Decide on one target role
A first CV aimed at three different job types convinces nobody. Pick one and write everything towards it.
Career situation
Applying for a first job
With no formal experience, the CV has to be built from everything else you have actually done. There is usually more of it than people think.
4.9(107)Direct with Chanuka
Quick answer
A first-job CV with no formal experience should target one role and treat projects, part-time work, volunteering and anything you started or organised as evidence, written up with what you did and what resulted. Keep it to one page. Education matters, but a CV made mostly of modules and grades describes what you studied rather than what you can do.
The real problem
What the reader is actually thinking.
The instinct is to apologise for the empty experience section and fill the space with education detail. That produces a CV about what you studied rather than about what you can do.
Approach
How to handle it on the CV.
Treat projects as experience
A final-year project, a freelance job, a family business you helped run: write them with the same structure as a job, with what you did and what resulted.
Show initiative, since results are thin
Things you started, organised or taught yourself carry real weight when there is no employment record to read.
Keep it to one page
A first CV that runs to two pages is padded, and the padding is visible.
Mistakes
What makes it worse.
- Listing every module and grade since school
- "No experience" stated anywhere on the document
- Generic claims about being hardworking and a team player with nothing behind them
- Ignoring part-time and unpaid work that demonstrated responsibility
- One CV sent to every employer without adjustment
FAQ
Questions people ask
What do I put in the experience section if I have never had a job?
Rename the section to fit what you have, such as "Projects and Experience" or "Relevant Experience", and include school or university projects, volunteering, freelance jobs, helping in a family business, and leadership in clubs or teams. Give each one a title, dates and two or three lines on what you did and what came of it.
Do I need a cover letter for my first job?
Yes, whenever the employer accepts one, because it is where you explain your interest and potential in a way a thin CV cannot. Keep it to three short paragraphs: why this role, what you bring with one or two examples, and a clear close. A tailored letter often matters more for first-time applicants than for experienced candidates.
Should I include references on my first CV?
In most markets, leave them off and skip the line "references available on request", which wastes space. Prepare two referees separately, such as a teacher, a lecturer, or a supervisor from volunteering or part-time work, and ask their permission first. Employers will ask for them when they need them, usually near offer stage.
What skills should I put on a CV with no experience?
List skills you can back up with an example somewhere on the CV: software you used in projects, languages, a driving licence if the job needs one, and specific abilities such as cash handling, data entry or scheduling social media posts. Leave out claims like "excellent communicator" unless an example elsewhere proves it, because employers ignore unsupported adjectives.
Get this handled properly.
Choose your package, your experience level and how fast you need it. The price is shown before you commit.