Apply for almost any job these days and the prospective employer will ask for your resume. If you're a student fresh out of school, someone returning to the job market after a long gap, or if you've never held a job before, the standard resume that catalogs work experience won't suit you. Instead, you should focus on a functional resume, which highlights education and other factors to show why you're qualified to do the job.
Focus on Skills
Ohio State University suggests that instead of job experience, you should include a section on skills you possess that would be useful in the job you're applying for. For example, if you're proficient in a particular computer program, list this. If you're applying for a job as a researcher and previously studied research techniques, mention this. Don't forgot skills not related to your coursework. For instance, if you organized a campus rally, you could cite this as an example of your organizational skills.
Education
Since you don't have a lot of job experience, your educational experience becomes particularly important. Highlight any advanced courses, honors, or special projects you worked on. List special courses or certifications you've obtained.
Instead of solely providing a list of courses and classes you have taken, talk about specific projects, especially those that relate to the skills required for the particular job. Describe each project in a few sentences and list specific things you accomplished.
Don't be shy about pointing out special achievements such as "Graduated in top ten percent of class" or "Received Presidential Scholar's Award."
Other Achievements
Here's a good place to talk about internships, volunteer activities and even athletic triumphs. The key is to relate these somehow to the job for which you're applying. For example, if you volunteered at a children's camp during the summer, point out that you organized the end of summer program for parents, were responsible for re-writing the camp rule book or produced a camp newsletter. If you were the quarterback of your high school football team, highlight your team-building or strategy skills.
Use Active Verbs
Brea Barthel and Amanda Goldrick-Jones of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute point out that employers often skin resumes quickly. Some even use computer programs to weed out unsuitable applicants. You can catch the right kind of attention by using active verbs and keywords related to the job.
These are examples of such words: administered, achieved, contributed, compiled, coordinated, supervised, set up, and researched. Include other active, job-related verbs that pertain to your experience as well as words associated with the particular job. You can take these keywords directly from the list of job requirements, which may list specific skills.
Tell the Truth
Don't lie or pad your resume with fake achievements or job experience you don't possess. Most employers do check up on these things and when the truth comes out---even if it happens years later---it can destroy your reputation.
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