What If I Don’t Have Work Experience on My CV?

If you have no work experience to describe in your CV, focus on other strong points and assets. Highlight your education and qualifications, or emphasize relevant non-work experiences such as internships, volunteer work, extracurricular activities, or projects that demonstrate your competencies and abilities.

Focusing on skills is also a good idea. A skills-based CV will redirect a recruiter’s attention to your abilities instead of limited work experience. Unlike the typical reverse-chronological CV format, a skills-based CV starts with a comprehensive list of skills and provides examples of when those skills were applied.

To create a successful skills-based CV, use one of the professional CV templates that highlights this aspect of your candidate profile.

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.