What counts as experience?
Experience doesn't have to be paid employment. It can include:
- School, college or university work: group assignments, presentations, practical work or research.
- Volunteering: helping at a community event, charity shop, sports club or local organisation.
- Projects: making something, organising an event, creating a website or completing a personal project.
- Sport and clubs: taking part, supporting a team, helping run activities or holding a role, if you have actually done so.
- Caring and family responsibilities: tasks that have helped you develop relevant skills, if you want to include them.
- Short placements or informal work: work experience, a placement or occasional help for someone you know. Label it accurately.
The National Careers Service advises first-job applicants to draw on projects, volunteering and interests that show relevant skills. For example, taking part in a team activity may help you show how you worked with others. Be precise about your part: being on a team doesn't automatically mean you led it.
For more ideas on describing evidence, see our guide to skills to put on a CV.
Choose the best evidence for the job
Start with the job advert. Underline the tasks and skills it asks for, then look for a real example from your own experience that relates to each one.
For example, if an advert asks for communication, you might draw on giving a presentation, helping visitors at an event or explaining something to a younger student. If it asks for organisation, you could use a project where you planned tasks and met a deadline.
Make a short evidence list before you write:
| What the job asks for | Where you have shown it | What you did |
|---|---|---|
| Teamwork | A college project | The part you completed with others |
| Organisation | A club, project or responsibility | How you planned or kept track of tasks |
| Communication | A presentation or volunteering | Who you spoke to and what you explained |
Use only examples that are true for you. Don't claim you used software, handled money or supervised others unless you actually did.
A clear CV structure for a first job
When you have little or no paid work history, put your strongest relevant evidence near the top. The National Careers Service notes that education can go after your introduction if you are early in your career or have limited work experience.
A useful order is:
- Contact details: name, phone number, professional email address and town or city. You don't usually need to include your date of birth, marital status or a photograph.
- Personal profile: a few lines about the role you want and evidence relevant to it.
- Education: your school, college or university, qualifications and dates. Include subjects or grades when they help with the application.
- Relevant skills: a short list of skills from the advert, supported by examples elsewhere on the CV.
- Experience and projects: volunteering, placements, school or college projects, clubs and relevant responsibilities.
- Interests or achievements: include these if they provide useful evidence for the role.
You don't have to use this exact order. If a project or volunteering is your strongest evidence, place that section above a short work-history section. You can call it Experience, Projects and Experience or Volunteering and Activities. Use a heading that describes what is actually there.
For help presenting school results, read our guide to GCSEs and A-levels on a CV.
Write bullets that show what you did
A list of skills is less useful than a brief example showing where you used them. For each bullet, try to include: the situation or activity, what you personally did, the result, if you know it.
For instance, "Good at teamwork" is a claim. A clearer line might explain what you did as part of a group project and what the group completed. Don't invent a result or number to make the example sound stronger.
Use plain language and keep each bullet focused. If your contribution was small, say what it was. A specific, modest example is more useful than an impressive-sounding claim you can't support.
Fictional example: before and after
This applicant and every detail in the example below are fictional. The evidence notes are the source for the revised CV, and the revised version uses only those details.
Fictional applicant's evidence notes
- Maya is studying a Level 3 Business course at Northside College, expected to finish in 2026.
- For a college group project, she designed posters for a charity book sale and kept a tally of sales.
- The sale raised £84 for the college library.
- She volunteered for three Saturdays at a community garden, welcoming visitors and handing out tools under the coordinator's direction.
- She plays netball for her college team.
- She is applying for a part-time shop assistant role. The fictional advert asks for friendly customer service, teamwork and care with simple tasks.
Before
No work experience. Good communicator and team player. Looking for a job where I can learn.
After
Profile
Northside College Business student seeking a part-time shop assistant role. Through a college charity book sale, I designed posters and kept a sales tally for an event that raised £84 for the college library. I have also volunteered at a community garden, welcoming visitors and handing out tools under the coordinator's direction.Education
Level 3 Business, Northside College, expected 2026.Projects and volunteering
College charity book sale, group project
- Designed posters and kept a tally of sales. The event raised £84 for the college library.Community garden volunteer
- Volunteered for three Saturdays, welcoming visitors and handing out tools under the coordinator's direction.
The revised version does not claim that Maya has worked in a shop, handled a till or led a team. It brings forward relevant evidence while leaving those gaps clear.
Keep the layout simple
A first CV is often short enough to fit on one page, but readability matters more than filling a page. Use clear headings, consistent dates and bullet points. Avoid decorative layouts that make information harder to follow.
For online applications, a plain, single-column format with standard headings such as Education, Skills and Experience is a sensible choice. Our ATS-friendly CV guide explains how to keep a CV easy for people and application systems to read.
Before sending it, check that: your contact details are correct; dates and qualification details are accurate; every skill has an example you can explain; the CV reflects the specific job advert; spelling and grammar are checked.
What a CV with no experience can and can't do
A well-organised first CV can make your relevant skills and activities easier to see. It can't turn unpaid activity into paid employment, prove skills you haven't used or guarantee an interview. Some jobs also require specific qualifications, licences or previous experience. If you don't meet a stated requirement, don't imply that you do.
If you haven't yet gathered examples, you could look for a suitable volunteering opportunity, project or placement. You can also apply for roles that fit your current experience and explain honestly what you are ready to learn.
The National Careers Service has further advice on CV sections, including guidance for people applying for their first job.
Check your CV against the advert
Read your CV alongside the job advert. For each important requirement, ask: Where is the evidence on my CV, and could I explain it at an interview? If there isn't an example, leave the claim out or find a more relevant piece of real experience.
You can use Evident Career Studio's free CV scan to check your CV against an advert. It requires no account or email. If you want help tailoring a CV, the Tailored CV costs £6.99 as a one-off payment, with no subscription. The tool asks questions about your real experience and drafts wording for you to review and approve. It can help organise evidence you provide, but it can't supply experience you haven't had.