First CV no experience: UK template that beats ATS

Writing your first CV with no experience feels impossible — but 736,000 young people aged 16–24 found work in the UK last quarter according to ONS labour market data (released 14/05/2026). Most started with exactly the same blank page you're staring at. The difference between a first CV that gets binned and one that beats UK ATS systems isn't experience. It's structure, keywords, and knowing what Workday, Greenhouse UK and Reed ATS actually look for. This guide walks you through the exact format that works for school leavers, graduates, career changers and anyone applying for their first proper job in the UK.

Table of contents

• What is a first CV with no experience?
• UK ATS rules: what beats Workday, Greenhouse and Reed
• The 7-section structure for a first CV
• Real UK examples: school leaver, graduate, career changer
• Keywords and transferable skills that pass ATS
• 5 mistakes that get first CVs rejected in the UK
• Right to Work documentation: what UK employers expect
• LinkedIn, UCAS Hub, Prospects and Jobcentre Plus
• FAQ

What is a first CV with no experience?

A first CV with no experience is a one to two-page UK document that uses education, voluntary work, hobbies, school projects and transferable skills to demonstrate employability — rather than paid work history. It follows the same reverse-chronological format as any UK CV, omits a photo (Equality Act 2010), and is optimised for applicant tracking systems used by UK recruiters such as Workday, Greenhouse UK and Reed ATS.

UK ATS rules: what beats Workday, Greenhouse and Reed

Most UK employers — including the NHS (TRAC), Civil Service Jobs, the Big 4 (Workday), and graduate schemes at Tesco, M&S and John Lewis — screen CVs through applicant tracking systems before a human sees them. According to the 2025 CIPD Resourcing and Talent Planning Survey, the majority of large UK organisations now use ATS software for first-round screening.

Here is what beats UK ATS systems in 2026:

ATS requirement	What to do	What to avoid
File format	Submit .docx or text-based .pdf	Image-based PDF, .pages, .odt
Fonts	Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Georgia (10–12pt)	Decorative or unusual fonts
Layout	Single column, standard headings	Tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers
Headings	"Work experience", "Education", "Skills"	Creative labels like "My journey"
Photos and graphics	None (UK convention — photos invite discrimination claims under the Equality Act 2010)	Headshots, icons, charts, logos
Length	1–2 pages maximum	3+ pages, or compressed to 1 page in tiny font
Personal details	Name, phone, email, city + postcode	DOB, marital status, nationality, photo

Run your draft through our free ATS checker before sending — it scores your CV against the same parsing logic UK recruiters use.

The 7-section structure for a first CV

Use these seven sections, in this order, on every first CV in the UK:

1. Header — Full name, mobile, professional email, city + postcode, LinkedIn URL. No photo, no date of birth.
2. Personal statement — 3–4 lines (60–80 words) tailored to each application. Mention the role, two relevant skills, and your goal.
3. Education — Move this above work experience when you have little or none. Include GCSEs (number of grades 4–9), A-levels with grades, degree classification (2:1, 2:2, First).
4. Work experience or voluntary work — Saturday jobs, work experience week, paper rounds, charity shop volunteering, NCS, Duke of Edinburgh, school prefect roles — all count.
5. Skills — 6–10 bullet points mixing hard skills (Excel, Python, French B2) and transferable skills (teamwork, communication).
6. Achievements — Awards, sports captaincy, fundraising totals, exam prizes, hackathon placements.
7. Interests (optional) — Only if genuinely relevant or interesting. Skip if you're tight for space.

SpeedCV's 21 active UK templates are all pre-configured with this structure. The Sage template works particularly well for school leavers and healthcare assistants; Voltage suits tech-curious graduates.

Writing the personal statement when you have no experience

The personal statement is where most first CVs collapse into clichés ("hardworking team player passionate about excellence"). Replace adjectives with evidence. See our full guide to writing a UK CV personal statement for the formula.

Weak example: "Motivated school leaver with excellent communication skills looking for an opportunity."

Strong example: "A-level Business student (predicted ABB) with two years' weekend retail experience at Sainsbury's, seeking a customer service apprenticeship with Tesco. Trained four new colleagues during the 2025 Christmas period and increased loyalty card sign-ups by 18% on my shift."

