Key Takeaways
Write a strong UK CV with no work experience: what counts as experience, the section order to use, a full example CV and how to turn activities into evidence.
Writing your first CV can feel like being asked for experience before anyone will give you experience. The good news is that employers hiring for entry-level roles know you are at the start. They are not looking for a long work history. They are looking for signs that you are reliable, willing to learn and able to do the basics of the job.
This guide shows you how to write a CV with no work experience for UK employers: what counts as experience, the section order that works best, how to turn everyday activities into convincing evidence, and a complete example you can use as a model.
Quick answer
Build a one-page CV with your contact details, a short personal statement, education, skills, and a section for volunteering, projects and activities. Treat anything where you took responsibility as experience: school or university projects, clubs, sport, volunteering, caring for family or helping in a family business. Describe each one with what you did, its scale and the result, and tailor the skills you highlight to each job.
What counts as experience when you have never had a job?
"Experience" on a CV means evidence that you can do things the job needs. It does not have to be paid. All of these count:
- Volunteering in a charity shop, food bank, sports club, place of worship or community event
- School, college or university projects, especially group work, presentations or anything you organised
- Clubs, societies and teams, including roles such as captain, treasurer or social secretary
- Award schemes such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Young Enterprise or National Citizen Service
- Caring responsibilities, such as looking after younger siblings or supporting a relative
- Helping in a family business, even informally
- Work experience placements arranged through school or college
- Informal paid work such as babysitting, dog walking or tutoring a younger student
- Personal projects: a blog, a fundraising event, a website, a YouTube channel or something you built
Pick the three or four strongest examples rather than listing everything. Quality of evidence matters more than quantity.
Starting from a blank page? Open the CV builder and follow along as you read.
The best section order for a CV with no experience
When your education and activities are your strongest material, put them near the top. This order works well for most first CVs in the UK:
| Section | What to include | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Name and contact details | Phone, a professional email address, your town or city, and LinkedIn if you have a profile | UK CVs do not need a photo, date of birth, nationality or marital status |
| 2. Personal statement | Three to four lines on who you are, what you offer and the role you want | See our CV personal statement examples |
| 3. Education | Most recent first: qualifications, grades or predicted grades, and relevant modules or projects | Summarise GCSEs on one line, for example "9 GCSEs (grades 9 to 5) including English and Maths" |
| 4. Skills | Four to six skills that match the job, each with a short example | Include practical skills such as languages, software or a driving licence if useful |
| 5. Experience and activities | Volunteering, placements, projects and responsibilities | Use a heading such as "Volunteering and activities" if you have no paid work |
| 6. Achievements | Awards, certificates, competitions, attendance records | Only include ones you could talk about in an interview |
| 7. Interests (optional) | Specific interests that show commitment or a relevant skill | "Captain of my local under-18 football team" beats "football" |
You do not need to list referees on your CV. Employers will ask for references later in the process, and you can share them then.
How to turn activities into evidence
The difference between a weak first CV and a strong one is usually not the activities themselves. It is how they are described. Use this simple formula for each bullet point:
Action verb + what you did + scale or context + result
Before and after: rewriting activities as evidence.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Volunteered at a charity shop | Served customers and sorted donations at a charity shop every Saturday for a year, and trained two new volunteers on the till |
| Member of the netball team | Organised travel and kit for 12 players as netball team captain, keeping the team on time for every away fixture |
| Did a group project | Led a group of four on a sixth-form business project, splitting tasks and presenting our plan to a panel of local employers |
| Babysitting | Looked after two children aged five and eight twice a week, managing routines, meals and homework |
| Good with computers | Built a simple website for my family's catering business using Wix, including a menu and booking form |
Notice that none of the rewritten lines exaggerate. They add the detail that makes the activity believable and relevant.
An example CV with no work experience
Here is a complete, invented example for an 18-year-old applying for a retail assistant role. It fits on one page.
Sam Taylor Nottingham | 07700 900123 | sam.taylor@example.com
Profile Friendly and reliable sixth-form leaver with A levels in English, Business and Art. Eighteen months of Saturday volunteering in a busy charity shop, serving customers, using the till and arranging window displays. Looking for a part-time retail assistant role where I can help customers and keep the shop floor running smoothly.
