What a graduate CV should look like
Keep it to one to two pages, clean and easy to scan. A recruiter often spends well under a minute on a first read, so the top third of page one matters most. A reliable UK graduate structure is:
- Name and contact details (email, phone, city, LinkedIn or portfolio link).
- A short personal statement — two or three lines on who you are, what you're aiming for, and one genuine strength.
- Education — degree, university, dates, and relevant modules, projects or your dissertation topic.
- Experience — any work, part-time jobs, internships, placements or volunteering, most recent first.
- Skills — practical, relevant skills (tools, languages, technical abilities), not vague traits.
- Extras — societies, projects, awards, or anything that shows initiative.
Turn tasks into achievements
This is the single biggest thing that separates a strong graduate CV from a weak one. Don't just list what you were responsible for — show the result. Start each bullet with an action verb and, where you can, add a number or an outcome.
- Instead of "Worked on the student society social media," write "Grew the society's Instagram following by running a weekly content plan, reaching more students than the previous year."
- Instead of "Helped customers," write "Handled a busy shop floor at weekends, resolving customer queries calmly under pressure."
Part-time jobs, volunteering and university projects all count — they show reliability, teamwork and problem-solving, which is exactly what employers screen for.
Match the CV to the job
Employers (and the applicant-tracking software many use) look for the words in their own advert. Read the job description, pick out the two or three things that clearly matter most, and make sure your CV speaks to them — using similar language. One tailored CV beats twenty generic ones.
Common graduate CV mistakes
- Listing duties instead of achievements.
- A vague personal statement full of clichés ("hard-working team player").
- Typos and inconsistent formatting — always proofread, and read it aloud.
- The same CV for every job.
- Burying the good stuff on page two.
Career Agenting System's CV specialist, Wren, builds your graduate CV from scratch and turns your experience — including part-time jobs and university projects — into achievements. Paste the job advert and it tailors the wording to match. Free to start, no sign-up.
Your career team, free to start
Wren, Scout, Ace, Juno and Cedar help you build your CV, decode job adverts, prepare for interviews, and stay steady through the ups and downs — free to start, no sign-up.
Try it free →Free to start, no card · one-off Week Pass £9.99 when you need more
Frequently asked questions
How long should a graduate CV be?
One to two pages. Most graduates should aim for one strong page; two is fine if you have relevant placements, projects or work experience to include — but never pad it.
What do I put on a CV with no work experience?
Use your education, university projects and dissertation, part-time or volunteer work, societies, and practical skills. Focus on what you did and achieved, not just job titles — teamwork, reliability and problem-solving all count.
Should I include a photo on my UK CV?
No. UK CVs don't normally include a photo, date of birth or marital status — leave them off.
Do I need a personal statement?
A short one (two to three lines) helps. Say who you are, what you're aiming for, and one genuine strength — skip the clichés.
How do I make my CV pass applicant-tracking systems?
Mirror the key words from the job advert, use a clean, standard layout, avoid text inside images or unusual columns, and save as a PDF unless told otherwise.
Written and reviewed by the Career Agenting System team at Culture & Clarity Limited · Last reviewed August 2026 · Our editorial standards