Real UK examples: school leaver, graduate, career changer

Example 1: 18-year-old school leaver applying for an apprenticeship

Aisha left sixth form in July 2025 with three A-levels (BBC) and no paid work. She applied for a Level 3 Business Admin apprenticeship at an NHS Trust. Her CV led with her education, then a one-month work experience placement at her GP surgery, then her role as Head Girl, then a charity bake sale she organised that raised £840 for Macmillan. She was invited to interview. The Trust's TRAC ATS scored her CV highly because she used the exact phrasing from the job description: "patient confidentiality", "NHS values", "team working".

Example 2: Recent graduate targeting a Big 4 graduate scheme

James graduated in 2025 with a 2:1 in Economics from Leeds. He applied to PwC's Audit graduate scheme via their Workday ATS. With no formal work experience beyond a summer at a local pub, he built his CV around: his dissertation (quantitative analysis), a finance society treasurer role, an Insight Week at EY, and Excel/Python self-study. His personal statement quoted PwC's published competencies ("acting with integrity", "working together") word-for-word, which the ATS flagged as a strong match.

Example 3: Career changer with no relevant experience

Sarah, 34, spent twelve years in hospitality and wanted to move into HR. She had no HR qualifications. Her CV reframed her experience: "managed a team of 15" became "line-managed and inducted 15 staff"; "handled customer complaints" became "resolved staff grievances using documented escalation procedures". She enrolled in the CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate and added it as "in progress". For more on this approach, read our guide on writing a career change CV in the UK.

Keywords and transferable skills that pass ATS

ATS systems match your CV against the job description. With no experience, transferable skills become your keyword goldmine. See our deep-dive on showing transferable skills on a UK CV.

The five highest-value transferable skill categories for UK first CVs:

• Communication — Presentations, group projects, customer-facing volunteering, debate club, peer mentoring.
• Teamwork — Sports teams, group coursework, NCS, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, society committees.
• Problem-solving — STEM coursework, hackathons, coding clubs, finance society stock picks, escape rooms.
• Time management — Balancing A-levels with part-time work, hitting university deadlines, training schedules.
• Digital literacy — Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Canva, basic Python, social media management for a society.

Copy the job advert into a word-frequency tool. The words that appear three or more times are the ones the ATS is weighted toward. Mirror those exact terms (within reason — don't keyword-stuff). Tools like SpeedCV's Match feature automate this by comparing your CV to live Reed job listings.

5 mistakes that get first CVs rejected in the UK

1. Including a photo. The Equality Act 2010 makes age, race and gender discrimination unlawful — most UK recruiters are trained to bin CVs with photos to avoid bias claims. Never include a headshot.
2. Writing "References available on request". It's assumed. The phrase wastes a line. Omit it.
3. Listing every GCSE individually. Write "9 GCSEs grades 9–5 including English (7) and Maths (6)". Saves space.
4. Using American English. ATS systems trained on UK job postings may down-rank US spellings — always use British equivalents (organise, colour, programme) and call the document a CV, not the US synonym.
5. Submitting without proofreading. A 2024 CV-Library hiring survey found a majority of UK hiring managers reject CVs with two or more typos on first glance.

Once you've drafted your CV, pair it with a tailored covering letter. Our cover letter with no experience guide walks through the exact UK format.

Right to Work documentation: what UK employers expect

UK employers are legally required to verify every new hire's Right to Work in the UK before the first day of employment. This catches many first-time applicants off guard. You do not list Right to Work documents on your CV itself, but you should be ready to present them at interview or onboarding stage.

Acceptable evidence under current Home Office guidance includes:

• British or Irish citizens — a UK passport (current or expired) or a full UK birth/adoption certificate plus an official document showing your National Insurance number.
• Other nationalities — a digital share code from the gov.uk "prove your right to work" service, generated from your eVisa, BRP or settled status account.
• Students — your Student visa share code plus a letter from your university confirming term dates, since term-time working hours are capped.

Apply for your National Insurance number as soon as you turn 16 if you have not received one automatically. Some employers will ask for it on the application form, alongside your bank details, after offer.

LinkedIn, UCAS Hub, Prospects and Jobcentre Plus

Your first CV does not exist in isolation. UK recruiters routinely cross-check applicants against LinkedIn before shortlisting, and free review services from your school, university or Jobcentre can dramatically lift the quality of your draft.

