How to Write a CV for Students: Examples and Tips

To write a CV as a student, start with your contact details and a short profile, then list education with relevant modules and projects, followed by work experience, volunteering and activities. Add a skills section with real examples, keep it to one or two pages, tailor it to each job and ask someone to check it.

Key facts

• The UK National Careers Service says a CV should include contact details, an introduction, education history, work history and references. (National Careers Service, How to write a CV, 2026)
• The National Careers Service advises a clear font such as Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri in size 11 or bigger, headings and bullet points, and asking someone else to check spelling and grammar. (National Careers Service, How to write a CV, 2026)
• The National Careers Service says a CV should not include your age, date of birth, marital status or nationality. (National Careers Service, How to write a CV, 2026)
• The National Careers Service says work experience can come from a part-time job, helping friends or family with a business, setting up a small business or entering competitions and skills challenges. (National Careers Service, How to get work experience, 2026)
• MIT Career Advising advises lining up references but not including them on a US resume unless asked, and notes that employers may use keyword scanning on resumes. (MIT Career Advising and Professional Development, Resumes, 2026)

Knowing how to write a CV for students is mostly about showing potential. You may have little paid work, but you have study, projects, part-time jobs, volunteering and activities that prove useful skills. A good student CV turns those into clear evidence. This guide walks you through each section, lists the skills employers value, gives a full example layout and adds tips for graduate students.

What a student CV should include

The UK National Careers Service says a CV should include contact details, an introduction, your education history, your work history and references. For students, education usually comes before work experience, because it is your strongest section. A typical order is:

1. Contact details
2. Profile (a short introduction)
3. Education
4. Work experience
5. Volunteering and activities
6. Skills
7. References line, if it suits the country

How to write a CV for students: section by section

Contact details

Include your name, phone number, a professional email address and a link to a professional networking profile if you have one. The National Careers Service says not to include your age, date of birth, marital status or nationality. A full home address is not needed; a town or city is enough.

Profile

Write two or three lines about who you are, what you study and the kind of role you want. Example: "Second year business student with retail experience and a strong record in group projects. Looking for a summer internship in marketing where I can use my data and writing skills."

Education

List your current course first, with the institution, dates and expected or achieved grade if it is strong. Add relevant modules, a dissertation or major project, and any awards. For school students, list key qualifications and subjects.

Work experience

Include part-time jobs, internships, placements and work shadowing. For each one, write the role, employer and dates, then two or three bullet points that show what you did and achieved. The National Careers Service notes that work experience can also come from helping friends or family with a business, setting up a small business or entering skills competitions, so count those too.

Volunteering and activities

Clubs, societies, sports teams, charity work and student roles show teamwork, leadership and commitment. Treat them like jobs: name the role and add a result, such as events you ran or money you raised.

Skills

List five to eight skills that match the job, each backed by an example elsewhere in the CV. Include languages and computer skills with your real level.

Skills for resume for students

Employers hiring students look for skills that show you can learn and work well with others. Common ones include:

• Communication: presentations, reports, customer service.
• Teamwork: group projects, sports, part-time jobs.
• Organisation: balancing study, work and activities.
• Problem solving: projects, competitions, research.
• Digital skills: spreadsheets, presentation tools, basic coding or design.
• Languages: any language with your honest level.
• Reliability: attendance, keeping a part-time job during term.

Back each skill with proof. Instead of writing "good communicator", write "presented our group's research to a class of 60 and answered questions from two lecturers".

A sample student CV layout

Jordan Lee
Leeds | 07000 000000 | [email protected]

Profile
Second year computer science student with part-time retail experience and a passion for web development. Seeking a summer internship in software testing.

Education
BSc Computer Science, University of Leeds, 2025 to 2028. Modules: Web Development, Databases, Software Engineering. Team project: built a booking app for a student society.

Work experience
Sales Assistant, City Sports, 2024 to present. Served customers on busy weekend shifts and trained two new starters on the till system.

