How to write a CV with no experience + examples
A CV with no experience is most commonly used at the start of your career, though it might also be needed by candidates changing careers. The key to making it work is choosing the right format, focusing on transferable skills, and making the most of any experience you do have.
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Writing a CV with no experience can feel overwhelming – but it doesn’t have to be. Everyone has to start somewhere. Recruiters don’t expect you to have years of experience at this stage. What they want is to see your potential, and the right CV does precisely that.
I’ll show you how to write a CV for a job with no experience, with expert tips, actionable advice, and good CV examples with no experience.
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CV with no experience: example
This skills-based CV example proves you don’t need work experience to make an impressive job application. This no-experience CV focuses on transferable skills, education, and interests to show potential and drive.
CV examples for students with no experience
If you want to create your CV quickly with no experience, use applications designed to do that. MyPerfectCV builder offers professionally designed templates and pre-written content for every job application, whether for student CVs with no experience or for a specific job title.
CV with no experience: example for a trainee accountant
When writing a CV with no experience for a trainee accountant, you’ll want to highlight your education and any relevant coursework, skills, and achievements that demonstrate your potential.
Sample CV for a teenager with no experience
If you are applying for a job as a teenager, you may have already gained some experience in part-time work. Include it in your teenager CV, even if it is not directly related to the position you are applying for. This will show that you are a responsible young person with experience in a professional environment.
Example CV for graduate students with no experience
Recent grads can include in their graduate student CVs any projects or internships they undertook during their studies. This will highlight your knowledge and skills. Focus on your achievements, and consider adding a section on your interests that might be relevant to the job.
CV with no experience: example for a high school student
In the case of a high school student, the likelihood that you already have any specific work experience is rather small. Focus on highlighting your skills. Perhaps you take great photos, manage your social media well, run a blog, or know a foreign language. Put this on your high school student CV!
CV for an international student with no relevant experience
When writing your CV for your first serious job, you can focus on transferable skills. Especially if you are writing a CV for an international student, this will demonstrate that you are responsible, willing to work, and familiar with the professional environment and working practices in the UK.
We have CVs for every job title. Visit our CV examples page, check what others put on their CVs and get inspired!
What to put on a CV with no experience?
How to write a CV if I don’t have any experience? That’s easily one of the most common CV questions. It’s not hard to see why. “Work experience” or “Career history” is by far the biggest section on most standard CVs, so most people want to know how to replace that.
Here is a full list of things you should include on your CV with no experience:
- Personal details – your name, phone number, email address, and location.
- Personal profile or personal statement – this short paragraph introduces recruiters to you as a candidate.
- Skills – arguably the most essential part of a CV with no experience. You can spend a lot more time (and words) expanding on your capabilities without making your CV too long.
- Education – shift focus away from work experience. Expand on your time at college or university more than you would if you had a long list of previous jobs to focus on.
- Achievements – list achievements from your education or personal life, such as sporting accomplishments, attendance awards, or fundraising activities that show you in a positive light.
- Qualifications – separate qualifications, such as online training or a first-aid course, warrant their own section.
- Hobbies or interests – tread carefully here, as focusing too much on your own interests might highlight a lack of experience, especially if they’re unrelated to the job at hand.
- Work-like experience – you can talk about volunteer roles, personal projects, or helping the family business.
How to write a CV for a job with no experience
Stop thinking “I’ve never had a job” and start asking “What can I show an employer?” If you’re not sure how to write a CV for a job with no experience, use the steps below as a practical blueprint:
Know what counts as “experience”
Take a step back and think broadly about everything you’ve done that shows responsibility, effort or skill. Employers hiring for entry-level roles want evidence that you’re capable, reliable, and willing to learn. That evidence can come from many places. Experience isn’t limited to paid jobs.
Here’s how to prove your qualifications on a CV with no work experience:
- Extracurricular activities – sports teams, clubs, school societies, student council
- Relevant subjects or courses – GCSEs, A-levels, university modules or online courses linked to the role
- Volunteering or community work – charity shops, fundraising events, mentoring, helping at local organisations
- Personal projects – running a blog, creating social media content, coding, designing posters, photography, and small online businesses
- Short placements – school work experience, shadowing professionals, taster days or insight weeks
- Informal work – helping in a family business, babysitting, tutoring, caring for relatives
Aim to turn each activity into proof of your skills. A major part of how to make a CV for a first job with no experience is recognising that your “non-jobs” still demonstrate valuable abilities. For every activity you’ve listed, ask yourself:
- What did I actually do?
- What skills or qualities does it show?
