First jobs · 5 min read
How do I write a CV with no experience?
How to write a first CV at 16, 17 or 18 with no work history: the sections, what counts as experience when you've never had a job, and a worked example.
The short answer
A first CV is one page with five parts: your contact details, a two-line profile saying what you want and when you can work, your education with grades, a 'skills and experience' section built from school, clubs, volunteering and home responsibilities, and references available on request. You don't need a job history. You need three concrete examples of turning up, finishing things and dealing with people.
Key takeaways
- One page, plain font, saved as a PDF with your name in the file name.
- Experience includes volunteering, a sports team, Duke of Edinburgh, looking after siblings, a school show, a paper round.
- Write each example as what you did and what happened, not a list of adjectives about yourself.
- Leave out your date of birth, a photo and your full address; town and email are enough.
On this pageThe five parts, in order
The five parts, in order
| Section | What goes in it | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Contact details | Name, town, email, mobile. No date of birth or photo. | 2 lines |
| Profile | Who you are, what you're applying for, when you can work. | 2 lines |
| Education | School, dates, GCSEs (or predicted), any current courses. | 3-4 lines |
| Skills and experience | Three or four examples from school, clubs, volunteering or home. | Half the page |
| Interests and references | One honest line of interests. 'References available on request.' | 2 lines |
What counts as experience when you've never been paid
An employer taking on a 16 year old isn't expecting a work history. They're asking three questions: will you turn up, will you finish what you start, and can you deal with people. Anything in your life that answers one of those is experience. The trick is to write it as a short story with a result rather than a label.
- Weak: 'Good team player.' Better: 'Played for the school football team for two seasons, including as captain for the final term.'
- Weak: 'Responsible.' Better: 'Pick up my two younger brothers from primary school three days a week and make their tea.'
- Weak: 'Good communication skills.' Better: 'Front-of-house volunteer at the school production: sold tickets and handled a double booking without the show starting late.'
- Weak: 'Hard-working.' Better: 'Completed Bronze Duke of Edinburgh, including a two-day expedition in the rain.'
A worked example
Illustrative example: a Year 11 student applying for a café job writes a profile of 'Year 11 student finishing GCSEs in June, available weekends now and weekdays from July. Looking for a first café job to learn the counter and the coffee machine.' Under experience she lists a year of Saturday volunteering at a charity shop sorting donations and serving, two seasons of netball, and babysitting for a neighbour. Three examples, one page, no adjectives.
The small things that get a CV binned
- An email address from Year 7. Make a plain one with your name.
- Spelling mistakes in the first three lines. Read it aloud once.
- A stock photo border or a template with icons that don't print.
- Claims you can't talk about. Everything on the page should survive 'Tell me more about that.'
Where to send it
Print four copies and hand them in at quiet times, asking for the manager by name if you can find it. Upload the same PDF to the large chains' online forms. Attach it to a short message to any adult you know who works somewhere that takes weekend staff. Then apply to the next one. First jobs are a numbers game, and the CV is the same each time.
Questions people ask
- What do I put on a CV if I've never had a job?
- Education with your grades or predicted grades, then a skills and experience section with three or four examples from life: a team you've played in for two seasons, a charity you've volunteered for, a school production you helped run, younger siblings you look after after school. Each one shows reliability, teamwork or responsibility, which is what a first employer is checking for.
- How long should a CV be for a 16 year old?
- One page. A hiring manager for a weekend job spends under a minute on each CV. Anything over a page for someone with no work history looks padded. If you're struggling to fill the page, add a short interests line that says something real, like 'five-a-side on Thursdays' rather than 'socialising'.
- Do I need a personal statement on my CV?
- A two-line profile at the top helps: who you are, what you're applying for and your availability. For example: 'Year 12 student available Saturdays and two evenings a week. Looking for a first retail job where I can learn to work a till and help customers.' Skip anything about being passionate or hard-working; show it in the examples instead.
- Should I include my GCSE grades?
- Yes, briefly. List the number of GCSEs and the grades in English and maths, for example '8 GCSEs including English (6) and maths (5)'. Employers and apprenticeship providers often check for a grade 4 or above in those two. Predicted grades are fine if you haven't sat them yet, labelled as predicted.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- How to write a CV · National Careers Service
- Investigating the barriers to young people accessing apprenticeships · National Foundation for Educational Research
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.