Writing a resume with little to no formal work experience can feel like a catch-22, but every graduate has more relevant experience than they realise. Here’s how to make the most of it.

Lead with your education

When you don’t have extensive work history, your education becomes one of your strongest assets. Include your degree, relevant coursework, and any academic achievements or high grades in subjects related to your target role.

Highlight university projects and assignments

Group assignments, major projects, theses and presentations often involve real skills employers care about, teamwork, research, deadlines and problem-solving. Describe them like you would a work achievement.

Include internships, placements and volunteer work

Even short-term or unpaid experience counts. Internships, industry placements, volunteering and casual work all demonstrate reliability and transferable skills.

Don’t skip part-time or casual jobs

A retail or hospitality job might seem unrelated to your career goals, but roles like these build genuine, employer-valued skills in customer service, teamwork and time management.

Add a skills section

A dedicated skills section lets you showcase technical abilities (software, tools, languages) and soft skills without needing years of experience to prove them.

Consider extracurricular activities and leadership roles

Sports teams, student societies, clubs or committee positions can demonstrate leadership, commitment and collaboration, all valuable to employers.

Keep it to one page

As a graduate, a single, well-organised page is usually enough. It’s better to have a focused, high-quality page than to pad a resume with less relevant detail.