Here are some examples to guide your thinking:
Extracurricular activities
- Playing in a sports team → teamwork, discipline, reliability
- Sitting on student council → leadership, communication, decision-making
Volunteering or community work
- Helping at a charity event → organisation, customer service, communication
- Supporting a local group → commitment, teamwork, initiative
Personal projects
- Running a blog or social media page → writing, design, marketing, consistency
- Designing posters for events → creativity, basic design software skills
- Managing family admin or finances → numeracy, attention to detail, responsibility
Short placements or internships
- Even a one-week placement → exposure to professional behaviour, timekeeping, following instructions, workplace communication
Informal work
- Babysitting, tutoring or caring for a family member → trustworthiness, patience, reliability, problem-solving
These kinds of experiences answer “What do I put on my CV if I have no experience?” far better than leaving your CV half-empty. They show you’re engaged, proactive and already developing the skills that employers value long before your first official job title.
Use a skills-based CV layout
When you don’t have a work history to lean on, you simply change the order of the sections and choose a skills-based CV. Instead of putting “Work experience” in the spotlight, you build your CV around your skills and education.
A simple structure for a CV with no work experience is:
- Personal details
- Personal profile (CV summary)
- Key skills
- Education & qualifications
- Additional information (volunteering, projects, achievements, languages, hobbies)
Include valid personal details
These sit at the top of the page and look the same whether you’re experienced or not. Use a professional email address and stick to essentials – no photo, age or marital status needed for a UK CV.
CV with no work experience example: personal details
Bella Harris
19A Johnson Road
Glasgow, G1 4DH
07912 345 678
bella.harris@example.co.uk
Write a strong personal statement for a CV with no experience
Your personal profile is a short paragraph at the top of the page that answers the question: “Who are you, and what can you offer?” This is crucial if you’re wondering how to write a CV when you have no experience, because it’s the first thing a recruiter will read.
Tips for a no-experience CV profile:
- Use “prospective” + job title if you haven’t worked in that role yet, e.g., “prospective admin assistant”, not “admin assistant”
- Refer to your track record in education, not years of experience
- Mention 2–3 transferable skills that match the job advert
- Add a couple of positive traits
- Don’t apologise for your lack of experience.
Personal statement example for a CV with no experience
Prospective admin assistant with a strong academic record and excellent written and verbal communication skills. Highly competent with Microsoft Office and quick to learn new software. Organised, reliable and keen to develop in an entry-level office role.
This style works whether you’re a school leaver, a graduate, an international student, or a career-change
Make your skills the star of the show
In a traditional CV, skills are a short section. On a CV with no experience, they’re the main event.
Aim for 8–10 key skills that an employer will care about. Focus on transferable skills you’ve built through school and everyday life:
- IT skills – using Microsoft Office, email, and video calls
- Communication skills – writing emails, giving presentations, talking to customers or classmates
- Interpersonal skills – teamwork, empathy, listening, handling disagreements
- Organisational skills – planning, prioritising, meeting deadlines
- Project skills – time management, delegating tasks in group work, coordinating events
- Problem-solving abilities – researching, thinking creatively, finding practical solutions
- Maths – handling money, working with percentages, basic calculations
- English – spelling, grammar, writing, proofreading
- Punctuality & reliability – attendance, turning up on time, meeting commitments
Don’t just list the skill. Add 1–3 short bullet points showing how you use it, as in the example below.
No experience CV sample: skills
IT skills
- Competent with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
- Comfortable using email and video calling platforms, like Zoom and Google Meet
- Quick to learn new software and systems
This is exactly how to make a CV with no experience feel full and relevant without adding fake jobs.
Use your education as proof of ability
If you’re a student or recent graduate, your education is one of your biggest selling points. It’s a key part of how to write a CV with no work experience that still feels substantial.
What to include in your education section:
- Secondary school and any further education from roughly the last 10 years
- College, sixth form, university, apprenticeships and vocational courses
- Relevant online courses or certifications
How to format your education section:
- Start with your most recent qualification
- Include the institution, location and dates
- Add the course title and results
- Use a few bullet points to highlight relevant modules, projects or skills
CV with no experience samples: education section
NVQ Level 3: Catering & Food Preparation | City of Bristol College, Bristol | 2010
- Gained experience preparing food to strict hygiene standards
- Worked to tight deadlines during practical assessments
- Collaborated in teams to plan and deliver catering projects
GCSEs | Fairfield High School, Bristol | 2008
- 9 GCSEs A*–C including Maths and English
OR
BA (Hons) Finance, 2:1 | St. John’s University, London | 2021
- Completed modules in corporate and personal taxation
- Wrote a 10,000-word dissertation on changing UK tax laws
- Developed strong research and analytical skills through case studies
Showcase your hobbies, interests and additional information to boost your CV
When you’re writing a CV with no experience, your hobbies, interests, and other additional details can make a meaningful difference, as long as you choose them carefully.
These sections help employers see who you are beyond your education and skills, and they can highlight qualities that aren’t demonstrated elsewhere on your CV. Your hobbies should support your overall story and help show that you’re motivated, responsible and willing to take initiative.
Here’s how to add hobbies and interests to a CV with no experience:
- Keep it concise; this part should complement your CV, not dominate it.
