Your first CV: how to stand out when you're just starting out

One of the first things many graduates say to me is some version of the same sentence.

"I haven't really done anything."

I hear it constantly. And it's almost never true.

Within the first ten minutes of a consultation, the picture usually looks very different. There's the dissertation project they led from scratch. The part-time retail job where they consistently hit sales targets. The volunteering they did throughout university. The society committee they sat on. The group project where they were the one who kept everything moving when everyone else lost momentum.

That's not nothing. That's a CV waiting to be written.

The problem isn't a lack of experience. For most graduates, the problem is not knowing how to recognise what counts as experience, and not knowing how to put it on the page in a way that makes employers take notice.

The generic profile problem

The first thing most people read on a CV is the profile statement at the top. For a lot of graduate CVs, this is where the opportunity gets lost immediately.

The profiles I see most often follow a familiar pattern. They lead with a label - "recent graduate" or "enthusiastic professional" - and then list a string of qualities: communication skills, team player, fast learner, passionate about the industry. They close with something about seeking opportunities to grow.

Read that back. What does it actually say about the person? Nothing specific. Nothing memorable. Nothing that couldn't have been written by any one of thousands of other graduates applying for the same role.

Sometimes there's a hint of real experience buried in there - a retail job, a sector interest - but it's described so vaguely that it carries no weight. Saying you're passionate about an industry tells the reader nothing. Every graduate is passionate about something. But showing what you've done within that industry tells them everything.

A strong profile doesn't describe the kind of person you are in general terms. It tells the reader specifically who you are, what you bring, and why you're relevant to this role or sector. It's short, focused and evidence-based.

What actually counts as experience

If you've been through university, you have more to work with than you think.

Part-time and holiday jobs are real experience. Customer service, retail, hospitality, tutoring and bar jobs develop skills that employers genuinely value: communication under pressure, working with difficult people, hitting targets, managing time across competing demands. Don't dismiss them because they feel unrelated to the career you're pursuing.

University projects count. Leading a group project, presenting research to an academic panel, managing a team through conflicting opinions and tight deadlines - these are directly transferable skills. If you led something, say so. If you resolved a conflict within a group, that's worth mentioning. If your work was commended or resulted in a strong grade, include it.

Volunteering counts. Whether it was a one-off charity event or an ongoing commitment throughout your degree, voluntary work shows initiative and values. It also often involves skills such as organising, communicating and training others, that don't show up elsewhere on an early career CV.

Societies, sports, and committees count. Being treasurer of a student society is financial responsibility. Captaining a sports team is leadership. Organising a club event is project management. The activity itself matters less than what you did within it.

How to stand out against the competition

This is the question I get asked most often by graduates, and understandably so. When everyone applying for a role has a similar degree and a similar amount of experience, how do you make yourself the one they remember?

The answer is specificity.

Vague claims are forgettable. Specific evidence is not.

Instead of: excellent communication skills Try: presented research findings to a panel of 12 academics as part of a final year module, receiving commendation for clarity and structure

Instead of: experience working in a fast-paced environment Try: managed up to 80 customer interactions per shift during peak trading periods, consistently achieving daily sales targets

Instead of: strong team player Try: coordinated a five-person project group across two campuses, keeping the team on track to deliver a week ahead of deadline

None of these require years of professional experience. They require thinking carefully about what you actually did and describing it clearly.

A practical starting point

Before you write or rewrite your CV, spend 20 minutes answering these questions honestly:

What have I been responsible for, even informally? What problems have I solved? When have I had to persuade, organise or lead others? What feedback have I received that might point to a strength? What am I most proud of from the last three or four years?

The answers will give you the raw material. The CV is just the process of putting that material into a format that makes sense to the people reading it.

You have more to offer than you think. The challenge is learning how to show it.

If you'd like help getting your graduate CV into shape, I work with early career professionals and graduates as well as senior leaders. Find out more here.