Create your first CV

Show what you can contribute, even if you have never had a paid job. Use your education, projects, volunteering, and practical experience to prepare a clear first CV.

Time: about 30–45 minutes for a first draft, plus a review • Cost: this guide is free • Use: anywhere, adapted to the opportunity • Keep: an editable CV and a checked application copy.

Work in your own notebook or document. Gather your education details, dates, examples of work, and an opportunity description if you have one. No registration or paid CV builder is needed to use this guide.

1. Choose what your CV is for

Pick a job, internship, volunteer role, or work-experience opportunity. If you are still exploring, choose one kind of role for a practice draft. Write the role and organisation at the top of your working notes.

Read the application instructions. List three things the organisation asks for and match each to something you have actually done. Keep unanswered questions in your notes so you can check them before applying.

The name and format vary: employers may ask for a CV or a résumé. This exercise prepares a concise document for an early-career application. Academic and research applications may need a different, longer CV.

Check the requested language, length, page size, file type, and local expectations. A simple one-page draft is a useful starting point for limited experience; follow the opportunity’s instructions rather than a universal page rule.

Write: “I am applying for… They ask for… My examples are… The format or instructions I need to check are…”

2. Find experience you already have

Make a private list of things you have completed or helped with: class projects, community activities, volunteering, student groups, practical training, informal work, or household responsibilities. Select examples that matter for the role.

For each example, note what you did, what you used, and what you completed or contributed. A useful prompt is: “I [action] [task], using [skill or tool], to [result or purpose].” Describe your own part in group work.

Use labels that explain the context, such as “Class project”, “Volunteer”, or “Informal family-business support”. Unpaid experience can show useful skills. Do not present it as a paid position or give yourself a title you did not hold.

Keep claims accurate. Include numbers only when you can support them. For a skill or language, describe what you can currently do; list a course or qualification as completed only when you have completed it.

3. Build a clear structure

Contact: use your name and a professional email address, with a phone number if suitable. City and country can help establish location. Add a relevant portfolio link only if it is ready to share.

Profile, if useful: write one or two lines connecting your current learning and strongest evidence to the opportunity. You can omit this section if it only repeats the rest of the CV.

Education: include the institution, qualification or programme, dates, and whether it is completed or in progress. Add a relevant project or subject when it helps explain your preparation. Keep the original qualification name clear.

Experience and projects: put recent entries first within each section. Give each entry a context or organisation, your role, dates, and a few short bullets describing your contribution.

Skills and languages: choose relevant abilities and make the level clear. Include other activities only when they add useful evidence. Keep references’ contact details separate and share them with permission when the application requests them.

4. Copy this first-CV template

Copy the structure into your own document. Replace every bracketed prompt, remove sections you do not need, and turn experience descriptions into short bullets. This page does not collect or save your CV.

[Your name] | [City, country, if useful] | [Professional email] | [Phone, if suitable] | [Relevant portfolio link, optional]

PROFILE — optional: [Current student or training background]. [Relevant ability, with evidence]. [Type of opportunity you are seeking].

EDUCATION: [Institution] — [Qualification or programme] | [Dates] | [Completed, or in progress with expected completion if known]

RELEVANT LEARNING — optional: [Subject, project, or completed course that supports this application]

EXPERIENCE OR PROJECT 1: [Role or project name] — [Organisation or context] | [Dates] | [Paid, volunteer, placement, or class project as relevant]

Bullet for entry 1: [Action] [specific task] using [skill or tool], producing or contributing to [honest result or purpose]. Add another relevant bullet if needed.

EXPERIENCE OR PROJECT 2 — optional: [Role or project name] — [Organisation or context] | [Dates]

Bullet for entry 2: [Your action and contribution]. Include only details you could explain in an interview.

SKILLS: [Skill or tool] — [Task you can do or example showing how you used it]. Repeat for a few relevant skills.

LANGUAGES: [Language] — [An accurate level or description of what you can do]. Add a recognised result only if you have one.

OTHER RELEVANT ACTIVITIES — optional: [Activity, dates, and contribution]. Remove this section if it does not help this application.

Examples you can learn from

These are fictional examples of individual CV entries, not a complete CV or claims about a St. James student. Use the pattern to describe your own experience.

Class project — school event budget, 2026: “Created a spreadsheet to record estimated costs and compare them with the group’s available budget.” This shows a specific spreadsheet task without claiming advanced expertise.

Volunteer — community activity, 2026: “Prepared materials with the organising team and welcomed participants at the registration table.” This explains the contribution without inventing a leadership role.

Informal family-business support, 2025–2026: “Recorded orders and checked the list with a family member before preparing items.” This can demonstrate care with information if it reflects what the applicant actually did.

Possible profile for a related role: “Student with experience preparing a class budget spreadsheet and assisting at community events, seeking an entry-level administrative opportunity.” Include it only if those details describe you.

If you have few examples, one well-described project is enough to begin a draft. Note a skill you would like to develop and choose a small project or suitable activity that can give you real practice.

5. Review, tailor, and prepare your file

Read your CV alongside the opportunity description. Check that the relevant evidence is easy to find, without adding skills or experience just because the advertisement mentions them.

Use this checklist before you share your application:

Accuracy: Are names, dates, qualifications, and skill levels correct? Have I made my contribution clear and removed every template prompt?

Relevance: Can the reader see why my education and experience relate to this opportunity?

Readability: Are headings, spacing, fonts, and bullets consistent? Is the text comfortable to read without a busy layout?

Privacy: Have I kept identity-document numbers, bank details, and private personal history out of the CV? Do I have permission for any reference details I am asked to share?

Local expectations: Have I checked whether a photograph or other personal details are expected? Start without unnecessary personal details and follow reliable local guidance and the application instructions.

File check: Have I used the requested format and a clear filename, such as Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf? Keep an editable original, then open the final file to check the layout and any links.

Ask a teacher, adviser, mentor, or someone you trust to review the draft if possible. Check spelling and contact information yourself. Keep a general editable version and prepare a relevant copy for each application.

Free guidance and an optional CV tool

The National Careers Service provides a free-to-read guide to CV sections, including advice for people with a short work history. It is written for England; use its practical ideas alongside the instructions for your own location.

Oxford’s public CV guide includes examples and advice on presenting experience. It discusses several application contexts, including North American résumés and academic CVs. Its public guidance is free to read; some adviser services are intended for Oxford users.

Europass is a free CV editor from the European Commission, available regardless of nationality or country of residence. You can create and download a CV as a guest; an account is needed to keep a permanent profile and use its online storage. It is an optional format, particularly for European applications. Use it when it suits the opportunity, and download your completed copy.

This is an original St. James Institute exercise informed by the guidance linked here. Your CV is a document you can improve as you learn and gain experience; it does not guarantee an interview or a position. External links were checked on October 2, 2026.