hwy120

No work history? No problem!

It's an age -old quandary: You can't get a job if you don't have experience, and you can't get experience if you don't have a job.

Or can you?

According to these experts, even college graduates who haven't worked a day in their lives can accumulate a laundry list of sought-after skills and experience during their academic careers.

Steven Rothberg, president and founder of CollegeRecruiter.com, says college graduates need to look at how they spent their collegiate years through the eyes of a recruiter.

"For example, if you're applying for a sales position, then look for any type of sales experience you've had and highlight that, even if your job wasn't a sales position," he says. "If you mowed lawns, then you probably sold your services to the homeowners. If you waited tables, highlight how you sold customers on the daily specials, rather than how you filled their water glasses."

Also, graduates with limited work experience should consider a "functional" or "skill-based" resume format, rather than a reverse chronological format that demonstrates a person's career progression, says Tara Blackwell Malone, an assistant director in the State University of New York's Career Development Center.

"This alternative provides the flexibility to focus on what a student did rather than when or where they did it," Malone says. "A functional résumé highlights strengths, accomplishments, skills, and overall experience."

If your GPA is more than a 3.0, highlight your education at the top of the resume, says Jody Queen-Hubert, executive director of Co-op and Career Services at Pace University.

"We tell our students to figure out an unofficial 'major GPA' by adding together the courses required for their major if they are doing well in those," she says.

Shel Horowitz, owner of Accurate Writing and More in Hadley, Mass., agrees that most college graduates can find many things to list on a functional resume. As a professional resume writer, he focuses on the graduate's:

• coursework that relates directly (or reasonably closely) to the sought-after job;
• academic research projects;
• paid and unpaid internships;
• community service and volunteer work;
• sports, student government, extracurricular hobbies and other activities that demonstrate leadership skills, problem-solving, and teamwork; and
• anything that shows the person is tech-savvy. ("A really awesome MySpace page is fair game," he says.)

"In some cases, I write more than one version of a résumé - one aimed at the student's core interests, and one aimed at the sorts of jobs that are more available," Horowitz says. "And I sometimes use the cover letter to elaborate, or even bring out, things that weren't necessarily appropriate for the résumé but could help land the job."

In a functional resume format, Queen-Hubert suggests creating a "Related Class Projects" or "Related Course Work" section that describes in detail all research papers, presentations, group work, and/or service learning that demonstrate your exposure to a desired field. Include any knowledge you have gained about industry trends and list all transferable skills.

"Also be sure to highlight specific accomplishments that relate to your degree or major, such as scholarships and awards," Queen-Hubert says.

If you paid your way through college, Queen-Hubert says this information is pertinent too. "Even if the job had nothing to do with your professional goals, employers want to see work experience," she says.

Malone agrees. "Avoid getting caught up in the job title," she says. "Instead, take note of the actual skills gained from any given position. For example, a student 'who just had a job at the mall' actually developed interpersonal skills, problem-solving abilities and conflict management expertise."

Whatever your resume-writing strategy, don't think your limited work history will put limits on what you can offer an employer.

"Many college students have done great work, even held positions, only they weren't paid," Malone says. "Students often fail to give themselves credit for volunteer work, extracurricular activities, and leadership roles on and off campus. For example, a leader of a student club will conduct meetings, manage a budget, plan events, and so on. These are some of the same tasks one would handle in the workplace and count as valuable experience