No Job Experience, And Only Two Weeks Of Volunteer Work, How Do I Write A Resume?

[Cincin 2]

Hi, I am 23 years old and I just got my work permit this month. Every job I want to apply for (from receptionist to hostess) asks for a resume. Plus, I keep hearing I should make one because it will look good, and I will have better chances of being hired.

My dilemma is, how do I write a resume when I have little to no job experience? I have only worked for two months as a receptionist is a tax office. That is all the work experience I have ever had. What could I possibly write in my resume?

[Heisenberg2 34]

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/resumebuilders/qt/resumebuilder.htm

[sotero_gonzalez 54]

include any and all volunteer work, that is always a plus and well it doesn't really matter if you don't have a lot of experience, you should focus more on how to present yourself when you get called for an interview and how to sell your skills to whatever job you apply.  having a resume does help but honestly a lot of people aren't really looking for one if its an entry level job because they assume that you don't have much experience. 

[Armando5280 0]

The Resume it's a great idea, I used to be a manager at a restaurant and the best advise I can give you is whenever you get called for an interview the first thing you should do is learn about the company, their history, their goals, their visions if they have any. Learn everything you can about the company. Amongst the first questions that they are going to ask you is Why do you want to work here? and you will look really stupid if you dont know why and what that company is about, and please don't aswer because I need money that is the worst thing you can do. I had ppl give that answer and that would be what killed their chances of getting hired. Be Energetic Smile ask questions a lot of questions. why do you guys do this? why do you do that? why is this a good company to work for? are there opportunities for growing within the company? How long did it take you to become a manager? why do you like working here? What is the least thing you like about working here? You have the right to ask questions too it's not all about them asking you questions, if you do that  they will see that you are really interested in the job. When I was a manager I would look at the resume but I would make my decision based on the interview, yes your resume looks great but your attitude, character,personality, energy might not be there, and please dont forget to dress appropriately first impressions are everything shake hands and smile.

 

Good Luck!!!

[SarahReed 0]

Volunteer work can be an excellent way to showcase key skills such as event planning, fundraising or patient care and should certainly be integrated with other work experiences on your resume. 

How can you incorporate your volunteer experience in your resume to gain the maximum benefit?  The answer will depend to some degree on how related your volunteer experience is to your career target.  

Related Volunteer Work

Related volunteer work can be combined with related work experience under a category heading like "Related Experience."  If the volunteer work demonstrates a critical skill area, then it could be placed within a category with a functional heading like "Fundraising Experience" or "Event Planning Experience." 

In either case, the volunteer experience should be listed just like a job with a title that captures the essence of your role and a description which highlights skills applied and any accomplishments. Here's an example:

Fundraising Experience
Volunteer Fundraiser, The United Way, Montclair, NJ, Fall 2012 to Present

•  Recruited and trained 14 volunteer fundraisers.
• Planned and promoted 3 successful fundraising  events including an auction, dinner and concert which generated over $80,000 in pledges.
• Increased contributions by 25% over the previous campaign.  

Unrelated Volunteer Work

If the volunteer work is unrelated to your job goal, you can incorporate it under a separate category like "Community Service" or "Volunteer Example."  Most organizations look favorably upon staff who contribute in a positive way to the surrounding community given the public relations benefits for the firm and the opportunity for staff to network with potential new clients for the organization.

Volunteer Experience

Volunteer Fundraiser, The United Way, Montclair, NJ, Fall 2012 to Present

• Recruited and trained 14 volunteer fundraisers.
• Planned and promoted 3 successful fundraising  events including an auction, dinner and concert which generated over $80,000 in pledges.
• Increased contributions by 25% over the previous campaign.