How to Write a CV With No Experience in 2024

You have no work experience, but still want to earn some pounds? While employers expect to see work history on your CV to consider your application, having none doesn’t mean you won’t find any job. With a properly written no-experience CV, that is.

And if you’re looking for some great CV for students with no experience, you’re in the right place. Just read on!

This guide will show you: 

• A CV with no experience example better than 9 out of 10 of those out there.
• How to write a CV for a job with no experience and land more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a no-experience CV.
• What to put on a CV with no experience to get any entry-level job you want.

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Sample CV made with our builder—See more CV examples and create your CV here.

Looking for CV examples for specific jobs or circumstances? See some of our related posts:

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• 100+ CV Examples for Every Industry

Before we find out how to make a CV with no experience, let’s see a perfect example.

CV with no experience sample

Now, that’s a great CV example (for no-work-experience candidates). Let’s see how to make one that will help you get the job you’re after.

1. Choose the right format for a CV with no experience

Having no work experience doesn’t mean you can’t wow your recruiter with your curriculum vitae. The easiest way to do it? Before you even start writing a CV, figure out the correct CV format. Doing it incorrectly will only make your document unreadable. And that will only hurt your chances of getting invited for a job interview.

Here’s how to format your no-work-experience CV:

• Keep the right CV structure by dividing it into sections, such as:
• CV Header (with your personal details)
• CV Summary
• Education Section
• Relevant Skills
• Extra Sections (such as hobbies & interests, language skills, certificates, etc.)

• Select the proper CV font. Times New Roman set at 12 points is great, but it is not the only one.

• Make sure your CV layout is readable by setting the correct margins and spacing.

• Name your CV file right. Your name and the position you’re trying to land are enough.

And just before we move on to what you can write in your CV, clean up your online profiles, especially if they’re set to public. You will not mention your experience, so the chance that your potential Employers will check them out, whether you list them on your CV or not, is quite high. Do it now, just to be on the safe site.

All ready? Let’s move on to the crucial part of any CV with no work experience.

Want to learn more about how a CV should look like? Read our guide: What Should My CV Look Like?

2. Summarise your skills—the backbone of any CV with no experience

How to write a CV for a job with no experience? You won’t highlight your experience, that’s for sure. But there’s one thing that can persuade your recruiters as much as great work history. It’s your skills. 

Your skills fall into two categories: hard skills and soft skills. A well-thought-out CV combines these two. 

How to highlight skills on a CV with no experience?

• Start by choosing 3–5 “headline skills.” Brainstorm some key skills that you have and that you feel would be suitable for the kinds of jobs you’re applying for. Then, look through the job advert for this specific job and highlight all the skill requirements.
• Grab those of your skills that match the requirements. These will be your “headline skills.” Make each one bold and surround them with some white space to make them stand out—like headlines.
• Create 2–5 bullet points under each headline. Each bullet point should offer a bit of proof for and an example of the given skill in action. Draw on your academic achievements and general life experience for evidence of your skills.
• Put numbers to everything you can. What sounds better, “got good grades” or “maintained a 93% average”? Start each bullet point with a strong verb. Look into accomplishment statements to help you structure your bullet points.

Let’s see what skills are desired on any CV.

Best skills for a no-experience CV

Okay, now that you know what are some of the best CV skills, let’s see them in action.

How to write a CV with no experience—key skills

Huge difference, right? The first example is convincing, relying on concrete information and numbers. The second sample is hardly terrible; at least it’s not just a laundry list of skills. But “not bad” doesn’t get you the job if even one other candidate has a great, skills summary.

Whether you’re writing a CV for a teenager with no experience or for a student, there’s one more thing worth mentioning. Let’s learn what’s that!

Pro tip: You can also write a CV that prioritises your skills. Such a CV is called a skill-based CV. It’s a format that’s excellent for all candidates with no work experience. Learn how to write such a document from our guide: How to Write a Skill-Based CV

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 CV template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s CV builder will score your CV and tell you exactly how to make it better.

3. Spotlight your education

The reason you see so many CV examples for students with no experience out there is that students are the most likely to be looking for their first job. But whether you’re still studying, just graduated, or finished school years ago, your education section is an important part of your CV.

How to list your education on a no-experience CV? 

• Create an entry for each of your secondary and post-secondary qualifications. 
• List the name of the qualification, the awarding institution, and the dates you attended there. Include an expected graduation or completion date if you’re still studying.
• Put all these qualifications in reverse chronological order—from most recent to least. It’s one of the evergreen tips for writing a great CV.
• List your A-levels, but only state the number of GCSEs. Put “including Mathematics and English” after the number of GCSEs. Some employers need to see you’ve passed at least these two.

Let’s see what a properly created education section can look like on a CV with no experience.

CV examples for students with no experience—education section

Pro Tip: If you’re thinking how many pages should a CV be, here’s the answer: an ideal length for you is a one-page CV. 

4. Flaunt everything you’ve got—add “extra” sections to your CV with no experience

In a CV with no experience, all that can set you apart from other candidates is your skills summary and education section. That’s not much. Say you’re writing an IT CV—that’s a lot of people who are good with computers studying IT degrees.