School careers leader and UCAS Hub

If you are still at school or sixth form, your careers leader (every state secondary in England must have one under the Gatsby Benchmarks) will review your CV for free and often connect you to local employer encounters. If you are heading to or recently left university, the UCAS Hub hosts free CV templates, sector guides and a tool to match your A-level subjects to apprenticeships and graduate schemes. Both services are independent of any employer, so the advice is impartial.

LinkedIn profile alongside your first CV

Mirror the structure of your CV on LinkedIn. Use the same headline language, list the same education and voluntary work, and ensure the dates match exactly — ATS-linked recruiter tools flag inconsistencies. Add a professional headshot on LinkedIn (this is fine; the no-photo rule applies only to the CV itself), request recommendations from teachers, tutors or volunteer supervisors, and follow the companies you want to apply to.

Prospects.ac.uk for graduates

If you are a recent or upcoming graduate, Prospects.ac.uk is the UK's official graduate careers service. It offers free CV templates tailored to specific degree subjects, sector overviews, and a database of graduate schemes with closing dates and starting salaries.

Jobcentre Plus and Universal Credit support

School leavers and unemployed jobseekers claiming Universal Credit can access free CV workshops through Jobcentre Plus. Work coaches review your draft, suggest improvements, and can refer you to sector-based work academies (SWAPs) that combine training with a guaranteed interview. Ask your work coach about Restart Scheme support and local employer-led programmes — both are free and do not affect your benefits.

FAQ

How do I write a first CV with no experience?

Lead with your education, then list voluntary work, school projects, hobbies and transferable skills. Include any unpaid work — Duke of Edinburgh, NCS, charity shop shifts, school prefect roles, sports captaincy. UK employers expect first CVs to look different from senior CVs; show capability, not tenure. Tailor every application using exact phrases from the job advert.

How long should a first CV be?

One page is ideal for school leavers and 18-year-olds. Graduates with internships, society roles and a dissertation can stretch to two pages. UK CVs never exceed two pages, regardless of experience level. If you're padding to fill a second page, cut back to one. Recruiters spend an average of 7 seconds on the first scan.

Should I put a photo on my first UK CV?

No. UK convention — informed by Equality Act 2010 anti-discrimination guidance — is to omit photos, dates of birth, marital status and nationality. This protects you from unconscious bias and signals you understand professional UK norms. The only exceptions are acting, modelling and some hospitality roles where appearance is a genuine occupational requirement.

What's a good personal statement for someone with no experience?

Three to four lines (60–80 words) naming the role, two specific skills with evidence, and your goal. Avoid empty adjectives like "passionate", "hardworking" or "motivated". Quote phrases from the job description. Mention measurable achievements — a fundraising total, a grade, a team size — to anchor the claims and give the ATS keyword matches.

Can I use a free CV template for my first CV?

Yes — SpeedCV offers free UK templates designed for first CVs, including the Sage and Forge templates. Avoid Word's built-in templates: they use tables and text boxes that break ATS parsing. Choose a single-column, text-based template with standard headings. See our UK template gallery.

How do I tailor my CV when I have no experience?

Read the job description three times. Highlight every verb and skill. Rewrite your personal statement and skills section using those exact words. Reorder bullets so the most relevant points appear first. Each application should take 15–20 minutes of tailoring — our Match tool automates the comparison against live Reed listings.

What salary can I expect for my first job in the UK?

According to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (April 2025), median full-time pay for younger UK workers sits well below the national median. Apprentices earn from £6.40/hour (April 2025 National Minimum Wage). Graduate schemes at the Big 4, BBC and Civil Service Fast Stream typically pay £28,000–£35,000 starting.

Next steps

Pick a UK template, draft your CV using the 7-section structure, then run it through our free ATS checker. Sign up and try a 14-day Pass for £1.99 to unlock unlimited AI rewrites and tailoring. If you're London-based and want hands-on help from a CPRW-certified writer, our CV writing service starts at £149.

Last updated: 30/05/2026. Sources: ONS Labour Market Overview (May 2026), CIPD Resourcing and Talent Planning Survey 2025, gov.uk Equality Act 2010 guidance, gov.uk Right to Work checks employer's guide, UCAS Hub careers advice, Prospects.ac.uk careers advice, CV-Library Hiring Manager Survey 2024.