How to Write a Resume With No Work Experience

• Final year Mechanical Engineering student with previous internship experience in supporting engineering solutioning for international energy firm specialising in power and automation technologies, and in multinational glass manufacturing giant. [This bullet point needs to capture your entire life-story in a nutshell. As a student, you are unlikely to have much, if any, practical working experience. As such, the important aspects to include are your internship experience. If you lack internship experience, you can also highlight transferable skills as demonstrated through project work, CCAs, attachments, etc.]
• Practical experience in robotics, having supported solutioning, design, and production phases of robotics-based projects. Previously advised and presented on robot programming methodology. [While employers won’t expect much of students, it’s always beneficial to list out your practical skillsets. This gives you an advantage over others who may not have your expertise. Depending on your industry, employers may also expect a basic level of competency (such that they don’t need to train you from scratch), and highlighting your knowledge becomes a must.]
• Effective team player, having facilitated collaborative research efforts in analysing results and authoring lab reports in conjunction with a diverse range of team members. [You can also list your soft skills. However, be sure to back subjective statements (such as this one! ‘effective team player’ has different meaning to different people) with objective, concrete evidence.]
• Established leadership skills acquired through management and organisation of key University events attracting over 5000 participants. [Leadership of CCAs and event organisation show that you’ve been involved in University life, and aren’t just a ‘study machine’. It’s important to demonstrate that you are exposed to areas other than pure academics.]

• Supported 5-axis robot division in wide range of development-related operations. Responsible for assisting in on-site programming, customer needs analysis and custom solution design for niche applications. [The first line of each section of experience should summarise and highlight your duties, responsibilities, and contributions.]
• Studied clients’ unique needs, brainstormed with engineers on potential solutions, and produced detailed drawings (Solidwords) of solutions including custom machine and robot grip mounts. [Elaborate on your responsibilities as far as possible. Future employers would like to hire someone who actively contributes, and this is demonstrated by showing the different duties you handled.]
• Guided and mentored standalone customers; prepared presentation slides to deliver basic robot programming training to local engineers.

• Led team of 4 interns and coordinated with Marketing department to prepare for Tech Asia robot launch ever attracting >10000 participants, programming demonstration units to perform stunts to attract customers. [If you have contributed in a particularly significant manner, or successfully completed a high-profile, list it down! It shows you’re making the best use of your internship experience.]

• Carried out 3D design drawing and used SolidWorks software to carry out solid modelling computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering (CAE). [If you used any industry-standard software, or gained exposure to standard industry tools, include it! Such experience will be useful in future, as it demonstrates competency in oft-used areas, which means that you will be able to start contributing earlier.]

• Led department’s Level 2 training programme, guiding the Head of Technicians and an administrative staff member to create training modules and carry out demonstrations; partnered with department manager to ensure fulfilment of programme’s objectives.

[If you are applying for your first internship, you can add more details to this section instead. Highlight your leadership experience, CCA contributions, OCSP/CIP involvement, and any other events you may have been a part of. They don’t necessarily need to be related to your target industry. Try to showcase how your experience here can be translated to an actual job.]

• Liaised with heads of plantation estates and hospitals in the area to arrange for medical assistance for the needy in three different areas over 3 weeks.

• Led 3 departments (Public Relations, Sponsorship, and Technical & Media) over a 3-month period to organise a fundraising concert attracting crowd of ~5000. [Contextualise your events and/or achievements. Show how large that event was, how many people took part, how many beneficiaries it helped, etc. This gives some sense of the scale and difficulty of the event, and thereby your skill and the competencies you have developed.]
• Directly negotiated with companies, arranging sponsorship agreements and advertisement requirements, totalling a sum of SGD20,000.

• Bachelor of Science (Hons) | National University of Singapore | Mechanical Engineering (Projected Second Upper) | Est. Graduation: May 2019 [Even though you are still schooling, put the degree name and quantify it with a statement saying that you are still studying ‘In Progress’ or ‘Est Graduation in xxx’]
• Dean’s list award in 2017 & 2018 for outstanding academic performance Academic excellence should be highlighted. If your GPA/CAP is above average, include it. Otherwise, omit it.]
• Received A+ for final year project on thermal performance of ceramic bonded aerogels
• Achieved Distinctions in EG1112 Engineering Principles and Practice, ME2134 Fluids Mechanics, and ME2121 Engineering Thermodynamics [If you are looking for roles related to your field of study, you can consider highlighting relevant modules you have performed particularly well in.]<

• Student Member, Institution of Engineers, Singapore, 2018 [If you have any industry-related certificates or memberships, include them! It shows active interest in your industry.]

• Nationality: Singaporean
• Languages: Fluent in English and Bahasa Melayu
• Availability: Immediate [Be cautious about your availability, especially if you are applying for an off-cycle internship or similar]

References available upon request