How to write a CV for a job with no experience

Make a list

First things first – make a list.

Write down all your skills (at this point, add everything, whether it seems relevant or not). Add all your work experience – whether that’s in a paid role, volunteering, or unpaid work experience. It all counts.

Add your education – start with the most recent thing and work backwards to your year 11 exams.

And finally, add any other work-related experience – a course you’ve taken, awards you’ve received – anything not covered above. Plus, add anything else you do in your spare time – help at cubs, a love of photography, play a part in the PTA, sing in a choir, run a blog – ANYTHING!

Now I read it back over and check you haven’t missed anything – and wow. I’ll bet you have a lot more on that paper than you thought!

Project your future

Now, it’s time to do a bit of projecting. On another piece of paper, write down 5 things you’d like to achieve in your career over the next 5 years.

Then, under each one, make a couple of notes thinking about what you will need to do to achieve that.

This is important – as most employers will be looking for someone who’s looking for growth in their career. So, while you might not be the most experienced candidate in the world, showing you understand where you want to get to, and have a plan for it is a great start.

Writing the CV

So, now you’ve got all the relevant information in front of you, it’s time to build your CV. There are hundreds of free templates available online to do this – have a quick search and find one you like.

You can go as fancy as you like – but if you’re not a design whizz, it might be best to keep it simple! We like some of these templates on Canva as a start point, or you could even just use the outlines available in Word.

Now get those earlier lists… and use them to fill in these headings.

On your CV, you’ll need the following sections as a minimum:

Personal information

• Name
• Address
• Email address
• Phone number
• LinkedIn (optional, but a good idea if you have one! If you don’t – have a look at this blog as to why you should…)

Personal statement

• A paragraph about you and looking at what you want to achieve.
• Use your projections – where do you want to be? What do you want to achieve? How are you going to do that?

Work experience

• Start with your most recent job.
• Include the following information for each place you have worked:
  • Employer/company name
  • Location
  • Dates employed
  • 3-5 bullet points describing your responsibilities and achievements
• It’s fine to use work experience here too – all helps to build a picture of you!

Education

• Again, start with the most recent.
• Think about how much detail to include. (For example, if you have a degree, include your final grade, but you then don’t need to list each of your GCSE’s – just say 10 GCSEs, grade A-C).
• Don’t forget to add the dates!

Skills & interests

• This is where you should tailor your CV depending on the job you are applying for. So, list anything which seems most relevant for the position first.
• If you are lacking in work experience, you can add more detail about your skills and interests and how they will help you achieve your career goals.
• Don’t forget to add things like a driving licence if you have one

As you’re reading this blog because you’re looking for tips on how to build a CV for a job with no experience, you’ll want to also add in any information about training courses you’ve done (or are doing), volunteer work and hobbies and interests.

You can either add these as relevant above or add extra sections with headings – it’s worth tailoring this to the job you are applying for.

Why not get some experience?

Hopefully by following our tips, you’ll have a more packed CV than you ever thought possible.

But of course, you could also try getting some work experience to bulk it out further. And redwigwam is here to help you do just that. You see, we don’t ask for experience for many of our jobs. Once you’ve created an account you can see and book hundreds of jobs in your local area. There are roles in all sorts of sectors, from mystery shopping to warehouse, cleaning to care.

It's a great way of building a brilliant portfolio AND getting paid…