A CV with no work experience still has a story to tell.

Start with evidence, even if it was not paid work

Read one vacancy and pick three requirements you might be able to demonstrate. Then write down situations where you used them. Do this as rough notes before trying to sound professional.

• Organisation: arranged a society meeting, tracked equipment or divided a course project into tasks.
• Communication: explained an idea in a presentation, answered event questions or wrote instructions for classmates.
• Problem solving: fixed a project error, compared options under a budget or changed a plan after feedback.
• Digital skills: made a spreadsheet, built a small website, edited a video or prepared a research presentation.

For each situation, note the task, your contribution and what happened. You do not need an impressive title. You need a specific example you can explain without borrowing someone else’s achievement.

Use sections that fit your experience

A practical starting order is contact details, an optional short profile, education, projects or volunteering, and skills. Change the order when one section gives stronger evidence for the vacancy. You can omit an empty employment section.

Label the context clearly. A university assignment belongs under “Course projects”; helping at an event can sit under “Volunteering.” Occasional informal work can be described accurately without turning it into a permanent job title. If you include personal or family responsibilities, share only the detail you are comfortable making relevant to the application.

Include the qualification you are studying and an expected completion date where appropriate. Select a few relevant modules or assignments rather than listing every subject. See the student CV example for a complete document built around this approach.

Turn a project into a useful CV entry

The example below is fictional. It illustrates how a small project can provide evidence without being presented as employment.

The entry states that it was an assignment, identifies the team context and explains the individual contribution. It does not claim that the event happened or that the plan saved money. Your version might describe a science project, a coding exercise, an art portfolio or a volunteer activity.

Write a profile and skills section you can defend

A short profile can state your current situation, your target and one or two useful pieces of evidence. For example: “College student seeking a part-time retail role. Experience organising a group assignment, preparing spreadsheets and answering questions at a school open evening.” Replace every detail with your own.

For skills, use concrete wording. “Spreadsheets: basic formulas, sorting and charts” gives more information than “IT: 90%.” Include languages at an honest level and tools you have used. If you are still learning something, say so; the CV should help an employer understand your starting point.

Hobbies can earn a place when they demonstrate something relevant. “Built and maintained a small game with two friends” offers more context than “gaming.” Do not stretch every interest into a workplace claim.

Check the first version before you apply

• Every entry is clearly identified as study, employment, volunteering or a personal project.
• Your bullets explain your contribution, including when you worked in a team.
• Contact details work, dates are consistent and expected qualifications are labelled.
• The CV uses enough space to be comfortable to read; no section exists only to make it longer.
• You can give a short example behind each skill if asked in an interview.

If you still have very little evidence, a small relevant project can give you something real to discuss. Choose a manageable task, finish it and keep notes about what you learned. Add it only once you have done the work.

Use the full CV writing guide to turn your notes into a draft, then choose a CV template and inspect the exported PDF before sending it.