How to Write a CV With No Experience (UK Guide)
Your first CV feels impossible when you have no paid job history. UK employers still hire candidates with zero experience — if the CV highlights education, skills, volunteering, and potential instead of empty work sections.
What to Put on a CV With No Experience
Focus on these sections in order:
- Contact details — name, phone, email, city
- Personal statement — 3 lines on who you are and what role you want
- Education — GCSEs, A-Levels, degree (with predicted grades if studying)
- Skills — technical and soft skills from school, hobbies, or projects
- Experience — volunteering, part-time work, internships, society roles
- Interests (optional) — only if relevant to the job
Skip lengthy empty work history. Two strong volunteering bullets beat ten blank lines.
Education Section Tips
List your most recent qualification first. Include:
- Institution name and dates
- Subjects and grades (if strong — e.g. Maths A, Business B)
- Relevant modules or dissertation topics for degree students
Example: BSc Business Management (2:1 predicted) — University of Manchester, 2023–2026
Skills That Count Without Job Experience
Employers value transferable skills from any context:
- Communication — presentations, group projects, customer-facing volunteering
- Organisation — event planning, treasurer roles, coursework deadlines
- Digital literacy — Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, basic data tools
- Teamwork — sports teams, society committees, group assignments
Match skills to the job posting. Retail roles want customer service and cash handling; admin roles want attention to detail and scheduling.
Turn Volunteering Into Experience Bullets
Frame unpaid work like paid roles:
- ❌ "Helped at charity shop"
- ✅ "Assisted 50+ customers weekly at British Heart Foundation shop; organised stock and maintained tidy displays on busy Saturday shifts"
Quantify where possible — hours, people served, money raised.
Part-Time and Casual Work Counts
Bar work, babysitting, paper rounds, and festival stewarding all demonstrate reliability. List them with dates and 2–3 achievement-focused bullets.
Use a Student-Friendly Template
Our student CV template is built for UK applicants with limited work history. Clean layout, ATS-safe formatting, and space for education-first profiles.
International students should also see our international student CV guide.
Personal Statement for First CV
Example: "Motivated second-year student seeking part-time retail or admin roles. Strong communicator with society treasurer experience and proven ability to balance studies with customer-facing volunteering."
More examples in our personal statement guide.
ATS Tips for Entry-Level CVs
Even graduate schemes and retail applications use ATS. Use standard headings, avoid graphics, and include keywords from the job ad. Read our full ATS resume tips before applying.
Build Your First CV Free on Android
Our free CV maker app guides you through each section with smart forms and live preview. No sign-up required — export PDF and apply the same day.
For formatting rules, see best resume formats for UK jobs. Premium unlocks AI writing tools to polish your bullets faster.