No experience is a wasted experience. If you’re starting a new career or switching into one, you might think that you don’t have any relevant experience to include in your resume…well think again!
Even if you don’t have any professional experience in the new field you’re looking to enter, you can always frame your education to showcase your skills.
Many projects students work on during college or certificate programs resemble real-world problems and can be used to show your potential employer how you could add value to their company.
Here are a few questions that can help you brainstorm:
What projects did you work on?
Is there any project that’s relevant for the field you’re looking to enter? Maybe a project that is similar to a task that you would be doing during the job you’re applying for?
If there aren’t any, you can make up one yourself! Imagine a problem that a company might have and create a case study for how you would solve it.
What did you learn from the project?
Did you gain any new skills?
Did it reveal anything about your strengths?
Did you improve your proficiency in any programs you used while working on it?
What did you accomplish?
What was the goal you set for yourself at the beginning of the project? Did you reach it? It could be making a profit, winning a competition, getting a good grade, or just improving a soft/technical skill.
Once you’ve found the right projects you would like to include in your resume, list them under the Education section of your resume as Relevant Coursework.
Here are a few examples of what they might look like:
“Company Website Projectâ€, General Assembly
- Created a fully-interactive website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Paid high attention to the visual layout and made sure that the site was responsive and accessible.
- Worked in a team of five and helped allocate responsibilities in order to work in the most efficient way.
“Song Restructuringâ€, The Music School
- Processed a given song using a new and different concept.
- Rearranging the rhythm, structure, and harmony to fit the new style.
- Used Sibelius to communicate music scores clearly.
“Spring Advertising Campaignâ€, Creative Advertising School
- Outlined a multi-platform advertising campaign strategy for a retail client with a fixed 3-month budget.
- Used Photoshop and InDesign to create print advertisements and banner ads in different dimensions.
- Sketched and presented a storyboard for a 30-second television spot.
Additionally, if you have any tangible outcomes of a project — such as a website, design, or photos — attach them to your resume to share with your potential employer.
Adding additional context to your resume can show employers that you have the skills necessary to get the job done, and help you stand out from other applicants.