Writing a CV with no work experience: what to include

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An empty work experience box isn't an empty CV

The first time you write a CV, you get stuck at the same point: under "work experience" there's nothing, or just one part-time job at a supermarket. That feels like you're coming up empty-handed.

That's a misunderstanding about what an employer looks for in an entry-level role. Nobody expects ten years of experience from someone who's just starting out. What an employer does want to know is: can you learn, do you keep your commitments, and do you have any idea what you're getting into.

That can be shown, even without a career history.

Put your education at the top

For someone with experience, work goes at the top. For you, it's the other way round: your education is currently your strongest card, so it goes right under your contact details.

Don't just mention the name of your course. Add what your dissertation or final project was about, which subjects are relevant to the role, and what grade you got if it was a distinction or higher. A placement belongs here too: that IS work experience, even if it was unpaid.

Part-time jobs count, even if they have nothing to do with the role

Two years of shelf-stacking alongside your studies says something: you turned up on time, you kept it up alongside your course, and you worked with customers and colleagues.

So write it up that way. Not "shelf stacker, 2023–2025", but what you did there and what came of it: "worked regular evening and weekend shifts alongside a full-time degree; trained three new staff members".

Everything you've done outside school counts too

Treasurer of a society, volunteer at a sports club, a personal project you saw through, a committee at your student association. These are places where you carried responsibility and worked with people.

List them under their own heading — "Extracurricular activities" or "Volunteering" — and describe them the way you'd describe a job. What you did, for how many people, what came out of it.

Write a short introduction, and keep it specific

At the top of your CV there should be a few lines about who you are and what you're looking for. That's more important for someone starting out than for someone with experience, because the rest of your CV doesn't yet tell the story.

Steer clear of "motivated and eager-to-learn graduate" — everyone writes that and it says nothing. Write what you've done and where you want to go: "Recently graduated in business administration, dissertation on inventory management at a wholesaler. Looking for a role where I can work with data."

What you're better off leaving out

Your secondary school, if you've completed further education since. Hobbies unrelated to the role. Skills that go without saying, like "can use Word". And bars or stars next to your skills: these are unreadable for an ATS and an employer has no idea what four out of five stars means.

One page is enough for a first CV. That's not a shortfall — it's fitting.

In short

• Education at the top, with your dissertation topic and relevant subjects.
• Part-time jobs count; describe what you did, not just the job title.
• Volunteering and society involvement belong in there as genuine experience.
• A short, specific introduction instead of "motivated graduate".
• One page is enough.

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