Volunteering
Treasurer, Badminton Society. Managed a yearly budget and cut equipment costs by sharing orders with another club.

Skills
Python and JavaScript (intermediate), SQL (basic), spreadsheets (advanced), customer service, team leadership.

Change every detail to your own life. The student CV templates give you ready layouts in Word and PDF.

Turning study into experience

Your course is full of experience if you look for it. A group project shows that you can plan, share tasks and meet a deadline. A lab report shows accuracy and the ability to follow a method. A presentation shows that you can speak clearly in front of others. A dissertation or long essay shows research, analysis and independent work over months. When you write about these, use the same style as a job: what you did, how you did it and what came of it.

For example, instead of writing "Group project on local transport", write "Led a team of four to survey 120 commuters about bus use, analysed the results in a spreadsheet and presented three proposals to the city council's transport officer." The second version tells an employer far more about what you can do. Only include results that are true, and keep each line short enough to read in a few seconds.

Writing bullet points that work

Each bullet point should start with a strong action word, such as organised, built, served, trained, led, analysed or improved. Then say what you did and, where you can, add a number or a result. Numbers help a busy reader see the scale of your work: customers served per shift, money raised, people trained, marks gained or hours saved. If you do not have a number, describe the change in plain words, such as "the new rota was kept for the next term".

Avoid long paragraphs and vague phrases like "responsible for" or "duties included". Recruiters spend only a short time on each CV, so make every line count. Two or three strong bullet points per role are usually enough for a student.

Different CVs for different goals

A CV for a part-time shop job is not the same as a CV for a graduate scheme. For part-time work, put your availability near the top, keep it to one page and show reliability, friendliness and any customer service. For an internship, show interest in the field, relevant modules and projects, and any related experience. For a graduate scheme, show a clear story: why this field, what you have done to prepare and what you will bring. Keep a master CV with everything, then cut and reorder it for each goal.

International students

If you study in another country, your CV can show strong skills such as adapting to a new culture, speaking more than one language and living independently. Say where you studied before, and explain any grades or qualifications that may be unfamiliar to local employers in a few words. If you need permission to work, check your visa conditions before you apply, and be ready to answer honestly when an employer asks about your right to work. Use local spelling and CV conventions for the country where you apply.

Gaps, gap years and changes of course

Many students have a break in study, a gap year or a change of course. You do not need to hide it. List what you did in that time, such as work, travel, caring for family or volunteering, and focus on what you learned. If you changed course, one short line about why can help, for example "Moved from engineering to business to focus on project management". Keep it positive and brief.

Before and after: a weak line made strong

Here is a typical first draft: "Worked at a cafe." It tells the reader very little. A stronger version is: "Barista at a busy city centre cafe, serving up to 150 customers a shift and training two new staff on the coffee machine." Here is another: "Member of the debating society." A stronger version is: "Debating society member; reached the regional semi-final and helped run weekly practice sessions for new members." Small changes like these turn a list of facts into proof of skill.

Formatting tips

The National Careers Service recommends a clear font such as Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri in size 11 or bigger, the same style throughout, headings and bullet points, and short, clear writing. It also suggests asking someone else to check your spelling and grammar. Keep a student CV to one page if you can, or two pages at most. Save it as a PDF unless the employer asks for Word.

MIT Career Advising notes that employers may use keyword scanning on resumes, so use words from the job advert where they are true for you. Avoid tables, columns and graphics that scanning software may not read.

How to write a CV graduate student employers will read

Graduate students, such as master's and doctoral candidates, need a slightly different approach. Put your current degree and research first, then your earlier degrees. Describe your research in plain words: the question, the method and what you found. Add teaching or tutoring roles, conference talks, publications and research tools you use. For jobs outside academia, cut technical detail and focus on transferable skills such as project management, data analysis and writing.

