Dear Life Section,

I need to get a job for the summer. The only issue is that I have barely any work experience. How do I get a job with little to no experience?

Sincerely,

Unemployed Student

Dear Unemployed Student,

Looking for your first job can be incredibly challenging, but you are still capable of getting one. Many employers do look for people with experience, but that does not mean you are out of luck.

Creating your first resume is a great place to start your job hunt. Resumes may seem a bit pointless to make without any experience to list, but there are plenty of other things that you can list on one.

Finding a template online can help guide you in this process. For example, Google Docs and Indeed have plenty of free templates. Indeed even has a resume checker to help ensure your resume is the best it can be.

Templates can help you format your resume and even help you decide what to list on it, such as skills, education, awards, availability and more. Employers look at all of these things.

The Academic Success and Career Center can also help you with your resume and has some availability over the summer.

Once your resume is complete, you can begin the hunt for jobs that are hiring.

You can apply for jobs online using websites like Indeed, Glassdoor and Handshake.

Sites like these make the application process quick and easy, as you can create a profile online with your resume attached to it. Then, you can apply for a job with just a few clicks.

You can also filter your search on these sites with what type of work you are looking for. This ensures you are only looking at the types of jobs you would actually want, such as part-time or full-time.

After completing some online applications, wait a couple of days to see if you hear back from anyone.

If a few days have gone by without any word, consider reaching out to the employers over the phone or in person.

Use that resume you created and print out copies of it to personally hand to employers.

For example, if you applied online to McDonald’s with no word back, consider going into that McDonald’s and handing them your printed-out resume.

If possible, hand your resume to the manager or whoever is in charge of the establishment.

This can help show employers that you are truly interested and willing to work for them.

The job hunt can be incredibly frustrating, tedious and even nerve-racking, but you can do it.

Do not give up!

Sincerely,

The Life Section