CV for First Job: How to Write One With No Experience (2026)

The First Job CV Problem

Everyone needs experience to get a job. But you can't get experience without a job first.

This catch-22 feels impossible when you're staring at a blank CV template. But here's the truth: hiring managers who recruit for entry-level roles don't expect 5 years of experience. They're looking for potential, attitude, and evidence that you can do the basics.

Your job isn't to hide your lack of experience. It's to reframe everything you've done as relevant evidence.

What to Put on a CV With No Work Experience

1. Personal Statement (Most Important Section)

For a first job CV, your personal statement does the heavy lifting. It's where you explain who you are and why you're the right fit — before they notice the thin work history below.

Formula: [Degree/qualification or background] + [relevant skill or strength] + [what you're looking for and what you bring]

Example for a retail role:

"Motivated Business Studies student at the University of Manchester seeking a part-time retail position. Strong interpersonal skills developed through three years of volunteering with the elderly, combined with a genuine interest in customer experience and brand. Reliable, quick to learn, and available immediately."

Example for an office role:

"Recent A-Level graduate with strong organisational and communication skills. Managed social media for my school's student union (3,200 followers, 40% engagement increase in one year). Looking for an administrative or marketing assistant role where I can bring these skills to a professional environment."

Keep it to 4–5 lines. Make it specific to the type of role. Never start with "I".

2. Education

For a first CV, education comes second (after your personal statement) — before work experience, because it's your strongest credential.

Include:

• •School/university name and location
• •Qualification and grade (A-Levels: Maths A, English B, Economics B — or predicted grades)
• •Degree title and classification if at university (or expected graduation date)
• •Relevant modules or coursework if applicable to the role
• •Dissertation title if relevant (for graduates)

Don't include: Primary school. Every GCSE if you have A-Levels. Grades you'd rather forget.

3. Work Experience (Even if It Doesn't Feel Relevant)

You almost certainly have some experience — you're just not framing it right.

Counts as work experience:

• •Part-time jobs (retail, hospitality, tutoring, babysitting)
• •Internships or work experience placements (even 1 week)
• •Freelance work (graphic design, writing, social media)
• •Family business involvement
• •Saturday jobs

Frame every bullet as an achievement, not a task:

• ✗"Worked on the checkout at Tesco"
• "Processed 200+ customer transactions daily, maintaining accuracy and a friendly service standard during peak hours"

• ✗"Helped in my parent's restaurant"
• "Assisted with front-of-house operations at a 40-cover restaurant, taking orders, handling payments, and managing customer complaints during busy service periods"

4. Voluntary Work and Extracurriculars

This is where first-job CVs are won. Voluntary work, clubs, societies, and extracurriculars show character and transferable skills — and most candidates don't include them.

High-value examples:

• •Sports team captain → leadership, teamwork, pressure management
• •Student union or school council → communication, organisation, stakeholder management
• •Duke of Edinburgh / scouts → resilience, teamwork, self-management
• •Charity volunteering → empathy, reliability, communication
• •Drama/debate → presentation, public speaking, confidence
• •Running any social media account → marketing, content creation, analytics

For each one, write what you actually did and what resulted from it. Treat it like real work experience because — to a first-job recruiter — it is.

5. Skills

For your first CV, a skills section is particularly important because it gives you keyword coverage for ATS systems without needing a long work history.

Hard skills to list (if you have them):

• •Software: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Workspace, Canva, Adobe
• •Languages: Any language above A2 level with your grade
• •Technical: Coding languages, data tools, social media platforms
• •Qualifications: First Aid, Food Hygiene, Forklift licence, CSCS card

Soft skills: Don't list "hardworking" or "team player" — everyone says this. Either leave them out or prove them through your experience bullets.

6. Interests (Optional but Useful)

One short line. Only include if genuinely relevant or interesting:

• "Co-founder of my university's entrepreneurship society (180 members)"
• "Competitive swimmer, county level"
• "Travel: spent 3 months backpacking Southeast Asia, self-funded"

• ✗"Reading, music, socialising with friends"

CV Format for Your First Job

• •Length: 1 page. You don't have enough experience for 2 pages yet.
• •Layout: Single column. No tables or text boxes (ATS breaks on these).
• •Font: Calibri or Arial, 11pt.
• •Order: Personal statement → Education → Work experience → Voluntary/extracurricular → Skills → Interests

The Biggest Mistakes First-Job CVs Make

Leaving huge white space. If your CV is half empty, fill it with extracurricular detail, relevant modules, or projects. A 1-page CV should look full.

Being too vague. "I am hardworking and enthusiastic" says nothing. Give evidence.

Same CV for every job. Change your personal statement for each application. It takes 10 minutes and dramatically improves your chances.

No spell check. One typo on a first job CV can eliminate you. Read it backwards word by word to catch errors.

Wrong email address. firstname.lastname@gmail.com only. Not the one from secondary school.

Get Your First CV Checked

Not sure if your first CV is up to scratch? FixerCV gives you an ATS score, highlights your weakest sections, and rewrites your CV to give you the best possible chance of getting that first interview.

The free analysis takes 60 seconds and requires no sign-up.