A UK graduate CV with no work experience is one page, in a single column with plain headings. Put a two- or three-sentence summary first, then your education (degree, university, classification and the modules or dissertation that fit the job), then part-time work, volunteering, society roles and projects as short bullets that say what you did and what came of it, and finish with a skills line. The worked example below follows that order, and you can reuse it as a free template.
Every graduate hits the same wall: job adverts that ask for experience, and a CV that seems to have nothing on it except a degree. The good news is that employers hiring graduates know you have not had a career yet. What they want to see is evidence that you can learn, turn up, work with other people and finish things. You almost certainly have that evidence already. This guide shows you where it is hiding and how to put it on a one-page UK graduate CV, with a full worked example you can adapt.
Every name, employer and figure in the examples below is illustrative. They show the shape of a good CV, so swap in your own details and never copy someone else's claims.
Use this as a template
The one-page layout in the worked example below works as a ready-made template. Open the builder with the First Draft template, replace the example details with your own and keep the section order: summary, education, experience, skills. First Draft is a traditional single-column serif design with no photo, which suits UK graduate applications and reads cleanly in screening software; you can preview it first. Building is free, and you need a free account to download the PDF or Word file.
Applying outside the UK? Conventions differ by country, so see our guides to the fresher CV format in Pakistan and the fresher resume format in India, or the any-country guide to a CV with no experience.
Why a graduate CV is different
An experienced professional leads with their job history. You lead with your education, because it is your strongest and most recent achievement. Three things follow from that:
- One page is the right length. A recruiter skimming graduate applications will not reward a second page of A-level results and hobbies.
- Education comes straight after your summary. Once you have a few years of work behind you, it moves down. For now it leads.
- Evidence beats adjectives. "Hard-working team player" tells a reader nothing. A sentence about what you actually did in a team does.
If you are unsure about the basics, our guide on how to write a professional CV covers the principles; this post applies them to the no-experience case.
The section order for a first CV
Use standard headings so that both people and screening software can find what they need (more on that in our guide to what an ATS is). A reliable order is:
- Name and contact details. Name, phone, a professional-looking email address, city, and a LinkedIn link if it is up to date. You do not need your full postal address or a photo.
- Personal summary. Three sentences at most.
- Education. Degree, university, years, classification (or predicted grade), plus the modules and projects that relate to the job.
- Experience. Part-time jobs, placements, internships, volunteering and significant projects, most recent first.
- Skills. Real, specific skills such as software you have used, languages and certificates.
- Interests (optional). One line, only if it adds something.
If your work history is thin, you can combine paid work, volunteering and society roles under one "Experience" heading. Do not pad it. A short section with three solid entries beats a long one with vague duties.
Turning what you have into bullets
The trick is to describe what you did, how, and what came of it. Here are three rewrites using the sources graduates most often overlook.
A dissertation
Before: "Wrote a dissertation on consumer behaviour."
After: "Researched and wrote a 10,000-word dissertation on how students choose where to shop; surveyed 85 students, analysed the results in Excel and presented findings to a panel of two lecturers."
Why it works: the second version shows research, data handling and presenting, which are skills employers recognise. Check your own word count and numbers against what you really did.
A part-time job
Before: "Responsible for serving customers and working on the till."
After: "Served up to 150 customers on busy Saturday shifts, handled cash and card payments accurately and was trained to open the shop independently after six months."
Why it works: it replaces a duty with a result, and being trusted with the keys is a quiet signal of reliability. If you cannot put a figure on something, a concrete detail does the same job.
A society role
Before: "Treasurer of the Film Society."
After: "Managed a £1,800 annual budget as Treasurer of the Film Society, tracked spending for 12 events and secured £400 of extra sponsorship from two local businesses."
Why it works: money, planning and persuading outsiders are all skills a graduate employer values, and you get them from an unpaid role.
Unpaid and informal work counts. Volunteering, caring for a family member, running a small online shop and group projects all show responsibility, so long as you describe them honestly and specifically.
Writing a graduate summary
Your summary is the first thing read, so make it specific. Say what you studied, what you are looking for and one or two things you bring.
Weak: "Motivated and enthusiastic graduate seeking a challenging role in a dynamic company."
Stronger: "Recent BSc Business Management graduate (2:1, University of Leeds) with experience in customer service and event budgeting. Confident with Excel and presenting to groups. Looking for a graduate marketing role where I can apply research and campaign-planning skills."
The stronger version names the degree and the target role and backs the claim with evidence. Write a fresh one for each type of job you apply for.
A worked example: Priya Nair (illustrative)
This example is entirely made up. It shows how the sections fit on one page.
Priya Nair
Leeds · 07700 900123 · priya.nair@example.com · linkedin.com/in/priya-nair-exampleSummary
BSc Business Management graduate (2:1) with two years of retail customer service and a year running a society budget. Comfortable analysing survey data in Excel and presenting findings. Seeking a graduate marketing assistant role.Education
BSc (Hons) Business Management, University of Leeds, 2023 to 2026. Predicted 2:1.
Relevant modules: Marketing Principles, Consumer Behaviour, Business Analytics.
Dissertation: how students choose where to shop (85-student survey).Experience
Sales Assistant (part-time), Hartley & Co., Leeds, Sep 2023 to present
• Serve up to 150 customers on busy shifts and handle cash and card payments accurately
• Trained to open and close the shop independently after six months
Treasurer, University Film Society, Sep 2024 to Jun 2025
• Managed a £1,800 budget across 12 events
• Secured £400 of sponsorship from two local businessesSkills
Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint · Survey design · Social media scheduling · French (conversational)
Notice what is missing: no list of every module, no school detail, no paragraph of hobbies. Everything on the page is there to support the application.
Choosing a template
For a first CV, plain and well-spaced wins. ApplyRaft's First Draft and Fresh Banner templates are designed with graduates in mind: they put education up front, leave room for projects and a short experience section, and stay readable at one page. First Draft is the quieter of the two; Fresh Banner adds a clear header band. You can look through the rest in the template gallery, and each page explains how well it suits screening software.
What to leave out
- A long hobbies list. "Reading, music, travelling" says nothing. Keep an interest only if it shows a skill or something distinctive.
- Detailed school results once you have a degree. A single line, such as "A-levels: Maths, Economics, English (A, A, B)", is plenty.
- Personal details beyond the basics. Date of birth, marital status and a photo are not expected on UK CVs.
- "References available on request". Employers assume it. Use the space for something useful.
- Exaggeration. Anything you list can be asked about at interview.
Before you send it
Read it aloud, check every date, and ask someone else to proofread it. Tailor the summary and the first two bullets to each role by reflecting the wording in the advert where it is true for you. When you are ready, start building your CV free. Building is open to everyone, and you will need a free account to download the finished PDF or Word file. Our FAQ answers common questions about how the builder works.
Frequently asked questions
Should I include my grades on a graduate CV?
Yes, if you have them. Put your degree classification, or predicted classification, next to the degree. If your grade is lower than you would like, lead with relevant modules, projects and experience, and keep the classification factual and brief. Never round up or leave a misleading impression, because employers can ask for proof.
Can I list unpaid work and volunteering?
Yes. Volunteering, society roles, informal caring responsibilities and personal projects all demonstrate skills. Treat them like jobs: give the role, where, when, and two bullets describing what you did and what came of it.
Should a graduate CV be one page or two?
One page is the best target. With limited experience, a second page usually means padding. If you have substantial placements, projects and publications that are all relevant, a second page is acceptable, but make sure the most useful content is on the first.