For academic jobs, a longer academic CV is normal and lists publications, grants and teaching in full. For industry jobs, a one or two page CV works better. Keep two versions ready.

References

The National Careers Service says you can include a references section if someone has agreed to give you one, such as a teacher or a past employer, but you should not put someone else's contact details on your CV. You can write that references are available on request. MIT Career Advising advises not including references on a US resume unless asked. Ask a lecturer, tutor or manager before you name them.

Common mistakes

• Writing "I have no experience" instead of showing what you have done.
• Listing duties without results.
• Using the same CV for every application.
• Including a photo, date of birth or other personal details that are not needed.
• Spelling mistakes and an unprofessional email address.
• Making it longer than two pages.

Tailoring your CV to each job

Read the job advert and highlight the skills and tasks it mentions. Move your most relevant experience to the top, use the same key words where they fit, and cut details that do not help. A tailored CV takes a few extra minutes and makes a big difference to your chances.

Using your CV for internships

Internships are one of the best ways for students to gain experience. Many open months before they start, so prepare your CV early. Browse internships and match your CV to each one. Add your expected graduation date and when you are available to work.

Cover letters for students

Many student applications also ask for a cover letter. Keep it to three short paragraphs: which role you want and why, two examples that prove the skills in the advert, and a polite close. Use the same name, email and phone number as your CV.

Getting feedback on your CV

Most schools, colleges and universities have a careers service that will read your CV for free. Book a short meeting and bring a job advert, so the adviser can check your CV against a real role. Ask a lecturer, a manager from your part-time job or a friend who has recently been hired to read it too. Ask them two questions: what stands out, and what is missing or unclear? Fix the gaps, then read the whole CV out loud to catch small errors that your eyes skip over.

Your online presence

Many employers look you up online after reading your CV. Make sure your professional networking profile matches your CV, with the same dates, roles and skills. Add a clear photo there if you like, a short headline such as "Computer science student seeking a testing internship" and a few lines about your interests. Check your other social media and make private anything you would not want a future employer to see. A consistent, tidy online presence supports the story your CV tells.

A final student CV checklist

Before you send your CV, check a few last things. Is your name clear at the top, with a working phone number and a professional email? Does the profile say what job you want? Is education near the top, with relevant modules or projects? Does every role have at least one result? Do the skills match the advert, and is each one backed by an example? Is it one or two pages, in a clear font, saved as a PDF with your name in the file name? If you can say yes to each question, your CV is ready.

When to send your CV

Timing matters for students. Many internships and graduate schemes open in the autumn for the following summer or year, and some close early once they have enough strong applicants. Part-time jobs in shops and cafes are often filled just before busy seasons, such as holidays. Keep a simple calendar of deadlines for the roles you want, and have your CV ready before they open. Applying early, with a tailored CV, gives you the best chance and less stress.

If you do not hear back, do not take it personally. Student roles often attract many applicants. Keep applying, ask for feedback where you can and improve one part of your CV each time. Steady effort usually pays off, and each version of your CV will be a little stronger than the one before it. Save every version with the date so you can see your progress.

Keep your CV up to date

Add new projects, jobs, awards and skills as soon as you complete them. It is much easier than trying to remember everything later. Review your CV at the start of each term and before every application season.

Live on Dev Global Jobs

Right now there are 128,047 open jobs on Dev Global Jobs (live count, 31 October 2026). Choose a layout from the student CV templates, build your CV in the CV builder and browse internships.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

1. How to write a CV, National Careers Service (UK). Accessed 3 October 2026.
2. How to get work experience, National Careers Service (UK). Accessed 3 October 2026.
3. Volunteering advice, National Careers Service (UK). Accessed 3 October 2026.
4. Resumes, MIT Career Advising and Professional Development. Accessed 3 October 2026.
5. Create your Europass CV, Europass, European Union. Accessed 3 October 2026.

Source: Dev Global Jobs, updated 31 October 2026.