Everyone starts with no work experience. A first job CV fills the space with what you have done: college or school, volunteering, projects, sport and responsibilities at home, each with a skill it proves. This example is for an 18-year-old leaving college with no paid job yet. If you are 13 to 16, the teenager CV example covers the rules on working hours too.
Also for: CV with no experience.
Use this example: the CV builder opens with it filled in on the Launch template, free to edit and preview. Downloading the CV and matching cover letter costs £4.99 once.
Example first job CV
A fictional person, employers and figures, to show the format. Replace every detail with your own.
Tyler Simmons
College leaver · Available full time · Wolverhampton · tyler.simmons@example.com · 07700 900797
Personal statement
Hard-working college leaver with a BTEC in Business, looking for my first job in retail or hospitality. Reliable and good with people from two years volunteering at a food bank and helping run a youth football team. Available full time, including weekends.
Projects
Charity quiz night, BTEC event unit, team of four (2025)
Booked the venue, sold tickets and handled the cash on the night; raised £640 for a local hospice.
Volunteering
Food Bank Volunteer, Wolverhampton Community Food Bank, Wolverhampton (Sep 2024 - Present)
Sort donations, pack food parcels and greet visitors every Saturday morning.
Helped set up a stock rota so out-of-date food is spotted earlier.
Help run weekly training and matchday for 16 players, and keep the kit and equipment organised.
Education
BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Business (Distinction, Merit, Merit), Wolverhampton College, 2024 - 2026. Units included customer service, marketing and running an event.
GCSEs: 7 including English (5) and maths (5), Oxley Park School, 2019 - 2024
Hard-working college leaver with a BTEC in Business, looking for my first job in retail or hospitality. Reliable and good with people from two years volunteering at a food bank and helping run a youth football team. Available full time, including weekends.
Key skills for a first job CV
Reliability - Turning up on time, every time. Show it with attendance, volunteering or sport.
Communication - Talking to customers, coaching, presenting at college.
Teamwork - Sport, group projects and volunteering.
Customer service - Helping people at events, food banks or school open days.
Organisation - Planning an event, managing kit or caring responsibilities.
Willingness to learn - Courses you did on your own, or new skills you picked up.
Basic IT - Email, Word, Excel and online systems.
What a UK first job CV needs
Education with detail - Your qualifications, grades and units or subjects that relate to the job.
Volunteering and responsibilities - Write them like jobs: what you did, how often and what changed.
Projects - Events, coursework or anything you organised, with a result.
Short courses - Food hygiene, first aid or online courses show initiative and help you start sooner.
Availability - When you can start and the hours you can work.
Achievement bullets to adapt
The figures are invented to show the format. Use your own.
Helped set up a stock rota at a food bank so out-of-date food is spotted earlier.
Raised £640 for a hospice by organising a quiz night with three classmates.
Helped run weekly training for a junior football team of 16 players.
Volunteered every Saturday for two years.
Completed food hygiene and first aid courses before applying.
First Job CV questions
What do I put on a CV if I have never had a job?
Your education, volunteering, projects, sport, clubs and responsibilities at home, each with a skill it shows. Add short courses and your availability.
Should I write a personal statement on my first CV?
Yes, two or three lines on who you are, what you are good at and the job you want. Keep it specific and avoid clichés.
Who can I use as a reference with no work experience?
A teacher, tutor, volunteer coordinator or coach. You do not need to list referees on the CV; just have their details ready.