First job and student CV examples

A first CV leads with school, college or university, then shows what you have done outside lessons. The complete CVs below show a 16-year-old in England and one in Scotland, a university student with a part-time job, an internship applicant, an apprenticeship applicant, a PhD applicant, a medical student and a law student.

Helping a class or a group with their first CVs? The page for careers advisers and teachers lists the links to send and a session that uses the tools in order.

CV for a 16-year-old

First job at 16. Minimal design.

CV for a 16-year-old in Scotland

First job at 16 in Scotland. Classic design.

Student CV example

University student, part-time job. Modern design.

Internship CV example

University student. Classic design.

Apprentice CV example

School or college leaver. Minimal design.

PhD CV example

Master's student. Academic design.

Medical student CV example

Fourth-year medical student. Classic design.

Law student CV example

Second-year law student. Minimal design.

What employers in this sector check

What they check	Which jobs	What to write
Predicted grades	School and college leavers	Write “predicted” beside each grade until results day, then update the CV with your real results.
Age and hours	16-year-olds	In England you stay in at least part-time education or training until you are 18, so a first job at 16 is usually part-time, weekend or holiday work (GOV.UK). In Scotland you are entitled to the minimum wage once you are over school leaving age, not on your 16th birthday (GOV.UK).
Apprenticeship entry	Apprentices	To start an apprenticeship in England you need to be 16 or over and not in full-time education (GOV.UK). An advanced (Level 3) engineering apprenticeship usually asks for five GCSEs at grades 9 to 4, including English and maths (National Careers Service).
Hours on a Student visa	University students	How much you may work depends on your course and on whether it is term time (GOV.UK). Check your own visa conditions before you offer hours.
Pay for internships	Interns	An intern who counts as a worker is entitled to the National Minimum Wage; a placement of under a year that your UK course requires is one of the exceptions (GOV.UK).
References	Anyone without an employer yet	A teacher, tutor, coach or volunteer supervisor can be your referee. Ask them first; their details do not need to go on the CV.

Each example page has the full list with its sources and the date we checked them.

Help with your CV

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