How to write a CV with no experience

Can you write a CV with no experience?

Yes: when you have never had a job, your matric, your skills and the things you have done outside work carry the CV.

An employer hiring for a first job knows you are starting out. What they want to see is that you can be trusted to arrive, learn and do the work. A short, honest CV that shows this is enough. One page is plenty.

Write it about the kind of job you are applying for. A CV for a shop job and a CV for an office learnership can use the same facts, in a different order and with different skills at the top.

What to put on your CV, in order

This is the order in the Career Office CV template. With no work history, education goes near the top.

1. Your details. Your full name, a phone number you answer, an email address you check, and your town or province. Use an email address with your name in it.
2. A short profile. Two or three sentences in your own words: what you have done, what you are good at, and the work you are looking for.
3. Education. Your school, the year you finished matric, and your subjects. If your results help you, add them. Put any course or study after school here too, with the place and the years.
4. Experience. Any work at all, paid or unpaid. The next section explains what counts. If there is truly nothing, leave this section out.
5. Skills. Only things you could show or talk about in an interview, such as cash handling, Microsoft Word, the languages you speak, or a driver’s licence with its code.
6. Certificates and awards. A first aid course, a short computer course, a school prize. Anything with a certificate behind it.
7. References. Write “References available upon request.” Have two people ready, such as a teacher, a coach, a church leader or someone you did work for, and ask them first. Give their details when the employer asks.

What counts as experience if you have never had a job?

Any work you have done counts, paid or not, as long as it is true.

Think about the last few years and write down anything that took effort and responsibility:

• Helping in a family business or a spaza shop.
• Holiday or weekend work, piece jobs, babysitting or car washing.
• Volunteering at church, a clinic, a soup kitchen or a community project.
• Being a class rep, a prefect, a team captain or on a school committee.
• Tutoring younger learners, or coaching a junior team.

For each one, write what you did in a plain line that starts with a doing word: “Served customers and handled cash on Saturdays” tells an employer far more than “hard-working”. Never add work you have not done. If it comes up in an interview, you need to be able to talk about it.

Should you put your ID number or a photo on your CV?

No: an employer does not need your ID number, date of birth, photograph or street address to decide whether to interview you.

Your CV goes to people you do not know, and it is often forwarded on. Keep personal information to what they need to contact you: name, phone, email and town. If an employer later asks for a copy of your ID, for example when you are offered the job, give it to them then. Our privacy page explains how the Career Office handles what you tell us.

An example profile and skills list

Here is an invented example for a school leaver applying for shop work. The person is fictional.

Notice that every line is something the person could explain in an interview, and the profile names the job they want.

Questions people ask

How long should my first CV be?

One page is usually enough when you are starting out. Two pages is fine once you have more to say, but never stretch it to fill space.

Should I put my matric marks on my CV?

If they help you, yes. List the subjects that matter for the job. If your marks are not strong, list your subjects and the year you passed without the marks.

Do I need references on my CV?

Have two ready, but don't list them. Write “References available upon request.” Their phone numbers are their information, and a CV gets forwarded to people you don't know. Use people who have seen you work or study, not family, ask them first, and give their details when an employer is close to an offer.

Should I send my CV as a PDF or a Word file?

Send a PDF unless the advert asks for Word, so the layout does not move. Name the file with your name and “CV”.

Do I need a cover letter as well?

Usually, yes. A short letter tells the employer which job you want and why you suit it. Our guide on how to write a cover letter takes you through it.