborhood Clients, Sacramento, CA | Jun 2023 - Present
- Care for dogs and cats for 5 repeat clients, including feeding, walks and medication
- Set schedules and track payments through text messages and a simple spreadsheet
ACTIVITIES
Varsity Swim Team, Valley Oak High School | 2024 - Present
Treasurer, Spanish Club | 2025 - Present
SKILLS
Cash handling, basic math, Google Sheets, customer service, conversational Spanish, typing 45 WPM
CERTIFICATIONS
CPR and First Aid, 2025
Sample 2: College graduate resume with no work experience
This fictional graduate never held a paid job but has strong projects and campus leadership. She is applying for entry-level marketing roles.
SOFIA RAMIREZ
San Antonio, TX | (210) 555-0193 | sofia.ramirez@example.com | linkedin.com/in/sofiaramirez-example
SUMMARY
Recent communication graduate with hands-on experience planning campus events, writing social posts and running a student group’s email newsletter. Skilled in Canva, Mailchimp and Google Analytics. Ready to support campaigns and content as an entry-level marketing assistant.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts in Communication, Mission Ridge University, San Antonio, TX | May 2026
GPA: 3.6 | Dean’s List, 5 semesters
PROJECTS
Brand Campaign Capstone, Mission Ridge University | Spring 2026
- Led a 4-person team that planned an 8-week social campaign for Fourth Coffee, a local cafe
- Grew the cafe’s Instagram following 18% with 3 posts a week and two giveaways
LEADERSHIP AND VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Communications Chair, Business Student Association, Mission Ridge University | 2024 - 2026
- Wrote a biweekly email newsletter for 450 members with a 52% average open rate
- Planned 6 networking nights with local employers, averaging 70 attendees each
Volunteer Social Media Coordinator, Westside Animal Rescue, San Antonio, TX | 2025 - Present
- Design 3 adoption posts a week in Canva and schedule them in Meta Business Suite
SKILLS
Canva, Mailchimp, Google Analytics, Meta Business Suite, Microsoft Excel, copywriting, AP style, bilingual English and Spanish
Tips for a good resume without work experience
- Keep it to one page. A full, focused page looks stronger than a stretched one.
- Start bullets with action verbs like organized, led, built, trained, sold or planned.
- Add numbers wherever you can: people helped, dollars raised, hours a week, events planned.
- Match each posting. Reuse the posting’s words for skills you really have, such as “cash handling” or “customer service.”
- Use a professional email address. Create a simple one with your name if needed.
- Leave off references, photos, your age and hobbies that do not relate to the job.
- Be honest. Anything on your resume can come up in an interview. Practice talking about your experience with our internship interview quiz.
What should students under 18 add to a first resume?
Add a short availability line to your summary, such as “available weekday evenings after 4 p.m. and weekends.” Employers hiring teens plan schedules around school, so this answers their first question.
Federal law also limits when younger teens can work. According to the Department of Labor’s Fact Sheet #43, 14- and 15-year-olds in most nonfarm jobs may work only outside school hours, up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, and only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day). Federal rules do not limit hours for 16- and 17-year-olds, but many states do, so check with your state labor department.
Looking for ideas on where to apply? See our list of jobs for 16-year-olds.