How to make a CV with no work experience: a practical guide

Start with the vacancy, not a template

Read the job ad and note the tasks, knowledge, and requirements you can genuinely meet. Then select information that demonstrates the connection. You do not need to include everything you have done: a truthful but irrelevant activity can distract from your strongest examples. The Spanish vocational guidance site TodoFP recommends tailoring a CV to each vacancy.

There is no single template or length that fits every person and job ad. Arrange sections so the most relevant information appears early and is easy to review.

Look for evidence beyond formal employment

For each requirement you can support, find a specific situation. It might be a class project, placement, volunteer activity, personal project, or unpaid responsibility. Include it only when it is real and relevant to the role.

Explain what you did and what it shows

One useful structure is: action + context + result or evidence. You do not need to invent numbers; a deliverable, decision, or clear explanation can also show what you contributed.

In my case, I had worked in warehouse and field roles, but did not yet have professional software-development experience. At a warehouse, I noticed that tracking stock on paper made it difficult to check what was available. I proposed and developed a general inventory-management project that staff used to check stock and make ordering decisions without relying on paper. Later, during an interview elsewhere for my first developer role, I was asked about that project. This is a summary of my experience, not a verbatim CV quote; it does not mean the project alone caused a hiring decision.

When describing your own project, explain its context, your contribution, and how it was used. Do not present it as a job or claim outcomes you did not measure. If you worked with others, distinguish your contribution from theirs.

What you can include on your CV

Choose the sections that provide evidence for the vacancy; you do not have to fill in every category.

• Short profile: the opportunity you are seeking, relevant knowledge, and a concrete example that supports it.
• Education: relevant studies, courses, or additional training; make dates and completion status clear.
• Projects and placements: the goal, your contribution, tools used, and what you delivered or learned.
• Volunteering and other activities: relevant responsibilities and verifiable examples of your participation.
• Skills and languages: include those you can support with training, practice, or an example; describe your level honestly.

Fundación Adecco also shares ideas for structuring a CV without experience, including education, placements, volunteering, and projects. Treat these as editorial guidance and check that any specific advice still fits your circumstances.

Do not erase work in another field

Not having professional experience in your target field does not mean you have never worked. Keep previous jobs on your CV and briefly explain the transferable responsibilities you genuinely held. Then use a project to show what you have learned to do.

Do not turn a personal project into a job or claim tasks and outcomes that were not yours.

Final checks before you send it

• Does the content answer this specific vacancy?
• Does every claim reflect something I actually did or learned?
• Can a reader understand my contribution without inflated results?
• Have I checked names, dates, links, and contact details?

A CV without formal work experience is not a CV without evidence. Start with the real activities that best connect to the role, explain what you did, and arrange the information so that connection is clear.