How to Write a CV for a Job With No Experience in 2025

Applying for your first job? Wondering how to write a CV for a job with no experience? Don’t worry—plenty of people start with little to no work history. What matters is how you present your skills, potential, and enthusiasm.

I’ll show you exactly how to write a CV with no experience, using practical tips and real CV examples for candidates without work experience. You’ll learn how to make a CV that grabs attention—even without a job history.

Key Article Insights:

• How to write a CV for a job with no experience is all about presenting how you can add value to the employer.
• Writing a CV with no experience revolves around showcasing your transferable skills.
• Good CV examples with no work experience use a skills-based format.

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We created the sample on the right using our builder. See other good CV examples like this one.

CV example for students with no experience

This CV is ideal for university students who have not held formal jobs but have engaged in freelance work, volunteering, or academic projects. It shows how to frame transferable skills and academic accomplishments to match the demands of entry-level roles.

When writing a CV like this, it’s important to include a personal statement that links your studies to the job you’re targeting, and to back up your key skills with practical examples. Don’t shy away from including informal work, academic achievements, or volunteer experience—anything that demonstrates initiative, organisation, or communication is valuable at this stage.

CV example for teenagers with no experience

This CV suits school leavers or teenagers applying for part-time jobs, internships, or volunteer roles. It focuses on school achievements, extracurriculars, and enthusiasm to learn.

To write a strong CV as a teenager, focus on what you have done, not what you haven’t. Use examples from school, volunteering, or personal projects to show off your teamwork, communication, and time management. Keep your tone upbeat, and let your personality come through in your personal statement.

CV example for internships with no experience

This CV targets students applying for internships. It leverages freelance work and volunteering to build a strong case for employability.

When creating a CV for internships, it’s crucial to demonstrate your passion and relevant skills through side projects, volunteer work, or academic success. Make sure your personal statement clearly targets the internship you’re applying for, and use measurable results wherever possible to show impact.

How to write a CV for a job with no experience

If you have limited or no work experience, you can still create a compelling CV that attracts a recruiter and uncovers your potential. In a CV with no work experience, focus on your academic and extracurricular achievements that prove the skills demanded for a job. Describe what you did, the abilities and traits you used, and the positive outcomes.

Here’s exactly how to make a CV with no experience:

1. Start your CV with no experience with a captivating personal statement

Your personal details might physically come first in your CV, but it’s the personal statement that’s actually read first. A well-written personal statement entices a recruiter to read your CV with no experience.

Here’s how to write a CV personal statement (also called a CV profile):

1. Use it to introduce yourself as a worker (even if you’ve never had a job).
2. Show what you can offer the company, and demonstrate that your goals line up with the company’s goals.
3. Describe what you’ve achieved in the past, sticking exclusively to professional and work-appropriate details.
4. Keep your personal statement to 3–4 sentences, 50–150 words maximum. 

An achievement is typically a description of actions taken by a worker and the benefits that flow to that worker’s employer as a result. For example, ‘increased the efficiency of process X, bringing in £20,000 p.a. more in revenue’. Even if you can’t come up with an achievement like this, quantify everything you can to make your CV more compelling.

Even though it’s the first substantial part of your CV, it’s best that you write your personal statement last of all (it’s basically your CV summary). You can do a much better job once you’ve prepared your skills summary and work history (if any). So leave it at the back of your mind for now and return to it later.

Personal statement on a CV with no work experience—example

A strong CV summary will convince the recruiter you’re the perfect candidate. Save time and choose a ready-made personal statement written by career experts and adjust it to your needs in the LiveCareer CV builder.

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2. Optimise your CV for ATS

It’s not only about what to put on a CV with no experience, but also how you do it. That’s why another thing to look out for, especially when applying to large companies or popular positions, is that your application will likely be processed by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before recruiters even see it. 

