Career level · 0 to 2 years
Graduate CV writing
A graduate CV has a shortage of work experience and a surplus of things that are not work experience. The skill is knowing which of those actually counts.
Chanuka Jeewantha
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A graduate CV should lead with a clear target role, then present projects, internships, part-time work and responsibility outside study as evidence of what you can do. Employers are not expecting a track record; they want proof that you learn quickly, finish things and work well with others. One focused page usually beats two pages padded with module lists.
Overview
Employers hiring graduates are not expecting a track record. They are looking for evidence that you can learn quickly, finish things, and work with other people. Projects, part-time work and responsibility outside study all count when they are written as evidence rather than as a list.
Focus
What a graduate CV has to prove.
- A clear target role, because "open to opportunities" reads as no direction
- Projects described by what you built and what it did, not by module code
- Internships and part-time work written as real work, because it is
- Technical or professional skills with an honest indication of depth
- Responsibility held anywhere: societies, teams, volunteering, family business
What changes
Compared with the level below.
Everything is evidence of potential rather than proof of delivery. That is expected. What is not forgiven is a CV that lists activities without saying what came of them.
Mistakes
What costs candidates at this level.
- Two pages of education detail and four lines of everything else
- Listing modules instead of describing what you can now do
- An objective statement about what you want rather than what you offer
- Dismissing retail or hospitality work that demonstrated genuine responsibility
- No target role, leaving the reader to decide what to do with you
FAQ
Graduate CV questions
Should I put my grades on a graduate CV?
Yes, if they help, usually your degree classification or GPA. Many graduate schemes screen on a minimum grade, so leaving it off can look like you are hiding it. Include school results only if an employer asks for them or you have little else to show. Once you have two or three years of work experience, grades usually drop off.
What should a graduate CV include if I have no internships?
Include whatever shows you can be trusted with work. A part-time retail job where you handled cash, opened the shop or trained new starters is real evidence of reliability. So is running a society budget, tutoring, or a final-year project with a working result. Give each one a title, dates and a line on the outcome, exactly as you would a job.
Which CV package is right for a recent graduate?
The $129 tier covers anyone with under two years of experience, which includes graduates and first-time applicants. It includes a personal brief, one revision round, and editable Word and PDF files, with standard delivery in 5 to 7 days. If you are applying to schemes with close deadlines, fast delivery in 2 to 3 days adds 20%.
Should a graduate CV include a personal statement?
Yes, but keep it to three or four lines. Name your degree, the field you want to work in, and one or two strengths with evidence elsewhere on the page. Skip phrases like "hardworking team player" and "seeking a challenging role", because almost every graduate writes them and recruiters skim past them. A specific statement makes the rest of the CV easier to read.
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