You need to really stand out from the crowd. You also need to show that you’re particularly well-suited to the role. Adding more sections to your CV does both of these things. Of course, you have to know what to add.

Here are two golden rules: 

• Every single “extra” thing you put into your CV has to be clearly and directly relevant to the job application at hand. This means there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
• Add 2–4 CV sections. Don’t mention everything you’ve achieved. Try to focus on what’s really impressive, relevant, and beneficial for your future employer.

Additional sections on your CV can include:

• Certification and Licenses. You might not have a lot of experience, but that shows that you’re more than ready to start gaining your first one.
• Foreign languages are always relevant, impressive and can work great for your advantage.
• Conferences you’ve attended will show that you’re willing to keep learning. Which, btw, is a must for every no-experienced candidate.
• Volunteering. You can’t go wrong with that, as it shows your character more than any other CV entry. It’s exactly what makes a good CV that will impress every recruiter.
• Hobbies and interests, especially if relevant to the opening, are a great addition to a CV with no experience. They can also often certify your hard and soft skills.
• Awards will show that you’ve accomplished something outstanding and worth recognition.

The following CV with no experience sample will give you some idea of the possibilities.

CV for a teenager with no experience—Additional CV sections

Don’t miss anything that can be beneficial for your application. Read our guide: What to Include in a CV

5. Collect the best bits together to create an impressive objective for a CV with no experience 

All the heavy lifting is done at this point. Let's to go back to the top of your CV and create a CV objective, otherwise known as a personal statement. It’s a short paragraph that grabs the recruiters’ attention and keeps them reading.

How to create a no-experience CV objective?

• Write it last. Look for the things in your sections that make you stand out and can help you get the job.
• Start with an adjective or two that describes you. Make sure they suit the job to which you’re applying. Something like “hard-working,” “creative,” or “enthusiastic.”
• Select 2–3 top accomplishments and skills relevant to the opening. Pick the ones that most clearly and compellingly speak to the requirements in the job advert.
• Write a sentence that describes what you intend to do for the employer. Not any employer, but this particular one to which you’re applying. Include their name. Look through the job advert on the company’s website, and search around the web for hints as to what they need.
• Structure your CV summary using the following formula:

Let’s see some examples:

CV with no work experience examples—CV objective

Same candidate, same history, applying for the same job. Which CV objective would impress you more?

The first one is focused on what the candidate can do for their potential new employer. It includes plenty of evidence to back up its claims, including a lot of numbers. It’s packed with accomplishments, even though the candidate hasn’t worked a day in their life.

Your CV is ready. But you’re not ready to send it yet! There’s one more thing you might want to write and include to boost your chances of getting hired.

Read more about writing an interview-winning CV objective: How to Write a CV Personal Statement

6. Include a cover letter—a CV with no experience needs all the help It can get

First things first: have you been explicitly told not to include a cover letter? No? Then forget everything you’ve heard about employers not bothering to read cover letters. The last thing you want is to submit a job application to one of the many who do without including a cover letter.

Writing a cover letter is all downhill once you’ve got your CV ready. Keep it short and to the point. Don’t dwell on your lack of experience. Instead, focus on your skills and what you intend to do for the employer.

Here’s how to write a cover letter for a CV with No Experience?

• Begin your cover letter strongly to grab the reader’s attention from the top.
• Make sure you’ve got everything you need to include in a cover letter:
• Contact section
• Professional salutation
• Personal introduction
• Evidence of how the company will benefit from hiring you, 
• Keep the correct length of your cover letter. One page, 4 paragraphs, 300 words is an ideal one.
• End your cover letter with a call to action. Offer a precise date for an interview.
• Sign off your cover letter with your full name. If you’re handling a hard copy of it, include a handwritten sign-off.

And that’s it. Now you know not only how to write a CV for a job with no experience. You also know how to write a cover letter. If that doesn't boost your chances... No, wait. It most definitely will.

Just graduated? About to write your first cover letter? Read more: Recent Graduate Cover Letter

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your CV 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.

Key takeaways

Well done! You’re ready to apply for a job even though you don’t have work experience yet. But, just as you’ve seen, it’s not a must if you know how to highlight all the other things your employers are looking for.

Just for a quick recap, here’s how to write a CV for a job with no experience, step by step:

• Choose the right format for a CV with no experience.
• Create a compelling skills summary that shows you’ve got what it takes.
• Detail your education; it might be your biggest source of achievements.
• Write an impressive CV objective to get their attention from the get-go.
• Include a cover letter to give yourself every chance of landing that interview.

With any luck, your next CV will include some great work experience!

• What did you find most difficult in writing a CV with no experience? 

• What advice do you have for your fellow readers?

Let me know in the comments section below!

Oh, and good luck with your interview. You’ve got this.

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Sources

• Writing a CV with little or no experience
• University of York: "Writing a CV with little or no experience"
• Katy Morris, Elnaz Kashefpakdel, Anthony Mann, "Are people who speak foreign languages at an advantage in the labour market? An analysis of British Cohort Study data"
• The Importance of Maintaining Your Social Media Profile