Here’s How You Can Create A CV With No Work Experience
If you’re just joining the workforce, drafting your first CV can be daunting so we are here to help you overcome that and create an absolutely smashing CV.
Having no work experience doesn’t mean that your cv has to be all fluff, all you need to do is change focus and still give quality information on your CV. These 3 simple steps can help:
1. Add a career objective
Adding career objectives have been a topic of debate some believe it takes away from your CV but if you use it to showcase your skills and abilities rather than what you are expecting from this job/company. Especially when you have little or no experience it highlights why your character and personality traits make you the right fit for the position.
Make sure you add your degree, final grade score, any provable traits or experiences that are relevant to the position, here is an example of what your career objective section should look like:
“Recent graduate (insert grades score here ) with a BA in [Field of Study]. Looking to leverage my experience in student government and the honours society to effectively meet the requirements of [Position] at your company. An enthusiastic worker aspiring to help achieve company goals and take on more responsibility”
2. Make your education section more detailed
For someone who’s been in the workforce for a while will probably only have their degree and university listed because they have their work experience to depend on. However, you need to make more use of this space. Here are the things you should add:
Final grade score
Clubs you participated in
Athletics
Academic Awards/Honors
Relevant coursework
Publications
3. Add Key Achievements
If you’ve volunteered, been a part of the executive team in a club, presented a project, organised an event or done anything that can be put down as an achievement, write it down and add it to your CV. A major achievements section can act as an extension of your educational experience and helps to fill space on your CV. Treat your key achievements section as you would a full-time job. Here are some examples:
Here are a few example points for someone who participated in student government:
Organized 5 school dances within a budget over the course of one year.
Raised student body complaints and issues with school administrators.
Designed an anti-bullying campaign to raise awareness of the harmful effects of bullying on our peers.
If you’re still in uni and need some ideas on how to fill up this section we have some ideas that can help you do exactly that.
In case you want a full sample CV for reference, this would be the best pick in my opinion.
And lastly don’t forget to write a good cover letter whether it’s compulsory or not, trust me it makes a real difference especially for an entry-level job! Follow these steps and put some effort into designing your CV and recruiters will notice you.
