Quick answer
Start with what you can prove.
- Choose a target before deciding which experience belongs on the page.
- Treat projects, study and volunteering as evidence, not as substitutes for a fictional job.
- Describe your own action, the context and an observable outcome.
- Put the strongest relevant section before an empty or very short work history.
1. Name the work you are trying to enter
Choose a role family, apprenticeship, internship or type of casual work. A target helps you decide whether a course project, volunteer shift, language skill or personal project is relevant.
2. Inventory experience outside formal jobs
- Education, training, certifications and relevant coursework.
- Group assignments, research, presentations and practical projects.
- Volunteering, clubs, sports, community events and student leadership.
- Caring responsibilities, household administration and community support when relevant.
- Personal projects, portfolios and independently learned tools.
TheJobSort recommendation: label each experience accurately. A university project should remain a project, and volunteering should remain volunteering.
3. Put the strongest evidence first
After contact details, consider a short target-focused summary, then education, projects, skills and volunteering in the order that best supports the role. Include work history if you have it, even when it is brief or from another field, but do not let an empty section dominate the page.
4. Write actions and outcomes you can explain
Compared survey responses in a four-person research project and prepared charts used in the final presentation.
Welcomed visitors at weekly community events and directed questions to the appropriate coordinator.
Built and documented a small portfolio website to practise responsive HTML and CSS.
Do not add team size, frequency, tools or outcomes unless they are true for your example.
5. Complete the first-résumé check
- Confirm every date, course, tool and responsibility.
- Use the requested country spelling and page format.
- Remove references and personal details that the market does not expect.
- Ask another person to check clarity and errors.
- Update the document as soon as you gain new evidence.
Official guidance used for this article
TheJobSort separates official guidance from our own practical recommendations. These sources were checked on 17 August 2026.
- Resume guide: educationCareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor
- Write a resumeWorkforce Australia
- How to write a CVUK National Careers Service
- How to write a good resumeGovernment of Canada Job Bank
Put it into practice
Build from facts you can defend.
Upload your résumé once. Merv helps you check the details, improve the writing and tailor a version to the job without adding unsupported claims.
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