If you’re feeling a little daunted at the thought of applying for a job with no formal experience, our CV template for students or those with no experience will help you to make a head start. It uses examples of projects and activities from other areas of your life to show prospective employers that you have the skills they need.
Filename: FreeCVDownload_2.docx
Click here to download this free CV template then read the guide below to help you identify your skills and write an appropriate cover letter.
Use
This CV template layout is suitable for lots of different jobs. The example content may be useful for a student or someone with no formal work experience seeking an entry-level job such as a retail assistant.
Content of this CV template
ALICIA SMITH
Contact:
24, BOUNDARY ROAD, WEST BRIDGFORD, NOTTINGHAM NG2 3DY
TEL: 07791234567 | EMAIL: [email protected]
Profile:
- Masters (MSc) student available for shifts Mon – Weds (any hours) and any 2 weekends/month.
- Highly IT literate, hard-working individual with a wide range of transferrable skills.
- Proven effective communication, time management and teamwork skills.
Experience:
Social Media Volunteer
JAN 2022 – DATE
- I developed my communication and creativity skills volunteering as a Social Media Volunteer for 6 months, 5 hours a week, for Cards Bravery.
- The role mainly involved controlling the Charity’s Twitter and LinkedIn Platforms, with some Instagram posts.
- It required excellent writing ability, a high level of attention to detail for content curation, effective project management and a high level of self-motivation as the role was home-based.
Car washing enterprise
SELF EMPLOYED, 2020 – DATE
- During the weekends for the past two years, I have built and operated my own mini car-washing business and I have built up a round of 47 regular customers who have their cars washed typically every 3 weeks.
- Completing this alongside university work has allowed me to build excellent planning and time-management skills.
Local Volunteer
2018 – DATE
I have strong team-working skills which I have put to use over the past four years as part of our local Castleton litter-picking initiative. Working hard alongside 9 other volunteers, we carefully plan to cover the whole of the town over a 2-week period. Due to other peoples’ commitments, a good amount of the planning and completion of shifts was done myself, helping me build confidence and self-motivation.
Education and qualifications:
MSc Mechanical Engineering
CURRENT, 2ND YEAR
Nottingham Trent University, 2021 – date
Mechanical Engineering BEng
UPPER SECOND CLASS HONOURS
Nottingham Trent University, , 2018 – 2021
BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Engineering
TRIPLE DISTINCTION STAR
Nottingham University Academy of Science and Technology, 2016 – 2018
Projects:
RC Drone
- I developed strong communication skills, excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work productively in a team through my studies at NTU.
- I worked in a team of four over 6 months to design, build and fly an RC drone from scratch with a camera and sensors for obstacle avoidance. We then rebuilt as two different drones, one for faster speed and one for flight duration.
- The project received a special mention in the University of Nottingham’s blog and we were invited to present our project at two of the school’s open evenings which included talking to prospective students/parents about our work.
Furniture design
- I developed my teamworking and oral communication skills through various group projects during my time at NUAST.
- One such project was to design an affordable piece of multipurpose furniture that could be used in student rooms.
- Working in a team of 4 and taking the role of team leader, we designed a wall-mountable storage cube that could be used as a seat or table, using environmentally friendly materials.
- We co-authored the write up which is now being used as an exemplar by the College.
Debating
I am a confident speaker, able to converse with people from all walks of life effectively. I have built my oral communication skills through participating in our college debating club over the space of 2 years, taking part in a wide range of public debates and competitions. Debating has built my ability to collaborate, think creatively and lead.
Hobbies and interests:
- As a regular player of American Football, I have developed and honed my ability to work in a team and communicate effectively. Balancing my commitment to the Lincolnshire Bombers alongside my studies has required excellent time-management skills, along with self-discipline.
- As a reserve player for the Cardiff Devils, I have developed my ability to work effectively in a team under pressure, and to communicate well with my team mates. I am a self-disciplined hard-worker with excellent time management skills which I have demonstrated by training with the team 3 nights a week whilst studying full-time for my degree.
- I have developed strong focus, self-discipline, respect and confidence through practising Aikido over the past four years. I have worked my way from white belt to brown and black belt, all the time building my ability to communicate and work as part of a time during training.
What skills are employers looking for?
