First Job Resume Example & Writing Guide

Why use this first job resume example?

The example resume does a great job of leveraging skills and knowledge that were gained from sports and writing. It also uses these things to point out specific areas of experience. Having a compelling summary statement is crucial to your resume because it gets the attention of the reader and makes them want to read more.

The next section on the resume lists key tasks and abilities. These are excellent to include because they tell potential employers things you have done and know how to do well. Even though you may not have much work experience, you can think back through your life and find skills and things you have done that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. 

Your education should be a separate section on your resume. List all the schools you attended and training courses you have taken. It’s okay to include additional information like your GPA, any honors earned, and extracurricular activities. If you’re a college graduate, then it isn’t necessary to list your high school (or earlier) education.

Finally, you should list out any formal jobs you have had. Each description should be short. You can use a bulleted list to highlight major duties, responsibilities, and accomplishments for each job. Make sure to include the best and most impressive things you did. It’s not necessary to list out mundane daily tasks or every single thing you did at each job. The goal is to impress the reader, not to bore them.

How to write a great first job resume

Anyone writing a resume for the first time is going to struggle. How do you get started? We recommend before writing anything, that you go out and look at a lot of example resumes, like the one we have. Look for entry-level or first job resume examples. This will make it easier for you to relate and find content that you can use. A resume is not creative writing, so it is okay to take things directly from other resumes you find. Obviously, don’t include anything on your resume that misrepresents you, but you can use wording you like from other peoples’ resumes.

Next, gather all your information about your experiences. You may just want to start writing out all the things you have done; definitely any jobs you have had, but also any other organizations you have participated in. Your school, church, or volunteer and civic groups. If you played on any organized sports teams, make note of that. Do you have any significant hobbies that gave you specific skills or that you competed in? These are also things you can be utilized on your resume.

Now that you have all of your information, it’s time to put it into a resume format. What format should you use? In our example, we used a basic single-column format, which is great for a standard resume. Remember to keep your resume very neat, clean, and easy to read. Don’t use fancy fonts or colors. Keep it simple. You also want to make it very short. One page is best.

Use the example we provided as a template. Or, if you found another resume format you like, then use it. You need to be happy with your resume content and how it looks because it represents you!

Which key skills are relevant for a first job resume?

Before you get your first job, you may not have any professional skills to list. However, you’ll have skills you learned in school, playing sports, volunteer work, or even from working around the house. Leverage whatever you can to build your resume to convince the reader that you’re worth hiring.

Here are some good skills to include on your first job resume:

• Communication

• Critical-thinking

• Customer service

• Detail-oriented

• Leadership

• Quick learner

• Teamwork

• Troubleshooting