What should be included in your first CV?

If you’re preparing to apply for one of your first jobs, you may be unsure about what should be included in your first CV.

To help you prepare your first CV, we have created this article exploring the most important things you should include in your CV, and discuss the best way to structure your CV. Are you considering also making a video CV? We think that would be a great idea! Make sure you read our article outlining the 5 things to avoid in a video CV. 

So, what should be included in your first CV?

While your first CV is likely to be limited, you can include relevant information, to support your application.

As a minimum, your CV should include the following sections:

• Contact Information
• Personal Statement/Personal Profile
• Work Experience (including work experience, apprenticeships, and any voluntary work you’ve done)
• Education
• Skills 

If you really want to make a good impression, you should also consider adding information for the following categories:

• Professional certifications
• Hobbies and interests
• Extra-curricular activities
• Languages
• Volunteering
• Projects
• Publications
• Awards
• Conferences 

Learn how to write a CV

Learn how to write a Cover Letter

How to structure your first CV

Contact Information

First, you want to add your contact information, including full name, area of interest (such as marketing), phone number, personal email address, and LinkedIn profile (if you don’t have one, create a LinkedIn account).

Personal Statement/Profile

Next, you should add your Personal Statement/Profile, which is a brief four sentence paragraph. You want to give the Hiring Manager a reason to keep reading your CV.

You need to answer three questions here:

• Who are you?
• What can you personally add to the organisation?
• What are your career ambitions?

As you’re likely to have limited work experience at this stage, you’ll want to think about your strengths and experience gained from your studies, to see what transferable skills you can list down that match those of the job you’re applying for. 2-4 relevant points will do, and you can follow this up with reasons why you think you’ll be a good fit for the business.

Make sure your Personal Statement targets the job you’re applying for and amend it for each job you apply for.

Work Experience

As you start to build your career up, this section will become the most important part of your CV. For now, you should include the details if any work experience, apprenticeships, and voluntary work you have. It’s best to arrange this section in reverse-chronological order (newest first).

This section should include the below for each job/experience you have:

• Job titles
• Employers’ details
• Employment Dates
• Bullet points outlining your responsibilities and achievements.

Education

In the middle of your CV, you should include your education, which on your first CV is likely to include any certificates or diplomas you have, as well as your GCSEs, A-Levels, and Degree (or highest level of education). 

Be sure to include individual subjects for you’re A-Levels but you can just list your English, Maths, and Science results for your GCSEs (unless a subject you’ve studied is relevant to the job you’re applying for). For example, 9 GCSEs including English, Maths, Science, and Communications Studies.

Skills

Keep this section relevant to the job you’re applying for. Be sure to read the job description carefully and match your skills with those required in the new job role. It’s best to include around 5-10 skills on your CV, and aim for a mixture of technical skills, hard skills, and soft skills. For each skill, add a simple sentence to show how you demonstrate that skill.

The main skills categories are:

• Adaptability
• Analytical skills
• Contract management
• Performance management
• Written communication skills 

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Additional sections (where required)

• Hobbies – A great way to stand out from the competition.
• Volunteering – Hiring Managers like to see volunteering on a CV, as it shows a level of responsibility, teamwork, selflessness, and hard work.
• Languages – Speaking a foreign language is a great addition to your CV. The most in-demand languages are French, German, and Spanish.

You can also include sections covering the below sections:

• Awards
• Conferences
• Extra-curricular activities
• Professional certifications
• Projects
• Publications

Courses to enhance your CV

Depending on what career you’re heading into, you could benefit from taking additional certifications to help you get your foot in the door in a new job, or work your way into more senior job roles, once you’re in your first job.  

Some of the most common industries include Accounting & Bookkeeping, Business Analysis, Digital Marketing, Health & Safety, IT (including Cloud Computing and Cyber Security), and Project Management.

If you’re looking to undertake professional training to land your first job or advance your career, call our team on +44 (0) 20 3198 7700 and one of our Course Consultants will be happy to talk through your training options. Alternatively, fill out our contact form and we will be in touch shortly.