Resume for Entry Level Jobs

Struggling with writing your first resume? You’re not alone.

Many entry-level job seekers feel stuck because they don’t know what to include—especially when they have little or no professional experience.

But here’s the good news: you don’t need a long work history to create a standout resume. In this guide, we’ll show you 7 proven ways to improve your entry-level resume, using tips and examples from real job seekers who got interviews at top companies like Google, Amazon, and Spotify—using PikCV.

What Makes a Great Entry-Level Resume?

Before diving into the tips, let’s look at why hiring managers say "yes" to some resumes and pass on others.

• ✅ Relevant education and coursework
• ✅ Internship or part-time experience
• ✅ Technical or transferable skills
• ✅ Personal or academic projects
• ✅ Clean formatting for ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems)
• ✅ Clear, tailored keywords

Now, let’s walk through exactly how you can build that kind of resume—even with minimal experience.

1. Highlight Relevant Education

If you’re just starting out, your education is one of your strongest assets. Don’t just list your degree—include details:

• Key courses related to the job
• Academic projects
• Certifications or training programs

💡 Pro tip: Break down each year of university with what you learned and achieved if it’s relevant to the job.

2. Add Internship or Part-Time Experience

Even if you haven’t worked full-time, internships, freelance gigs, or part-time roles count—especially if they helped you:

• Build skills
• Learn workplace communication
• Understand basic professional expectations

Example:

“Supported IT troubleshooting for 30+ end users during a summer internship, resolving 90% of issues independently.”

3. Showcase Your Technical and Transferable Skills

Skills matter—especially for ATS screening. Use a clear list that includes:

• Technical tools (e.g., HTML, CSS, SQL, Figma)
• Soft skills (e.g., communication, time management)
• Transferable skills from volunteer work or school

📌 Use PikCV AI to find the exact skills mentioned in the job description.

4. Include Self-Directed Side Projects

Hiring managers love to see that you take initiative. You can include:

• Personal or academic projects
• Hackathon entries
• Open-source contributions
• Online course projects

Be sure to explain:

• ✅ What the project was
• ✅ What tools/skills you used
• ✅ What you accomplished

5. Optimize Your Resume Format for Impact

A good layout helps your resume get noticed.

Your resume should be:

• Easy to scan
• ATS-friendly
• One page long

Use bullet points, clear headings, and avoid fancy graphics. With PikCV, you get pre-built templates that follow ATS best practices automatically.

6. Fill in Gaps with Involvement & Extracurriculars

No internship? No problem.

Add a section for:

• Clubs or student groups
• Volunteer experience
• Leadership roles
• Campus activities

This shows initiative, teamwork, and soft skills employers value.

7. Use PikCV AI to Optimize for ATS

The #1 reason resumes don’t make it to interviews? They’re not optimized for keywords.

With PikCV’s AI, you can:

• Instantly match your resume to any job description
• Insert the right keywords automatically
• Customize resumes in under 5 minutes

🚀 Over 62.18% of PikCV users were invited to interviews after submitting their optimized resumes.

Real Resume Examples (That Got Interviews)

Here are 3 examples from PikCV users:

✅ Entry-level Resume Example

Let’s first dive in by looking at an entry-level tech support resume example.

In this case, we have an entry-level job seeker looking for the first full-time job, post-graduation in tech support.

Firstly, notice the order of the resume sections.

It’s strategic because it’s prioritized on highlighting the candidate’s relevant, diverse technical skill set that shows they are qualified.

The ATS resume format is simple too. Nothing too fancy and it gets straight to the point. It’s important to make your entry-level resume format readable for the hiring manager so it’s easier for them to assess the key details.

With a resume for all types of jobs in general, you should also be using bullet points underneath each header when going into detail.

✅ Corporate Rotational Graduate Resume Example

This candidate is an employee who was selected for a graduate program. It’s the same resume template they used from PikCV that helped them land an interview with Sony.

Unlike the previous example, the skills are listed at the bottom. A key thing to note about this section is the resume keywords. For a technical position like this, words such as “HTML” and “CSS” would be important to include.

In their experience section, it’s not the same as you would expect because they’ve focused on describing each of their years in university. They have talked about what they developed, achieved, and were responsible for.

Like this applicant, you can include relevant projects, training, and qualifications that you have.

If you can go in-depth from your years of education where you’ve managed to accomplish something or cultivate a skill, it’s worth mentioning. Plus, it’s a good way to stand out!

✅ Third Year Student Resume Example

In this resume example, the student first outlines their education and qualification.

When it comes to the work experience, they’ve mentioned everything they could. This includes working as an intern, advisor, and manager. Just before getting to their skills, they’ve described their extracurricular activities under the “involvement” section. If you’re similar and have a lot of other relevant things to include, you can use a resume section dedicated to this.

Not all formats need to include a resume objectives or summary section. Like this example, you can get straight into pointing out your educational background and qualifications.

Final Thoughts: Improve Your Resume & Land the Interview

Your first job doesn’t need to be a shot in the dark.

With the right structure, keywords, and a bit of strategy, you can turn your limited experience into a compelling story that recruiters will pay attention to.

👉 Use PikCV to build, edit, and optimize your entry-level resume in minutes—just like 120,000+ other job seekers who’ve gotten interviews at Facebook, Sony, Spotify, and more.