There are some simple tactics you can use to make your CV ATS-friendly:

• Mention the company's name and position to which you’re applying as they appear in the job advert.
• Try to mirror some keywords from the advert in your writing. However, keep it legible and natural-seeming to human recruiters.

3. Summarise skills in your CV with no experience

If you lack experience, focus on what you do bring—skills. Experience is just a sign of professional skills gained and used over time. Since you can’t showcase past jobs, highlight your abilities instead.

Ditch the traditional chronological CV format and use a skills-based CV. It puts your strengths front and centre. While it’s less common, and it’s not the recruiter’s favourite, it’s the best option when it comes to how to write a CV for a job with no experience.

How to show skills effectively:

• Take a look at the job advert and take note of any skills it mentions. If the advert lacks skills, check similar job postings from comparable companies.
• Do some general research online to get a feel for the skills required to do this job well (hard and communication skills).
• Choose 3–5 of the most important or most in-demand of these skills and make them into subheadings in your skills section.
• Add 2–4 bullet points under each subheading through which you show how you’ve demonstrated the given skill.

Be specific—quantify achievements. When writing a CV with no experience, the idea is to convince recruiters that you really do possess the skills you’re mentioning. Instead of saying “practised public speaking,” say “spoke at 13 conventions to over 650 attendees.” Prioritise academic and pseudo-academic contexts over hobbies, etc.

Skills summary for a CV with no experience—example

Administration

• Organised studies, tutoring, various one-off and short-term volunteer jobs, and hobbies whilst maintaining average marks of over 70%.
• Scheduled, invoiced, and collected payments from students and completed tax returns independently.
• Filed learning materials used for private tutorials using cross-referenced hardcopy and digital filing systems, saving up to 50% on preparation time.

Communication

• Practised in adapting oral communication style, whether speaking to professors, fellow final-year students, or while running tutorials.
• Accustomed to formal writing (e.g. for assessment), writing online (e.g. tutorials, two blogs, hundreds of forum posts), and generally writing up to 2000 structured words a day.
• Developed a professional phone manner through various volunteer gigs.

ICT

• Daily, intermediate user of LibreOffice and MS Office suites, including spreadsheets and presentations.
• Adept at using image manipulation packages such as GIMP and Darktable.
• Quick to pick up new and unfamiliar software packages, often helping friends with their VPNs, accounting programs, antivirus on Windows machines, etc.

4. Include any work experience you have in your CV

Obviously, you’re not reading an article on how to write a CV for a job with no experience because you have enough work experience to fill this CV section. It’s still worth going over how to set out your work history in a CV, though. You may have participated in volunteer or informal work that could be highly relevant and valuable to include in your first CV.

Even if you’re light on experience, don’t skip this section—volunteer roles, internships, and informal work do count. The only real difference between paid and unpaid work is the pay cheque, not the skills gained.

Include anything you’ve done regularly, like placements or long-term volunteer roles. One-off gigs or odd jobs should go in a separate section unless you've completed many consecutively, resembling freelance work (such as a sole trader). Remember, you can also add work experience placements to your CV. 

For each role, add up to six bullet points highlighting specific achievements—quantify whenever possible. Focus on the value you brought, not just your duties.

If you're writing a student CV and don’t have any work experience to include, don’t pad this section. Instead, simply skip over it and follow up your skills summary with your education section directly.

CV for students with no experience: job description sample

5. Outline education in your CV with no work experience

When it comes to concrete, objective points of difference between you and other inexperienced candidates, your education plays a huge part. It’s far from being the be-all and end-all for many jobs, and some jobs don’t require anything beyond Maths and English GCSES. It’s important nonetheless, though.

Set your education section out in reverse-chronological order, starting from the most recent and working your way back from there. If you’re still completing a given qualification, include your expected completion/graduation date. 

Education section on a CV for a job with no experience

6. Add extra sections to your CV template with no experience

When applying with little or no work experience, you’ll likely be up against candidates with similar backgrounds. So, how do you set yourself apart? What else should you put on a CV with no experience? To stand out, include extra CV sections highlighting your unique strengths and relevant achievements.

