It’s never too early or too late to put together a resume that you can pair with a strong cover letter to make sure you land the perfect summer job. Ideally, each resume and cover letter that you give to potential employers should be tailored to the position for which you are applying. There is no need to fret if you don’t have much previous work experience as long as you can demonstrate that you have skills, goals and a desire to learn.

When you lack years of work experience, a skills-based resume that highlight your strengths can come in handy. The skills-based resume includes a list of your education and work/volunteer history, but it focuses in on the key skills that you have that would be most important for the job. In a short list that summarizes some of your skills, include examples from your experiences that show how you have successfully demonstrated those skills.

A lot of the skills might derive from things you use do every day at school. For instance, you demonstrated effective “time-management” and “organizational skills” that your teacher commended you for because you continually handed in assignments on time, even though you attend choir and basketball practices after school most days of the week. Perhaps you have shown strong “multi-tasking skills” when you babysat twins while finishing all of your math homework. That also demonstrates that you are “responsible”. If you planned a large birthday party for your sibling and invited everyone online, you may have demonstrated your aptitude for “event planning” and “computer skills”. If you play on a team or are a member of a club, you can tell your potential employer that you are a “team leader “and “personable”. If you started a club or program or ran for a spot on the student council, you can say you are a “goal-oriented” individual who “demonstrates initiative “and has a “strong work ethic”. There are loads of examples to use, just be sure you choose the ones that relate most closely to what you think you’ll be doing at work when you get the job.

Use the resume and cover letter to show the employer that the job you want fits in with your goals. Make sure he or she knows that you are eager to learn what it takes to excel. Learn about the company you’re applying for and refer to that knowledge in your letter. Finally, when you go in for an interview be confident that you’re the right person for the job!

Good luck and happy job hunting!