Resume with no experience!

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Hi,

I am going to graduate from nursing school in California within a month. I was very fortunate enough to have my parents pay for my education; therefore, I never really had to work a day in my life. I have not taken my NCLEX yet; however, I am in the process of looking at new graduate programs when I am not so preoccupied with nursing school.

One of my worries is not finding a new graduate position because of my lack of experience. I do not have any work experience at all, and I really think that will make my resume weak when applying for new graduate programs.

Are there any tips for making yourself stand out without any work experience on a resume? Is it possible to get hired without any health related work experience, or even any work experience at all?

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Have you volunteered or done anything outside of school that could be relevant?

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I have volunteered in a hospital for about six months before nursing school. During nursing school, I have volunteered in my community, such as a few health fairs, and marathons. For community health, I have done a lot of outreach programs for clinical, as well.

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In my opinion, you can only focus on what you have done and really highlight your skills and the experiences you have had. Ensure to have different sources for references to help round out your application. Spend time writing a killer cover letter and don't focus on what your resume is lacking, especially since there isn't much chance to get work experience now. Maybe taking some courses/certifications in your area of interest would help too. Good luck :)

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Thank you for the words of advice! I appreciate it. It will definitely be an uphill battle to land something but I think I can persist.

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Add all of your volunteer activities onto your resume. It will help a lot. I was in the same boat with lack of work experience, and I was fortunate to find a job. So it is very possible. If you can, volunteer when you're done with school. This counts as experience, and you will be able to meet more people. Don't forget to add all your clinical experience to your resume as well.

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Thank you LVHI_RN! It gives me hope that there are individuals in the same boat as me! I hope I will be able to find a job after I graduate :)

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