CV example: Your first CV

Personal details

Your personal information is key. Give an employer a few ways to contact you, like a phone number and email address.

Personal summary

This is your chance to make an excellent first impression with potential employers. Summarise yourself, what you do in and out of school and your key skills — but keep it short! And remember, it's a good idea to tailor the personal summary each time you apply for a job.

Skills

Use this section as an opportunity to stand out from the crowd. What skills do you have that make you the best person for this role?

Sell your skills by using positive describing words. You can also give examples of skills you've picked up from school, volunteering or your hobbies. Most importantly, sell yourself!

Achievements

These are things you're proud of either in school, work or your personal life. They can be hard to identify because we often take for granted the things we do well.

Give examples of things you've won or a time when you made a big impact on something.

Work experience

As this is your first CV, you may not have any work experience. But don't worry — you can include any work experience placements you've done. If you volunteer, this is the place to mention it.

Education and training

If you're still at school, you'll probably have earned some qualifications. Use this section to list the subjects you've studied and the grades you got. Have you done any other courses or exams outside of school? If so, you can add these as well.

Additional information

Chat a little about things you do in your spare time. This could be walking, watching films or listening to music. Adding in your interests lets employers learn a bit more about you and your personality.