First job resume example
A complete first resume for a recent graduate with no formal job yet, plus summaries, bullet points, skills and the experience that counts.
What hiring managers look for
A manager filling an entry-level opening knows your first resume won't list a job, so they read it for something else: evidence that you'll come on time, take direction, treat customers well and stay past the first month. Volunteer shifts, informal work like pet sitting or yard work, school responsibilities and a clear list of the hours you can work all count. What hurts a first resume is leaving the page thin when those experiences could fill it.
This example belongs to an 18-year-old who graduated in May and has never been on a payroll. Volunteering and self-run side jobs fill the experience section, each with a result, and the skills section lists what a store, restaurant or warehouse can use from day one. Adults returning after years at home, new immigrants and anyone else starting out can follow the same plan.
First job resume summary examples
No formal work history
Recent high school graduate looking for a first job in retail, food service or a warehouse. Two years of weekly volunteering at a food pantry, a self-run pet sitting business and perfect attendance in senior year. Can work any shift, including early mornings and weekends, and has reliable transportation.
Teen, first part-time job
Fifteen-year-old looking for a first part-time job after school. Helps run the family's lawn care on weekends, volunteers at the library's summer reading program and earned honor roll every semester.
Adult returning to work
Parent returning to work after 10 years at home raising 3 children. Ran the household budget, organized school fundraisers that raised $6,000 and volunteered 4 hours a week in the school office. Ready for an office or retail role.
New to the country
Recent arrival to the United States with a high school diploma, fluent in Spanish and conversational in English. Helped run a family market back home, handling stock, cash and customers, and has full work authorization.
First job resume bullet points
Strong bullets start with what you did and end with what changed. Borrow the pattern, then use your own numbers.
- Served meals to 200+ guests every Thanksgiving at a church community dinner for 3 years.
- Shoveled snow and mowed lawns for 6 neighbors, showing up before 7 a.m. after every storm.
- Looked after two younger siblings 15 hours a week, handling school pickup, homework and dinner.
- Sold $900 in concessions over 8 home games as part of a band fundraiser.
- Counted inventory of 400 books for the school library's year-end check.
- Kept a 3.2 GPA while volunteering 6 hours a week.
- Helped set up and take down tables and chairs for 5 community events of 300+ people.
- Organized a neighborhood cleanup with 15 volunteers that filled 40 trash bags in one morning.
Skills for a first job resume
Skills job postings ask for
- Customer service
- Cash handling
- Basic computer skills
- Microsoft Office or Google Workspace
- Stocking and organizing
- Lifting and physical work
- Food handler training
- Child or pet care
- Cleaning and sanitation
- Bilingual, if you speak another language
Skills to show in your bullets
- Showing up on time
- Eagerness to learn
- Friendliness
- Following directions
- Working with a team
List the skills a posting names in its own words, and only the ones you can talk about in an interview. Qualities like these read best as results in your bullets, not as a list.
Tips for writing a first job resume
- 1
Treat volunteering and side jobs as experience
A food pantry shift, a dog walking route or a family business is work. Give each one a title, dates and bullets, just like a job.
- 2
Make your availability easy to see
Entry-level employers hire around open shifts. Say in your summary which days and hours you can work and whether you have transportation.
- 3
Add one quick certificate
A food handler card, CPR or a forklift safety class can take a day or less and makes you ready to start sooner. List it with the date.
- 4
Keep it to one honest page
A short page with real examples beats a long one stretched with filler. Don't add skills you can't explain in an interview.
Experience that counts when you've never had a job
Almost everyone has done something that shows they can work. Look through the past two or three years and pick the activities that match what the job needs: customers, physical work, money, kids or animals, or being trusted with a key.
- Volunteering at a food bank, shelter, church or event
- Babysitting, pet sitting, yard work or snow shoveling for neighbors
- Helping in a family business
- School roles like team manager, club treasurer or office aide
- Caring for younger siblings or a relative
- Fundraising, concession stands or school stores
Make it yours
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