How to Write a CV for a First Job

There is a dangerous myth that you do not need a CV for a first job.

Your CV may be low on work experience, but it shouldn’t be devoid of personality or potential. Your childhood, teenage years, casual work experiences and further education have shaped you. Employers of young professionals will be keen to understand just what sort of a person you are. No one expects you to be the finished article, but there are hopefully plenty of things that you can talk about:

…. Paid part-time positions – weekend jobs, holiday work or casual employment.

…. Any internships in your desired industry – no matter the duration.

…. Volunteering roles that show off your interests.

…. University or college research projects that are relevant to the role.

…. Extracurricular education and personal development courses.

You will likely find that you have accumulated enough content for a pretty solid one-pager.

However, rather than a random jumble of activity, it should look like a CV. In the hiring manager’s mind, a first job CV that looks the part shows that the candidate is ready to hit the ground running.

There should be a summary at the top of the CV with an objective for your early career and why you want the job in question. Your paid employment, volunteering and any internships should be organised in separate sections in reverse-chronological order (with the most recent first. You might want to title these sections employment history, although that is not strictly true. Hopefully, you have developed many skills that are relevant to the role, and it is customary to list these individually. The education section of the first-job CV will be vital – your academic achievements will be a testament to your work ethic. Finally, don’t forget the practical elements of your contact details.

None of this sounds particularly ground-breaking. So long as you have the required level of education and enough relevant experience, you should have a chance. Cover letters are not always requested when going for a first job, but their free-flowing nature allows you to show a little more personality than a more factual CV. Just make sure that you have something worthwhile to say – otherwise better to stick with the CV.

First job CV

There are also a few things to avoid in your CV for a first job – they will harm your chances:

…. Resist the temptation to exaggerate, and definitely don’t lie at any point.

…. Long lists of hobbies that add nothing to your ability to carry out the job.

…. Impressive sounding skills that cannot be objectively justified by experience.

…. Too much detail for self-explanatory part-time jobs (i.e. cashier).

…. Any colour, funky formatting or distracting fonts – keep it professional.

In the excitement of sending your applications off (or when filling in countless online forms), it might be tempting to rush the content. With such vast volumes of applicants, this would be a mistake.

A carefully-crafted first job CV will ensure you get the opportunities you deserve.

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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists. 

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).