Everyone's first resume has the same problem: the "Experience" section looks empty. The good news is that employers hiring for entry-level roles know this. They're not looking for a long work history. They're looking for signs that you'll be reliable, learn quickly and treat customers well. You almost certainly have those signs; you just need to put them on the page.
What recruiters look for in entry-level resumes
- Reliability: you show up, finish things and follow through.
- Communication: clear writing and a friendly, professional tone.
- Learning speed: you've picked up new tools or skills on your own.
- Relevant basics: typing speed, languages, comfort with software.
- Effort: a tidy, error-free resume tailored to the job is itself evidence.
Use a skills-first layout
With little work history, lead with what you can do. A good order:
- 1.Header: name, target job title, email, phone, city and country, LinkedIn if you have one.
- 2.Summary or objective: two or three lines about what you offer and what you want.
- 3.Skills: six to ten, matched to the posting.
- 4.Experience you do have: volunteering, projects, part-time work, internships.
- 5.Education: with relevant courses, projects or achievements.
- 6.Certifications and languages.
This is a hybrid format; the best resume format explains why it suits people starting out.
Experience you don't realise you have
"Experience" doesn't have to mean a paid, full-time job. Any of these count, as long as you describe them with the same care:
- Volunteering: helping at a food bank, a charity shop, a school event or a mosque, church or community centre.
- Part-time and informal work: tutoring, babysitting, helping in a family business, delivering orders.
- Freelance or online work: selling on Etsy or Instagram, managing a small shop's messages, moderating a Discord or Facebook group.
- School and university: student societies, group projects, organising events, peer mentoring.
- Personal projects: a blog, a YouTube channel, a website you built, a course you completed.
Turn everyday activities into strong bullets
Use the same formula as any resume: action verb + what you did + result or scale.
| What you did | How to write it |
|---|---|
| Helped at a charity event | Welcomed and registered 200+ guests at a charity fundraiser, answering questions and solving seating problems on the spot |
| Ran an Instagram shop | Managed orders and answered 30+ customer messages a week for a small online clothing shop, keeping a 5-star rating |
| Tutored younger students | Tutored 4 secondary-school students in English each week; all improved by at least one grade |
| Moderated an online community | Moderated a 3,000-member Discord server, answering questions and calmly handling disputes |
| Group project at university | Led a 5-person project, splitting tasks, setting deadlines and presenting the result to 60 classmates |
| Worked in the family shop | Served customers, handled cash and restocked shelves in a busy family grocery on weekends |
Numbers make small experience feel real. "Answered customer messages" is vague; "answered 30+ customer messages a week" is a job.
Write an objective that offers something
When you're new, a short objective works well, as long as it says what you bring and not only what you want.
- Organised and friendly school leaver who types 50 WPM and speaks English and Arabic fluently. Volunteer experience welcoming guests at community events. Looking for an entry-level chat support role where I can learn quickly.
- Recent business graduate with strong writing skills and internship experience in customer operations. Comfortable with Google Workspace and learning new tools fast. Seeking a remote customer service role.
See 30 resume summary examples for more, including career changers.
Make your education work harder
With little work experience, education is one of your strongest sections. Add:
- Relevant courses: business communication, psychology, IT, languages.
- Projects: anything with a result you can describe.
- Achievements: scholarships, awards, high grades, leadership roles.
- Online courses: Google, HubSpot and Coursera certificates are quick to finish and easy to verify.
Add proof that's quick to earn
A few additions can lift an entry-level resume quickly:
- A typing test result, such as "60 WPM, 97% accuracy". See typing speed and English level.
- A language level, ideally from a recognised test.
- A hands-on certificate. Remote's certifications are realistic customer service simulations with a verifiable certificate, a strong signal when you don't yet have a job to point to.
Mistakes to avoid on a first resume
- Padding with filler like "hard-working, motivated team player". Show it instead.
- Making it two pages. One page is right for you.
- Leaving out "small" experience. Volunteering and family-business work count.
- Exaggerating. Interviewers will ask about everything on your resume.
- A casual email address. Create a simple firstname.lastname one.
A sample entry-level layout
- Header: Amina Yusuf · Customer Support (Entry Level) · amina.yusuf@email.com · +234 800 000 0000 · Lagos, Nigeria
- Summary: two lines, as above.
- Skills: Live chat, Email support, Google Workspace, 55 WPM typing, English (fluent), Yoruba (native), Canva.
- Experience: Volunteer, community health fair (2025); Shop assistant, family business (2022 – 2025); Moderator, student Discord server (2024 – present).
- Education: BSc Mass Communication, University of Lagos, 2025.
- Certifications: Remote customer service certification; HubSpot Customer Service.
Next steps
Once your resume is ready, start with roles built for beginners. Our guide to remote jobs with no experience covers where to look, and entry-level remote jobs lists open roles that hire people starting out.
Remote's resume builder fills in a template from your profile, so you're not starting from a blank page. Sign up free and build your first resume in minutes.
