The short answer
You don’t need a job history to write a good first CV. You need to show an employer that you can be relied on, that you can learn, and that you’ve already done something that looks a bit like the job. School, sport, volunteering, caring for someone, a project you finished: all of it counts when you describe what you actually did.
No job isn’t the same as no experience
When you reach the experience section of a first CV, it’s easy to think the page is going to stay empty. But an employer hiring for a first job is rarely expecting a career. They’re usually trying to answer a few simple questions. Will this person turn up? Will they get on with people? Can they follow instructions and learn how we do things?
You can answer those questions with things from ordinary life. Turning up to football training every week says something about reliability. Helping a younger brother with homework says something about patience and explaining things clearly. Running the tuck shop for a term says something about money, queues and customers.
Take Aisha. She’s made up, but her situation is common. She’s in Year 13, she’s never had a paid job, and she wants weekend work in a supermarket. She thought she had nothing to write. In ten minutes she found four things she’d done regularly for over a year.
The sections of a first CV
Use these, roughly in this order. If you’ve got no paid work, it’s fine to put education above experience, which is what the National Careers Service suggests for people early in their career.
- Your name and contact details. Name, phone number, a sensible email address and your town or city. You don’t need your full address, date of birth, nationality, marital status or a photo. Most UK employers don’t expect them.
- A short profile. Two or three lines: what you’re looking for and why you’re ready. There’s a whole lesson on writing your personal statement.
- Education. Your school or college, dates, and qualifications. If you’re still studying, say so and include predicted grades if they help. See education and qualifications.
- Experience. Part-time work, volunteering, work experience placements, helping in a family business, regular responsibilities at home or school. It doesn’t have to be paid. See describing your experience.
- Skills, with evidence. Three or four skills, each backed by something you’ve done. See skills that mean something.
- Extras that prove something. Duke of Edinburgh, a sports team, music grades, a first aid course, a language you speak, a driving licence.
For a first CV, one A4 page is usually enough. Two sides is the usual maximum, so there’s no need to stretch it to fill space.
Write what you did, not what you are
The most common mistake on a first CV is a list of adjectives. Hard-working. Reliable. Team player. Good communicator. Anyone can type those words, so they don’t tell an employer much.
What does help is a short line about something you did, with enough detail that someone can picture it.
Before
Good at teamwork.
After
Worked with three classmates to plan and deliver a group presentation for our business course, and took charge of the slides and the timings.
Why it works The first is a claim. The second is a reason to believe the claim, and it gives an interviewer something to ask you about.
Before
Responsible and caring.
After
Look after my younger brother after school four days a week, including getting him to football practice on time.
Why it works Caring responsibilities show reliability and time management. Describe the routine, not the feeling.
Aisha’s four lines came from sport, a school role, volunteering and home:
Volunteer, Riverside Community Pantry · Saturdays, Sept 2025 to present. Sort donated food, pack parcels and welcome visitors at the door.
Tuck shop team, Year 12 · Ran the till with one other student at break times for a term, and counted up at the end of each day.
Netball, under 18s · Train weekly and keep the team’s kit list for the coach.
At home · Collect my younger sister from primary school three days a week.
None of those are impressive in a dramatic way. Together they paint a clear picture: someone who turns up, handles money, deals with the public and gets on with people.
Numbers: only true ones
Numbers make a line easier to picture, but only if they’re real. You don’t need sales figures. Time, frequency and size are numbers too:
- How long: since September 2025, for a term, for two years.
- How often: every Saturday, three days a week.
- How many: a team of six, a class of thirty.
If you don’t know the number, leave it out. “Every Saturday” is a perfectly good number. Never guess a figure and never round one up.
What to leave off
- Your date of birth, age, nationality or marital status. The National Careers Service says to leave these out.
- Your National Insurance number. GOV.UK says not to share it with anyone who doesn’t need it. Your employer will ask once you’ve got the job.
- A photo, unless the advert specifically asks for one, which is rare outside acting and modelling.
- Your full home address, especially if you’re putting your CV on a job site. Your town is enough.
- Hobbies that say nothing, like “socialising” or “watching films”. Keep a hobby when it shows commitment or a relevant skill.
- Anything you couldn’t talk about in an interview. If it’s on the page, you might be asked about it.
Applying for apprenticeships
Apprenticeship employers are often looking for interest and willingness to learn as much as experience. Name the apprenticeship in your profile, mention anything practical you’ve done that’s close to it, and include your English and maths results or predictions, because many apprenticeships list them as a requirement. In England, listings on Find an apprenticeship show what each employer is asking for. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own services, linked from the same GOV.UK page.
The apprenticeship CV example shows how this looks on a full page.
Try
Find your first three lines
Think about the last two years. Don’t judge anything yet; just get it down. Then pick the three that happened most often or lasted longest, and write each one as what you did, where, and how often.
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If you got stuck on the first three boxes, the Strengths Finder asks you questions one at a time and suggests where your experience might be hiding.
In short
- A first CV doesn’t need a job. It needs evidence that you’re reliable, can learn and have done something close to the job.
- Use: contact details, a short profile, education, experience (paid or not), skills with evidence, useful extras.
- Write what you did, not what you are. Adjectives are claims; actions are evidence.
- Only use numbers you know are true. Time and frequency count.
- Leave off date of birth, NI number, photo and your full address.
Ready to turn what you’ve learned into your own CV?
CVBUFFED has setups for school leavers and apprentices. The editor asks for things you actually have, gives you a prompt and an example for every part, and fits everything onto one page when that’s all you need. £12.50 once, no subscription, and your CV stays in your browser.
Build my CVSources and further reading
- CV sections National Careers Service
- How to write a CV Prospects
- How to write a CV UCAS
- Your National Insurance number GOV.UK
- Find an apprenticeship GOV.UK
Checked against these sources on 14 November 2026. Rules and rates change: if something here looks out of date, tell us at hello@cvbuffed.com. How we check our guidance.