- Choose activities that demonstrate valuable traits, such as discipline, creativity, teamwork, commitment or leadership.
- Be specific rather than generic: employers learn far more from a detailed example than a vague list.
- Avoid unrelated or filler interests unless you hold a meaningful role connected to it, such as coaching or club organisation.
If you have strengths that don’t fit naturally into your skills or education sections, you can gather them under additional CV sections. This helps round out your CV and can be especially valuable when you have no formal work experience.
These are the best extra sections you can add to a no-experience CV template:
- Achievements – awards, recognition, fundraising successes, competition results
- Extra qualifications or certificates – First Aid, Food Hygiene, digital skills, online courses
- Language skills – clearly stated with your level of proficiency
- Relevant licences – for example, a driving licence if it’s useful for the job
- Memberships – such as clubs, societies, or professional associations
- Portfolio links – for creative or digital applicants (only if employer-appropriate)
CV with no experience example: additional sections
Achievements
- Organised a school fundraiser that raised £500 for charity
- Awarded 100% attendance in the final year of college
Languages
- Mandarin – advanced
- French – conversational
Adding these details is one of the simplest ways to make your CV with no experience feel more complete, competitive and well-rounded. They show commitment, responsibility and an eagerness to learn – precisely the qualities employers look for when hiring entry-level candidates.
Format your CV professionally
Good content needs a clear, professional layout. Employers make assumptions based on presentation, especially when they don’t have any traditional work experience to judge you by.
Here’s how to format your CV with no experience like a pro:
Design
- Choose a clean CV template that’s easy to scan
- A subtly coloured header or margin can help you stand out
- Keep the main body of text black
Colours
- Use one muted accent colour in your CV, e.g., navy, grey, dark green or pastel blue
- Reserve it for headings, lines or small design touches, not the whole page
Fonts and size
- Stick to simple CV fonts like Arial, Calibri or Helvetica
- Body text: 10–12 pt
- Headings: 14–16 pt
- Don’t increase the font size just to fill the page – adjust spacing and margins instead
Length
- In the UK, aim for one full page when you have no experience
- Avoid awkward three-quarter pages; tweak layout so your CV has the proper length
Mistakes to avoid when writing a CV with no experience
Finally, when you’re learning how to write a CV with no experience, knowing what not to do is just as important.
Here’s what not to do when writing a CV with no professional work experience:
- Leaving sections blank – there is almost always something useful you can add.
- Exaggerating or inventing roles – employers will check, and honesty matters.
- Including things you can’t back up – be ready to explain every skill or activity.
- Undervaluing informal experience – family responsibilities and small side jobs count.
- Focusing on what you lack – don’t apologise for your age or inexperience.
- Letting hobbies dominate – they should support your application, not distract from it.
4 final touches for a no-work-experience CV
Aside from structure and content, there are a few simple tips that can make CV writing less of a mystery and more of a masterpiece when you don’t have experience.
Write in the third person
This is a great trick to shift the focus from you to the potential employer. Writing in the third person (as if you’re writing about someone else) eliminates the need for “I” and “my” throughout your CV. Consider the following two passages from an example personal statement:
- First person: I am an ambitious candidate seeking to utilise my diverse skill set in an administrative role.
- Third person: Ambitious candidate looking to utilise a diverse skillset in an administration role.
Add links to your CV
Long gone are the days when CVs had to be a single, one-dimensional document. If you have a portfolio, feel free to include a link in your contact details or interests section. That’s particularly useful for candidates applying for creative roles. The same applies to social media accounts, but only if you’ve made sure they don’t contain anything that could put recruiters off.
Keep it simple and professional
Despite contrary belief, you don’t have to use fancy language to make up for having no experience on your CV. If there’s a simpler word than the one you’ve chosen, use it. All that matters is that you keep things relatively formal, which means no slang and definitely no spelling mistakes.
Focus on the positives
Above all else, the best examples of CVs with no experience shift the focus away from what they don’t have – work experience – to what they do. Think about the capabilities, qualities, education, and even interests that can set you apart from other candidates, then build your CV around that.
You can tackle a lack of experience in your cover letter and the interview, but for now, your CV is about emphasising your plus points to get recruiters calling!
Takeaways for your CV with no experience
All in all, writing a CV without work experience is about shifting the focus from what you don’t have to what you do. That means expanding on skills, education, and even hobbies or interests, and moving them a little further up your CV where experience would normally sit. However, you can also include non-work experience, such as voluntary roles, internships, and education work placements.
If you’re looking for inspiration on what transferable qualities to discuss or simply what language to use to sound professional but not pretentious, our CV examples are a great starting point.
Danuta Detyna
Senior Content Writer
Danuta is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer and career expert known for her empathetic, research-driven approach to career development. With over nine years of experience as a professional writer, she specialises in creating effective CVs, cover letters, and career advice articles that empower individuals to pursue their goals with confidence.