Every role will have some job-specific skills and some of these you might have acquired already during your studies – for example, use of Microsoft Office software like Word and Excel. However, don’t worry too much if there are some skills you haven’t yet learned – typically for entry-level roles, job-specific skills can be taught, to the right person!
Employers also highly value a range of ‘soft skills’ which are harder to teach and typically come from experience. These are skills that cannot easily be measured, but which are essential for almost any role!
Some of the most prized soft skills include:
- Communication skills (oral/written)
- Decision making
- Self-motivation
- Team working
- Creativity/problem solving/initiative
- Time management
- Positive attitude
- Hard working
- Ability to handle pressure
- Able to retain information/learn quickly
- Leadership
If you have many of the above, it matters a lot less that you don’t have job-specific skills such as the ability to pour a pint or prepare a fresh coffee.
Many job applicants (yes, even those with a lot of work experience!) simply list these off on their CV or covering letter, which is a huge mistake. Anyone can list off skills – what employers really want to see is evidence. We’ll show you a range of examples that you can adapt and use in your own CV and cover letter, to boost your chances of success.
TIP: When you are writing about your own experiences, keep the above list in mind and think about what you can mention that will provide evidence for the above list.
What experience can I mention?
Here are some ideas on the type of experience you could mention in your CV and/or covering letter. We have written the examples in long form with a covering letter in mind – you would typically use shorter sentences and/or bulleted lists on a CV (see our template, for example).
School/university group projects
Did you work as a team on a project during your time at school? Group projects are a great way to demonstrate communication skills, decision making, team working, creativity and problem solving.
Here are some example sentences:
I have developed strong communication skills, the ability to work productively in a team and excellent problem-solving skills through my studies at Nuast. For my final year project, I worked in a group of four to build an RC drone over the space of six months. We designed, built, and flew our own drone from scratch with a camera and sensors for obstacle avoidance. We then rebuilt as two different drones, one for faster speed and one for flight duration. The project received a special mention in the University of Nottingham’s blog and we were invited to present our project at two of the school’s open evenings which included talking to prospective students/parents about our work.
I have developed my teamworking and oral communication skills through various group projects during my time at college. One such project was to design an affordable piece of multipurpose furniture that could be used in student rooms. Working in a team of 4 and taking the role of team leader, we designed a wall-mountable storage cube that could be used as a seat or table, using environmentally friendly materials. We co-authored the write up which is now being used as an exemplar by the College.
School/university solo projects
Solo projects can help demonstrate strong written communication, decision making, self-motivation, creativity/initiative, time management and more! Many students have to research and write a dissertation as part of their studies, which can provide a good example. Other significant pieces of coursework may also offer opportunities to showcase your acquired skills.
Here is an example sentence:
I developed strong written communication and research skills through my studies and in particular, when producing my final dissertation. During this year-long project, I researched the impact on the millennial generation of the gig economy, which included interviewing representatives at Executive level from all the leading ‘gig’ platforms. As a hard-working and self-motivated individual, I produced a final dissertation of 12,000 words which earned me a distinction. This was completed alongside caring for my siblings three full days a week, requiring exceptional time-management skills. The dissertation appears on the University’s website as one of their ‘best examples of a dissertation from undergraduate student’.
Casual paid jobs
If you haven’t yet done casual work for family or friends, it’s not too late to start! Whether it’s babysitting, car washing, dog walking or helping at events, casual jobs still count as work experience and they are a great way to demonstrate transferable skills.
Here are some example sentences:
I am a self-motivated hard worker, capable of taking my own initiative. During the weekends for the past two years, I have built and operated my own mini car-washing business and I have built up a round of 47 regular customers who have their cars washed typically every 3 weeks. Completing this alongside uni work has allowed me to build my excellent planning and time-management skills.
I am a creative person, able to work on my own initiative with minimal supervision. Last June I created my own dog-walking business, driving leads through social media, word-of-mouth and shop window advertising. Over the past year I have regularly walk 15 dogs on a daily basis whilst managing the commitments of full-time study.
Voluntary non-paid experience
Volunteering is an extremely easy way to gain lots of valuable experience for your cover letter and CV – whilst making a real difference! Why not volunteer on a short project before you start your job hunt?
