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You’re a 7-minute read away from learning how to craft a standout CV for fresh graduates. Welcome to the guide that will answer all the questions you have.
Writing a graduate CV is one of the toughest things you’ll ever have to do in your career.
‘How to start? What to include? What about all those other candidates who have way more experience than me?’
We’ve all been there.
Luckily, there are proven techniques you can use to write an effective graduate CV and land job interviews (even if you have no professional experience whatsoever).
This guide will show you:
Just came to see a sample and get a good template? Seek no further.
Here’s a sample graduate CV created with our CV maker.
Want to save time and have your CV ready in 5 minutes? Try our CV maker. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ CV templates and create your CV here.
Sample resume made with our builder—See more CV samples here.
This article will teach you how to write a graduate CV for regular, non-academic employment.
If you want to learn how to write an academic CV for post-grad admissions, doctoral studies, research grants, or scholarships, check out: Academic CV: What to Include & How to Write It
Not a fresh graduate? Switch over to our general CV writing guide for more experienced professionals: How to Write a Job-Winning CV
If you're writing a graduate resume for the US job market, see one of our dedicated guides:
Looking for more information and examples? see these:
Finally, don’t forget to get inspired by actual CV examples for different professions and industries: 99+ CV Examples for All Industries and Career Levels
Here’s how to write a graduate CV for a job:
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Hiring in those times is a fast-and-furious business. A recent study by The Ladders showed that recruiters spend an average of 7.4 seconds on a single CV they review. (Flabbergasted? That’s actually up from 6 seconds in 2012.)
Recruiters don’t read every CV they get. They look for reasons not to.
Sloppy graduate CV formatting could be that reason. Remember: other candidates might have more job experience than you do. A neat CV that’s easy to read can give you an upper hand.
Here are the most important rules of a good graduate student CV format:
And below, you’ll see a perfect section order for graduate CVs:
For more information on CV formatting, see: Ideal CV Structure: How to Model Your CV the Right Way
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Here’s what you need to include in a graduate CV contact information section:
Learn more: Contact Information on a CV
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Also called a CV profile, a personal statement for a graduate CV is a short paragraph (2–4 sentences) at the top of your graduate CV. Its purpose is to outline your best skills and show how well you’ll fit into your prospective role. Think of it as an elevator pitch or a summary of the rest of your CV.
Here’s how to write a graduate CV personal statement:
See the graduate personal statement CV example below to get a grasp of how it works in practice.
Highly motivated King’s College BA in Marketing and New Media graduate (who you are + your education) looking to fill a position as a Junior Marketing and PR Assistant at Acme (name of the company and position you’re applying to). Wishing to use strong data-analysis and creative storytelling skills (your skills) to help Acme create compelling marketing campaigns tailored to the needs of your customers (your offer).
When making a CV in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s CV builder will score your CV and tell you exactly how to make it better.
Get more examples and tips for your graduate CV personal statement here: 20+ CV Personal Statement/Personal Profile Examples
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Always put your current or most recent educational institution at the top. Follow it with the previous ones. That means, if you have a Master’s degree, include your Bachelor’s right below it. Either way, omit your high school.
In each entry, list:
But that won’t be enough to impress recruiters. Hey! It’s time for those courses you’ve slaved over for years to pay off!
To make your graduate student CV stand out, add:
See this marketing and business graduate CV example for reference.
2019 BA in Marketing and New Media
King’s College, London, UK
1st
Favorite fields of study: Global Media Systems, New Perspectives on B2C Marketing, Macroeconomy Basics, Film Theory, Marketing of the Media
Thesis title: ‘The Paradox of Luxury Goods Marketing—Examined’
Key achievements and extracurricular activities:
For more examples and expert tips, see: How to Put Education on a CV (Examples for All Scenarios)
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When it comes to your work experience, as a fresh graduate, chances are you don’t have loads.
Heck, you might have none in your target industry. And that’s okay.
Employers realise that candidates applying for entry-level positions might not have extensive work histories.
That said, if you have any work experience, include it in your graduate CV. List all sorts of jobs such as:
What to include in a graduate CV experience entries?
See these examples for reference.
Events and Marketing Intern
Adidas Originals, 06-2017–10-2017
London, UK
Summer Intern: Security Command Center
ScotRail, 06-2017–09-2017
Leuchars, UK
Learn more: Job Descriptions for a Perfect CV Experience Section
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If there’s just one thing you need to keep in mind when putting skills on a graduate CV, it’s relevance. Instead of listing all skills you think you have, enter those that will help you perform well in the job.
And what skills are best to include in a graduate CV today? Let’s consult that with data.
A recent survey showed what skills employers seek in graduate candidates. Here are the top 10 skills they listed:
Learn more: Skills to Put on a CV
And, for the final word, think about this—
Some graduate CVs might benefit from listing skills in the form of a ‘skills summary’ at the top of their CV. We call such CVs ‘skills-based’ or ‘functional.’ See if a skills-based graduate CV can be right for you: How (and When) to Write a Skills-Based CV
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Personal statement? Check. Education, work experience, skills? All check. That’s a decent CV. It might even get you an interview. But—
You don’t just want an interview. You want the interview with this company. So let’s punch up your graduate curriculum vitae a notch. Add some extra sections that will prove you’ve got another string to your bow.
These will show your value in a flash. Every recruiter and hiring manager will be hooked!
Before we wrap up, one final word:
Cover letter or no cover letter?
How about: job or no job?
Almost half of employers won’t review your graduate CV if there’s no cover letter attached. In other words, job ads reading ‘cover letter optional,’ mean ‘cover letter mandatory.’
We’ve put together a guide that makes writing job-winning cover letters easy and quick. Give it a read: How to Write a Cover (Application) Letter for a CV
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Here’s what makes a good graduate CV:
Questions? Concerns? In need of extra help? Ask me a question in the comments, I’ll straighten out your queries.
How to send a resume through email? What subject to write in an email with your job application? Check our guide with 12+ email samples to send with a resume.
A complete guide to writing a resume for an entry-level job. 20+ examples and tips from our experts. Use our entry-level resume sample.
Writing a resume with no experience seems like a mission impossible. But there’s a way to make a resume with no work experience look great! And you’re about to see how.