Resume for Students and Teens With No Work Experience

By Maya Collins · Updated 2026-10-04

If you have no work experience, build your resume around your education, school projects, volunteering, clubs, sports and skills. Employers hiring students and first-timers expect that, and they care more about reliability and willingness to learn than a long job history.

Almost everyone has a first resume with nothing on it that looks like a job. That's normal. Here's how to fill the page honestly and well.

What goes on a resume when you've never had a job?

Put these sections in this order:

Header. Name, phone, a professional email address (not your gaming username), and your city.
Objective or summary. One or two lines saying what you're looking for and what you bring.
Education. School, expected graduation date, GPA if it's strong (3.5 or above is a common cutoff), relevant courses.
Experience that counts. Volunteering, babysitting, lawn care, family business help, tutoring, clubs and team sports.
Projects. School or personal projects, with what you did and what came out of it.
Skills. Software, languages, certifications (CPR, food handler's) and real strengths.
Awards and activities. Honor roll, leadership roles, competitions.

How do you write an objective with no experience?

Short, specific and aimed at the job:

High school junior seeking a part-time retail position. Reliable, quick learner with experience in customer-facing volunteer roles and strong teamwork skills from varsity soccer.

Avoid empty phrases like "seeking a challenging position". Say what you offer.

How do you make non-job experience sound strong?

Treat it like any job: what you did and what happened.

Tutored four younger students in math weekly; two raised their grades by one letter.
Organised a school food drive that collected more than 300 items.
Cared for two children after school, five days a week, for a year.
Captain of the debate team, leading practices for 15 members.
Built a personal website for the school robotics club using HTML and CSS.

Only use real numbers. If you don't remember a number, describe the work without one.

Resume tips for teens (14 to 17)

One page, always.
Include availability if you're applying for part-time work (for example, weekday evenings and weekends).
Use a professional email. First name and last name works well.
Skip the references line unless asked. Have two adults ready (a teacher, coach or neighbor, not a family member) and ask their permission first.
Mention work permit status if your state requires one and you have it.

College students and internships

You can add more:

Relevant coursework, labs and class projects
Campus jobs, research assistantships and student organisations
Technical skills and tools you've actually used
Leadership roles

List education first until you have a few months of relevant work. Then move experience up. For tips on writing strong bullets, see our step-by-step resume guide.

What mistakes do students make?

Writing paragraphs instead of short bullets.
Using a fancy template that's hard to read.
Inflating a role. "Managed" a team when you were a member will come out in the interview.
Forgetting to proofread. Ask a teacher or parent to read it.
Sending a Word file with a goofy filename. Use FirstName-LastName-Resume.pdf.

Where can you build one?

You can use Word or Google Docs, or try a builder. Ours has no account and keeps your data in your browser. Open the resume builder and replace the sample text with yours. For job-specific examples, browse our resume examples by job, such as customer service or cashier.

FAQ

What do I put on a resume if I have no experience?

Education, volunteering, school projects, clubs, sports, skills and awards. Describe what you did and any result you can honestly state.

How long should a student resume be?

One page.

Should a high school student include their GPA?

Include it if it's strong, roughly 3.5 or higher. Otherwise leave it off. Nobody requires it.

Do I need references on my resume?

No. Have a short list ready, and give it only when asked.

Is there a free resume builder for students?

Word and Google Docs are free. Some builders also offer free editing, but check what the free download includes before you start.

Ready to build yours?

Free to write and preview, no account needed.

Open the resume builder

About the author: Maya Collins is a pen name used by the Resume Builder team for its plain-English resume guides.