CV Writing Tips for Students and Recent Graduates
A student CV is judged on potential, not decades of experience. What makes it stand out is clarity, evidence of impact in small roles, and a layout that both machines and recruiters read easily.
Length and layout
One page for students and recent grads. Clean, single-column, no photos, no colored backgrounds. Standard font (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica) at 10–11 pt.
Achievement bullets, not duties
Duty: 'Worked at university IT help desk.' Achievement: 'Resolved 40+ weekly tickets with 96% satisfaction, reducing average response time by 30%.' Numbers, verbs, results — every bullet.
What to include with limited experience
Course projects, dissertation topic, society leadership, volunteer work, competitions, hackathons, open-source contributions, self-taught tools. Anything that shows initiative counts.
ATS optimization
Match keywords from the job description. Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills). Avoid tables, columns, images, and text boxes — many ATS systems fail to parse them.
FAQ
Should I include a photo?
No in the UK, US, Canada, Ireland, Australia. Yes in most of Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa.
What about a personal statement / summary?
3–4 lines max — role you are seeking, top skills, one signature achievement.
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