How to write a CV for your first job

Where to start with your first CV

Your first CV feels daunting because it seems to be missing "the important bit": experience. In reality, a recruiter wants to know whether you're reliable, whether you're keen to learn, and whether your skills fit the role. All of that can be shown even without a previous job.

There's one ground rule: every line has to say something useful for that particular job. If it doesn't add value, cut it. A clean one-pager beats two pages padded with empty lines.

If you want the full picture on the topic, start with the guide The CV with no experience; here we go straight to the structure for anyone looking for their first job.

The structure of a first job CV

Here's the order that works when professional experience is thin or non-existent:

1. Contact details — name, town or city, phone, a sensible email, and a LinkedIn link if you have one.
2. Personal profile — 2-3 lines on who you are and what you're looking for.
3. Education — front and centre, because it's your strongest card.
4. Skills — languages, digital, soft skills with an example.
5. Relevant experience — internships, work placements, volunteering, projects.
6. Other — driving licence, availability, hobbies only if relevant.

Unlike people who've already worked, here education comes before experience: it's the section where you have the most to say.

What to write when you're short on experience

"No experience" doesn't mean "nothing to say." The following all count as experience:

• Internships and work placements, even short ones.
• Volunteering and community work.
• School or university projects (your final thesis, group work, competitions).
• Extra roles: class representative, captaining a team, running a social media account.

For each one, write what you did and what you learned. Not "volunteered at the local fair," but "managed the welcome desk for 200 visitors during the festival, coordinating shifts for a team of six."

A worked example to adapt

A concrete template to make your own:

Profile: Business and Marketing graduate looking for a first role in an office or sales environment. Accurate, punctual, and comfortable with customers and digital tools.

Education: Business diploma, 88/100 — School X, 2025. Key subjects: accounting, business English, IT.

Skills: English B2, Office (intermediate Excel), Canva, social media. Full driving licence.

Experience: Three-week placement in a clothing shop: customer service, stockroom restocking, operating the till.

Keep sentences short and lead with the verb: "managed," "organised," "supported."

Mistakes to avoid

• Unprofessional email addresses, or giving only a mobile number.
• Lists of soft skills with no proof ("flexible, dynamic, upbeat").
• A file called cv1_final_real.docx: use First-Last-CV.pdf instead.
• The same CV for every advert: always tailor your profile and skills.
• Spelling mistakes: read it aloud or have someone check it for you.

Build your CV now

You don't have to start from a blank page. With EuroCV's free CV builder you pick a ready-made layout, fill in the sections in the right order, and download a PDF that's ready to send. The Free plan is unlimited: you can create and update your CV as often as you like while you reply to your first job adverts. Start from the template, then tailor your profile and skills for each application.