How to Write a CV With No Experience
Write about what you have done, and stop worrying about what you haven't. Class projects, part-time shifts, clubs and things you made on your own all count, as long as you describe them the way you would describe a job.
List everything first, then choose
Take 15 minutes and write down anything from the past few years where you made something, ran something, or were trusted with something. Don't judge it yet. Most people with “no experience” have more material than they think, because they only count jobs with a contract.
- Course projects and group assignments, especially any with a real client, a survey or a presentation
- Part-time and seasonal work, including shifts in a family shop
- Clubs, volunteering, and events you helped run
- Things you built alone: a small website, an online shop, a video channel, a useful spreadsheet
- Competitions, scholarships and awards
- Tools you have really used, and what you used them for
Now read the job ad and underline what it asks for. Keep the items from your list that match, and drop the rest. Three to five good items are plenty for one page.
Put your best proof near the top
With little work history, the usual order works against you, because it opens with the weakest section. This order suits most first CVs:
- Name and contact details
- A two-sentence summary
- Education, with any relevant courses or a good grade
- Projects, or “Projects and activities”
- Work experience, if you have any, even if it seems unrelated
- Skills, languages and certificates
Keep the heading honest. If you have no jobs to show, leave out “Work experience” and don't leave an empty heading behind. If you worked in a café and want an office job, keep it. It still shows that you turned up on time, dealt with customers and handled money.
Describe a project as if it were a job
Each line should do three things in order: say what you did, say what it was, and say what came of it. The result can be small. A grade, a head count, an hour saved, or a decision someone made because of your work are all fine.
Before Group project about marketing for a café.
Better Surveyed 120 students and planned a new menu campaign for a campus café, earning 9/10.
Before Responsible for the club's social media page.
Better Posted 3 times a week on the club's page, growing followers from 400 to 900 in one term.
Before Worked as a waiter at a restaurant.
Better Served up to 80 tables a shift at a busy noodle shop and trained 2 new staff.
Before Helped organise a charity event.
Better Sold 300 tickets for a charity concert by setting up a booking form and a daily reminder.
Only use numbers you could explain in an interview. If you don't know an exact figure, “about 100” is fine. If you have no figure at all, describe the result in words, such as who used your work or what changed afterwards.
Write a summary that points forward
Two sentences are enough. Say who you are and what you bring, then say what kind of role you want. Leave out what you hope to get from the employer.
Before Hard-working graduate seeking an opportunity to learn and grow.
Better Business graduate with a campus marketing project and 2 years of weekend retail work. Looking for a junior sales or marketing role.
What to leave out
- Empty praise such as “hard-working” or “passionate”. Show it through something you did.
- A long list of hobbies. Keep one only if it proves something, like running a 10-team football league.
- Skills you couldn't use if asked to in an interview.
- Your primary school. Once you are at university, your high school usually can go too, unless you won something notable there.
- Big fonts and wide margins to fill the page. A clean page with some white space looks better than a padded one.
Before you send it
Change the top third of your CV for each application, so that the summary and the first project match that job. Read it aloud to catch awkward lines. Then give it to one person who will tell you the truth, and ask them what they think you are applying for. If they can't say, your summary needs more work.