Graduate CV: structure and example

Education usually comes first for recent graduates, because it is your main qualification for the role. Put experience first instead if you have a directly relevant internship or job, or once you have more than about a year of professional work. The rule is simple: whichever section proves your fit fastest goes higher.

Give each project a title, dates and two or three lines covering what you built or investigated, the tools or methods you used, and what came of it, such as a working product, real users, a grade or a prize. For team projects, say which part was yours. Link to the work where it is public and presentable.

You can, but choose a plain, single-column one. Many free templates use columns, skill bars and graphics that look modern but confuse the applicant tracking systems many large graduate employers use. A simple layout with clear headings lets your projects and education do the work, and it is easier to adapt for each application.

Only if they show something relevant, such as leading a club, competing at a serious level, building things, or a skill the role uses. A line listing "reading, travel, music" adds nothing and takes space from evidence. When space is tight, hobbies are the first section to cut.