Here are some places to find opportunities in the UK:
- The Conservation Volunteers
- Do-it.org
- Volunteering Matters (residential placements)
- YHA
- The National Trust (16 – 18 year olds can do a ‘Youth Discovery Holiday’)
- Pitch In Volunteers (baseball – but no experience necessary!)
- TimeBank
- National Association for Voluntary and Community Action
- The Cirdan Sailing Trust (residential opportunities on large sailing boats)
- Team London
- Volunteering Wales
- Vinspired
- Centrepoint
You can also look in local Facebook groups for community initiatives.
Here are some example sentences:
I developed my communication and creativity skills volunteering as a Social Media Volunteer for 6 months, 5 hours a week, for Cards Bravery. The role mainly included controlling the Charity’s Twitter and LinkedIn Platforms, with some Instagram posts. This required excellent writing ability, a high level of attention to detail for content curation, effective project management and a high level of self motivation as the role was home-based.
I have strong team-working skills which I have put to use over the past four years as part of our local Castleton litter-picking initiative. Working hard alongside 9 other volunteers, we carefully plan to cover the whole of the town over a 2-week period. Due to other peoples’ commitments, a good amount of the planning and completion of shifts was done myself, helping me build confidence and self-motivation.
I am able to manage my time effectively and work under pressure, having developed these skills over the past four years. I have studied full-time for a degree in mechanical engineering at Trent University whilst caring for my siblings three full days a week to support my family.
School/uni extra curricular
Colleges and unis typically offer a host of extra-curricular activities that offer opportunities to build soft skills. From creative writing to a cappella, these can all be used to demonstrate you have what an employer needs.
Here is an example sentence:
I am a confident speaker, able to converse with people from all walks of life effectively. I have built my oral communication skills through participating in our college debating club over the space of 2 years, taking part in a wide range of public debates and competitions. Debating has built my ability to collaborate, think creatively and lead.
Sporting activities
Sporting activities require a very wide range of soft skills, whether you are participating, coaching or managing. In addition, they are always a positive addition to any CV or cover letter because they suggest that you take an interest in your physical health and wellbeing.
Here are some example sentences:
As a regular player of American Football, I have developed and honed my ability to work in a team and communicate effectively. Balancing my commitment to the Lincolnshire Bombers alongside my studies has required excellent time-management skills, along with self-discipline.
As a reserve player for the Cardiff Devils, I have developed my ability to work effectively in a team under pressure, and to communicate well with my team mates. I am a self-disciplined hard-worker with excellent time management skills which I have demonstrated by training with the team 3 nights a week whilst studying full-time for my degree.
Hobbies, commitments and achievements
Many hobbies allow you to showcase a range of skills, particularly if they are practiced competitively!
Here is an example sentence:
I have developed strong focus, self-discipline, respect and confidence through practising Aikido over the past four years. I have worked my way from white belt to brown and black belt, all the time building my ability to communicate and work as part of a time during training.
Personal projects
Personal projects can provide examples of soft skills and can be particularly good for showing creativity and initiative. Did you build your own website? Write a blog? Launch a popular social media account? All of these can be used to show what you can do for a would-be employer, even if the job isn’t directly related.
Personal experiences
Personal experiences can sometimes provide examples too, such as travelling around the world for a year. This can demonstrate planning, time-management, creativity, initiative, leadership and a whole host more of important attributes.
Freelance projects
Freelance projects are always a great addition to your CV and cover letter, if you have completed any. If you have accounts on Fiverr, PeoplePerHour, Upwork or similar and you have completed paid projects, these are perfect for showing your abilities across a host of areas.
Cover letter
Here’s how your cover letter to accompany your CV should look:
24, Boundary Road
West Bridgford
Nottingham NG2 3DY
The Pretty Gift Shop
West Bridgford High Street
NG2 4DY
7th August 2022
Dear Sir or Madam
Re: Shop Assistant Role
I am writing in response to your advertisement in the Daily Mail of 7th September 2022 for a Shop Assistant.
I am a hard-working individual with a range of transferrable skills that I believe would make me a great fit for this role.
[Paragraphs about your experience here – see examples above]
I am currently studying for my Masters at Nottingham Trent University. My availability for work is Monday – Wednesday (any hours) and I would be willing to work two weekends each month.
I look forward to hearing back from you.
Yours faithfully,
Alicia Smith