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How to Write a Student CV With No Experience

A step-by-step guide for students with no work experience: the order of a student CV, what to use instead of a job history, and examples to copy.

Last updated: 4/10/2026

Author: MojCV Team · Reviewed by: HR Specialists

What a Student CV Is

A student CV is a one-page summary of your education, activities, and skills for people who have little or no work history. Employers who hire students know this, so they look for reliability, a good attitude, and signs that you can do the job.

This guide shows the order to write it in, what to use instead of work experience, and how to keep it clear. Everything here is free to do in the student CV builder, with no account and no payment.

How to Write a Student CV in 7 Steps

  1. 1

    Start with your contact details

    Name, email, phone, and city. Use a professional email address. No photo or date of birth is needed in the UK or US.

  2. 2

    Write a two-line profile

    Who you are, what you offer, and the job you want. Change the last line for each application.

  3. 3

    Put education first

    Your course, subjects, and grades. Summarize GCSEs or high school results in one line.

  4. 4

    Add the experience you do have

    Part-time jobs, babysitting, tutoring, family business, or volunteering. Informal work counts.

  5. 5

    Add projects and activities

    School and university projects, societies, clubs, sport, and awards, with numbers.

  6. 6

    List skills that match the job

    Pick five to eight skills from the advert and back each with an example.

  7. 7

    Check it and save the PDF

    One page, no spelling mistakes, clean layout. Save it as a PDF.

The Order of a Student CV

Most student CVs work best in this order. If you have strong work experience, move it above education.

  • Contact details and a short profile.
  • Education: newest first, with grades.
  • Experience: paid and unpaid work, newest first.
  • Projects, volunteering, and activities: with numbers.
  • Skills and certificates such as first aid or food safety.
  • Awards and languages if they help.

For the standard section order across all CVs, see the sections of a CV and the order to put them in.

What to Write When You Have No Work Experience

You do not need a job to have something to say. Use anything that shows responsibility, teamwork, or skill:

  • Projects: a group presentation, a coding project, a research report, or a design.
  • Volunteering: a food bank, hospital ward, youth club, or school event.
  • Societies and clubs: treasurer, captain, or social media officer.
  • Informal work: babysitting, tutoring, dog walking, or helping in a family shop.
  • Awards: Duke of Edinburgh Award, prizes, or scholarships.
  • Courses: free online courses that match the job.

See all of these on one page in the student CV example with no work experience.

Write a Profile (With Examples)

Keep it to two or three lines. Pick the example closest to you and change the details.

First-year Business Management student with strong organization and teamwork skills built through a society role and volunteering. Looking for part-time work alongside study.

Student profile: university

Reliable and friendly sixth form student with a Saturday job in a bakery and a year of volunteering at a youth club. Available evenings and weekends.

Student profile: school

Recent Accounting and Finance graduate (2:1) with a placement year and strong Excel skills, looking for a graduate role in accounting.

Student profile: graduate

How to List Your Education

  • UK: list your current course and grades or predicted grades, and summarize GCSEs in one line.
  • US: list your school or college and graduation year, and your GPA if it is 3.5 or above.
  • Everywhere: leave out grades that do not help, and list the subjects instead.

More detail in should I put GCSEs or high school grades on my CV?

Mistakes That Weaken a Student CV

  • Writing long paragraphs instead of short bullet points.
  • Using an unprofessional email address.
  • Listing every school subject and grade.
  • Listing skills with no example, such as hard-working team player.
  • Sending the same CV for every job without changing the profile.
  • Going over one page.

Student CV Examples

Open any example in the free editor with one click, change it into your own CV, and download it as a PDF:

See a student CV go from example to PDF

Watch an example open in the free builder, change the details, pick a template, and download the finished PDF.

Make yours today

Use the free student CV builder, pick a template, and download your CV as a PDF. No account, no payment, and no watermark. More for students: see our student CV examples and guides.

Also read: what should a student put on a CV with no experience? Do students need a cover letter? How to write a personal statement for a student CV.