To leverage transferable skills to make your resume stand out, you need to first identify the necessary transferable skills. This is so that you would be able to highlight the most suitable skills. You must make sure that the skills you highlight are ones that can be used in any field. This is to show that you possess very useful skills. You should also make sure that the skills highlighted are according to the needs and requirements of the role that you're applying for. This is to show you understand this role before applying to it.

One thing I found helpful building a resume without formal work experience is focusing on function. These are 7 core functions found in an individual person and in organizational responsibilities: Governance – Decision Maker Subject Matter Expert – Knowledge Resource Project Manager – Overseer Strategist – Planner Executor – Doer Receptor – Reporter/Analyst Consolidator – Documenter/Archivist All these can exist within one person across different tasks. Let’s say someone organized a community fundraiser. Instead of saying: Helped organize an event for my neighborhood. You could extract the functions and write: Planned and managed logistics for a 100+ person event (Strategist + Project Manager) Resumes shouldn’t just list experience.

Be honest and transparent. Goes a lot further than one thinks. Discuss 1 or 2 accomplishment and what your dream accomplishment s would be at their company.

If your resume looks light on experience, please focus on what will make you stand out. Transferable skills matter more than you think. Communication, teamwork, problem solving, adaptability, leadership. These skills do not only come from paid roles. Think about times you have used them in study, volunteering, sport, life experience or personal projects. The key is to link them to what the role needs. Show how you can bring value now, not five years from now. A well-written, skills-based resume that speaks to the role will stand out far more than a long list of irrelevant tasks.

In my opinion there are various ways one can utilise to cover the lack of experience :- - Joining workshops, bootcamps etc - Taking few certifications - Doing short internships - Taking on freelance assignments - Doing more reasearch and reading more about the role and the akillset you have.

I would include any volunteer work, and recommendations from credible sources. Lastly, show how the relevant skills shows your willingness to step outside your comfort zone, learn and grow.

If your CV lacks experience, lean into your transferable skills. Use the job ad as your guide: highlight what they’re asking for like communication, independence, organisation, and show where you’ve demonstrated those in real life. Given a talk? Written a blog? Learned another language? Think communication skills. Travelled by yourself or saved for a car? Think indépendance, reliability, resourcefulness. Planned a fundraiser or event? Think organisation skills. Get your Insights Profile and add extracts to your CV. Your personality, hobbies and interests tell a lot about qualities that can be built upon. Experience isn’t everything!

No experience? No problem. Employers hire for results, not just roles. After 25+ years in DoD logistics, I’ve mentored many who succeeded by highlighting transferable skills—leadership, planning, problem-solving—gained from school, volunteer work, or military service. Translate your efforts into impact: ❌ “Volunteered at food bank” ✅ “Led 6 volunteers, served 500 families weekly, cut wait times 30%.” Use keywords from job descriptions like “strategic planning” or “resource management” to boost ATS visibility. You're not starting from scratch—you’re starting from experience. Make it count. — Ryan K Kaono-Wedemeyer #CareerTips #Mentorship #TransferableSkills #VeteranSupport #Leadership

If you’ve never had a formal job, stop trying to make your resume look like someone who has. Use it to show how you think and solve problems. Built a gaming server? That’s tech, user support, and community management. Organized a local event? You’ve done logistics, budgeting, and promotion. Skip buzzwords, give short examples that show you’ve taken action and gotten results. The goal isn’t to fake experience, it’s to show momentum. Most hiring managers can spot effort and creativity faster than they can scan for perfect titles. Your edge is showing you know how to work, not just where you’ve worked.

When I was starting out in Android development and didn’t have much formal work experience, I leaned on my personal and side projects to tell my story. I built simple apps—from to-do lists to UI-based music players—not just to learn, but to showcase problem-solving, UI design, and clean coding practices. These projects helped me highlight transferable skills like attention to detail, logical thinking, and user-centered design. Even though they weren’t done for clients or companies, they showed my commitment to learning and my ability to build real solutions. Experience doesn’t always come with a paycheck—sometimes, it’s built with passion and consistency.