School Student CV Example (Work Experience and First Job)
Writing your first CV while you're still at school feels strange: you're asked to describe your experience before you've had a job. The good news is that nobody reading it expects one. A manager offering a work-experience placement or a Saturday job is looking for three things: that you'll turn up, that you'll be polite with people, and that you're willing to learn. This example shows how to prove all three on one page, using what you already have: school, responsibilities, clubs, volunteering and the odd jobs you've done for family and neighbours.
Who this CV is for, and what the reader wants
This example is for pupils aged roughly 14 to 17 who need a CV for one of three things:
- A work-experience placement organised through school, usually one or two weeks with a local employer
- A first part-time job: weekend shifts in a shop, a café, a garden centre or a leisure centre
- A summer or holiday job, or a volunteering role that asks for a CV
In every case the person reading it knows you're young and inexperienced. They are not comparing you with adults. They are comparing you with other pupils, and the one who looks reliable and keen usually wins. If you've already left school or you're applying at university level, the student CV example is the better fit.
Student CV example: first job after school or universityThe one-page structure that works for a school student
Keep everything on a single page, in this order:
- Header: your name, your town (not your full address), a phone number and a sensible email address based on your name
- Personal statement: two or three sentences about who you are, what you're good at and what you're looking for
- Education: your school, your year group, the subjects you're taking and any grades or awards worth mentioning
- Experience: anything where someone relied on you, paid or not
- Skills: five to eight practical and personal skills you can back up
- Interests and achievements: one short line, only if it says something about you
- References: a teacher or a family friend who isn't a relative, or 'available on request'
Education goes above experience because, at this stage, school is where most of your evidence comes from. Use clear headings and plenty of white space; a tidy page already tells the reader you take the application seriously.
How to lay out a CV when you have no work experienceWriting a personal statement when you've never had a job
The personal statement is the first thing a manager reads, so make it specific. Say what year you're in, name one or two real strengths with a quick piece of proof, and say what you want. For example:
- 'Year 11 pupil at Hillside Academy, predicted strong grades in Maths and Business. Reliable and organised: I've helped run the school tuck shop twice a week for a year. Looking for a Saturday job in retail where I can learn to serve customers.'
- 'Year 10 student interested in a career in healthcare, looking for a one-week work-experience placement in a pharmacy or GP surgery. Calm, patient and used to responsibility as a peer mentor for younger pupils.'
- 'Sixteen-year-old looking for summer work in a café or kitchen. Hard-working, punctual and used to teamwork from three years in a Sunday football team.'
Avoid empty phrases like 'hard-working team player with excellent communication skills' on their own. Every pupil writes that. The detail that follows each claim is what makes the reader believe it.
How to write a short CV summary that people actually readEducation: make your school section work harder
For a school student, education is the main section, so give it more than one line:
- School name, town and the years you've been there
- The exams you're working towards and your current or predicted grades, if they're good
- Subjects that relate to the job: Maths or Business for a shop, Biology for a pharmacy, Design and Technology for a workshop
- Awards and responsibilities: form captain, prefect, school council, sports captain, student ambassador
- Attendance, if it's very good. An employer hiring a 15-year-old cares a lot about whether you'll show up
Leave out primary school and don't list every subject. Pick what helps your case.
The experience you already have (and probably don't count)
Experience doesn't have to be a paid job. Anything where someone trusted you with a task counts, as long as you describe it honestly:
- Babysitting or looking after younger siblings or cousins on a regular basis
- Helping in a family business: serving customers, stocking shelves, answering the phone
- Volunteering: a charity shop, a food bank, a church or community event, an animal shelter
- School roles: running the tuck shop, helping at open evenings, peer mentoring, organising a fundraiser
- Clubs and programmes: sports teams, scouts or guides, a youth award scheme, music or drama groups
- Small jobs for neighbours: dog walking, gardening, washing cars, a paper round
Write each one like a job: what you did, how often, and one result if you have it. 'Walked two neighbours' dogs every weekday for a year, never missed a day' says more about reliability than any adjective.
How to write a CV for a part-time or student jobSkills a school student can honestly claim
Pick skills you can show, not ones that sound impressive. Good choices at this stage:
- Reliability and punctuality, backed by attendance or a regular commitment
- Customer service or talking to adults, from a school event, a family business or volunteering
- Teamwork, from sport, music, drama or group projects
- Handling money, if you've run a stall, a tuck shop or kept the accounts for a club
- Computer skills: typing, Word, Excel or Google Sheets, Canva, basic social media
- Languages, including the ones you speak at home, and first aid if you have a certificate
Five to eight skills is enough. If you list twenty, the reader assumes none of them are real.
How to choose the skills that belong on your CVWork-experience placement or Saturday job: adjust the CV
The same CV needs small changes depending on what you're applying for:
- For a work-experience placement, say what you want to learn and why that field interests you. The employer is giving you a chance to see their world, so curiosity matters more than skills
- For a part-time job, put your availability near the top, for example 'Available Saturdays and school holidays', and lead with anything customer-facing
- For a summer job, give the exact dates you can work and mention anything practical, such as a food hygiene course or first aid
- In every case, use the name of the business in a short covering message or email, so it's clear you didn't send the same thing to fifty places
Rules on how many hours under-16s and under-18s can work, and at what times, depend on the country. Check them before you promise availability, and mention your age only if the employer needs to know it.
How to write the email you send with your CVMistakes to avoid on your first CV
Most first CVs fall down on the same few things:
- A jokey email address. Create a simple one with your name before you apply
- Your full home address, date of birth or other personal details that the employer doesn't need. Your town is enough
- Spelling mistakes. Ask a parent or teacher to read it, then read it aloud yourself
- Listing a relative as a reference. Use a teacher, a club coach or someone you volunteered for
- Copying a template word for word. Managers see the same phrases every week
- Saving it as anything other than a PDF named with your name, for example 'Jordan-Taylor-CV.pdf'
Last check: would someone who has never met you know, in thirty seconds, what you're good at and what you're asking for? If yes, send it.
The most common CV mistakes and how to avoid themFrequently asked questions
Do I need a CV at 14 or 15?
Often, yes. Many schools ask for one before a work-experience placement, and shops, cafés and leisure centres usually want one for weekend jobs. A one-page CV also makes it easier to apply quickly when a job comes up.
What do I put on a CV if I've never had a job?
Lead with your education, then add anything where you had responsibility: babysitting, helping in a family business, volunteering, school roles, sports teams or clubs. Describe each one like a job, with what you did and how often, and add a result if you have one.
Should I put my age or date of birth on my CV?
In the UK and Ireland it's normally left off. Some countries, such as Germany, still commonly include it. If the employer needs to know your age for working-hours rules, they will ask, and you can mention it in your covering message.
Who can I use as a reference on a school CV?
A teacher, a form tutor, a sports coach or the person in charge of somewhere you volunteered. Ask them first. Don't use parents or other relatives.
How long should a school student's CV be?
One page. At this stage a single, tidy page with clear headings is more convincing than two half-empty ones.