Education Riverside Sixth Form College, 2024 to 2026: A levels in English (B), Business (B), Art (A) Riverside Academy, 2019 to 2024: 9 GCSEs (grades 9 to 5) including English and Maths
Skills Customer service: helped shoppers find items and handled returns politely at the charity shop Cash handling: used the till and balanced takings at closing with the manager Visual merchandising: designed seasonal window displays that the manager kept for each season Teamwork: worked with volunteers of all ages and covered shifts when others were ill
Volunteering and activities Volunteer, Hope Charity Shop, 2025 to present: serve customers, sort and price donations, train new volunteers on the till Art society treasurer, Riverside Sixth Form, 2025 to 2026: managed a small budget for materials and kept clear records
Achievements Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Bronze
The phone number shown is from the range set aside by Ofcom for drama and examples, so it is not a real number.
Tailor your CV to the job you want
What entry-level employers tend to look for.
| Type of job | What to highlight |
|---|---|
| Retail | Customer service, handling money, availability at weekends and busy periods |
| Hospitality | Staying calm when busy, teamwork, food hygiene certificates if you have one |
| Office and admin | Organisation, accuracy, confidence with email, Word and Excel |
| Apprenticeships | Interest in the industry, willingness to learn, relevant school subjects or projects |
| Warehouse and logistics | Reliability, punctuality, physical fitness, following procedures safely |
| Care work | Patience, empathy, any caring experience, willingness to complete training |
If you are looking for work alongside your studies, our guide to getting a part-time job as a student covers where to look and how to show your availability.
Build your first CV from a clean template
Start from a blank template in Cafy's AI CV builder, add your education and activities, and get suggestions based on the job you are applying for. Download a clean PDF when you are ready.
Build your first CV free or see how it works
Formatting rules that make a first CV look professional
- Keep it to one page. For a first CV, a full page of strong content is better than two pages of padding.
- Use a clear font at a readable size, with consistent spacing and dates.
- Use simple headings and a single column, so it reads well on screen and in online application systems.
- Save it as a PDF unless the employer asks for Word, and name the file clearly.
- Check spelling and grammar twice, and ask someone else to read it.
Many larger employers use software to read CVs before a person does. Our guide to reading an ATS score explains how to check that the essentials in a job advert come through clearly.
Mistakes to avoid on a first CV
- Listing duties instead of results. "Responsible for the till" says less than "balanced the till with the manager at closing".
- Generic skills. Every skill should come with a short example.
- An unprofessional email address. Create a simple one using your name.
- Unnecessary personal details. Leave out your photo, date of birth and full home address.
- Sending the same CV everywhere. Small changes for each job make a real difference.
Many employers also ask for a short cover letter. Our guide to writing a UK cover letter shows the format to use.
Everyone starts somewhere
Every experienced professional once wrote a CV with nothing but school, a few activities and a lot of hope. Show what you have done honestly, describe it with detail, and point it clearly at the job in front of you. That is exactly what employers hiring for entry-level roles want to see.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Include your education, a personal statement, skills with examples, and a section for volunteering, projects, clubs, sport, caring responsibilities or informal work. Any activity where you took responsibility can be used as evidence.
One page. Focus on your strongest three or four examples and keep each bullet point short and specific.
Yes, especially early in your career. Summarise them on one line, including English and Maths results, because many employers ask about them. As you gain higher qualifications and experience, GCSEs can be shortened further.
No. You do not need to list referees on your CV. Employers ask for references later, usually after an interview or offer. Think about who you would ask, such as a teacher, tutor or volunteering manager.
No. A photo is not expected on a UK CV unless the employer specifically asks for one, which is rare outside acting and modelling.
Yes. Choose a simple, single-column template with clear headings. Avoid heavy graphics, skill bars and columns, which can be hard for application software to read.
More guides on Writing your CV
- CV Personal Statement Examples (UK) and How to Write One
- Transferable Skills: Examples and How to Prove Them on a CV
- How to Write a Career Change CV: UK Structure and Examples
- How to Explain a Gap in Your CV: UK Examples by Reason
Tools for this step: AI CV builder and Career Path.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or immigration advice. Rules change frequently - always check the current gov.uk guidance or speak to a qualified immigration adviser before making any decisions.