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How to write a CV when you have no work experience

A CV is not your life story. It is a short advertisement for you, aimed at one kind of job, and its only purpose is to win you an interview. Here is how to write a first CV in South Africa, even if you have never had a formal job.

What employers look for

Employers read a CV in a few seconds. They look for:

• whether you meet the essential requirements in the advert;
• evidence of the skills and qualities they want;
• a sense of who you are;
• your contact details, so that they can call you.

What a good first CV looks like

• One to two pages.
• Clear: a plain font, headings, short points and white space.
• Honest. Never invent a qualification or a job. Employers check.
• Tailored to each kind of job.
• Free of spelling and grammar mistakes.

The parts of a CV

1. Name and contact details: your full name, phone number, email address and the area you live in.
2. Profile: two or three lines on who you are, what you offer and what work you want.
3. Skills: five to eight skills that fit the job, each with a short example.
4. Education: your highest qualification first, then matric and short courses, with the years.
5. Experience: work, learnerships, internships, informal work and volunteering, most recent first, with what you did and achieved.
6. Achievements and activities: leadership, awards, sport and community work.
7. Languages: the languages you speak, read and write.
8. References: two references with contact details, or "available on request".

Leave out your photograph, ID number, date of birth, marital status and religion.

If you have no formal experience

Put your skills and education first. Then use what you have done:

• informal work, such as helping in a family shop or selling at a market;
• volunteering at a church, school or clinic;
• projects from college;
• responsibilities, such as caring for younger children or being a class representative.

Describe each one with an action word and a result. "Set up a filing system for the church office" says more than "helped at church".

Choose your references well

Choose people who know your work or your character, such as a lecturer, a supervisor or a community leader. Ask their permission, check their contact details, tell them which job you have applied for, and thank them.

Keep one master CV and tailor it

Keep a master CV with everything on it. For each kind of job, make a short version that uses the key words from the advert.

Common mistakes

• spelling errors;
• a CV that is too long;
• the same CV sent to every employer;
• an email address that looks unprofessional;
• gaps with no explanation;
• anything untrue.

Share your personal information only with employers you have checked.

This guide is based on Chapter 3 of Your First Job, which includes a full example CV.