Tailor these sections to each job. Focus only on what’s truly relevant and impressive for the role you're targeting. Even if something doesn't fit neatly under "skills" or "education," it might still show you're the right person for the job.

Language skills, for example, are valued in most industries—include them even if the job doesn’t require it.

Here are some sections you can include when writing a CV with no work experience:

• Awards & achievements
• Competitions
• Certifications or online courses
• Language skills
• Conferences or seminars attended
• Extracurricular activities
• Volunteer work (if not already listed)
• Hobbies & interests (only if relevant)

CV template with no work experience: additional sections

7. Be sure to include a cover letter as well

It's easy to focus solely on writing a CV for a job with no experience, but remember, your cover letter is just as important—always include one unless specifically told not to. A short cover letter is your chance to make a strong first impression and get your CV noticed.

Key tips for writing an effective cover letter:

• Stick to UK business letter format: Use the correct layout, salutation (e.g., “Dear [Name]”), and sign-off (e.g., “Yours sincerely” or “Yours faithfully”).
• Start strong: Open your cover letter with a compelling first paragraph that quickly shows why you're a great fit.
• Highlight key achievements: Use the body to back up your value with examples from academics, volunteering, or personal projects.
• End with confidence:Conclude your cover letter with a call to action—express enthusiasm and interest in the next steps.
• Keep it concise: When it comes to a perfect cover letter length, aim for 250–400 words max. Short, clear, and tailored is best.

A good cover letter won’t land the job on its own, but it will get your CV read. That’s the first step toward getting hired.

Extra tips before sending your CV with no experience

Your CV should look professional both from a quick glance and under close scrutiny for grammar and detail. This means taking care of the big-picture things like format, CV layout, overall look, and the word-by-word, letter-by-letter aspects of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Now that you know what should be included in a CV if you have no experience, here are some final CV tips to consider:

• Edit and rearrange your work until it fits nicely (without being cramped) on asingle A4 page.
• Put your contact details near the top of your CV, and consider making your name bigger by at least two points to help it stand out.
• Leave the rest of your text at a size of 11–12 points to ensure it is readable once printed.
• Choose a professional-looking CV font like Noto, Garamond, Arial, Liberation, or Calibri.
• Use subheadings and lots of white space to divide your CV into sections and subsections clearly.
• Opt for a simplistic CV template (view our list of the best CV templates), and avoid using too many colours and icons.
• Always save or export your CV (and cover letter) in PDF, unless you’ve been explicitly asked for something else. Lastly, attach your CV to an email.

That's it! Now you know how to write a CV for a job with no experience. Just one final piece of CV advice: follow up with a quick phone call or short email if you haven’t heard back after a week. This can make a far bigger difference than you might think and, at the very least, it’ll give you an idea of how your application is going.

You don’t have to be a CV writing expert. In the LiveCareer CV builder you’ll find ready-made content for every industry and position, which you can then add with a single click.

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In need of extra advice on CV writing? See these guides:

• Can AI Help You Write a CV in 2025?
• How to Make a Good CV for Any Job
• How to Include a Degree on Your CV
• Key CV Writing Tips to Apply in 2025
• Should You Use AI to Write a CV?
• What Does a CV Mean? Definition + Examples
• What Makes a Perfect CV: Key Advice for 2025
• What to Include in a CV: Key Elements
• Writing a Good CV: Tips on CV Writing

I really hope this article has helped you give yourself a head start in finding work without any prior experience. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions or share your CV-writing and job-hunting experiences down below and we’ll be sure to get back to you.

How we review the content at LiveCareer

Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with LiveCareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.

Sources

• University of North Georgia, "Accomplishment Statements"
• Rochester Institute of Technology, "The Impact of White Space on User Experience for Tablet Editions of Magazines"