You can write a useful CV even if you have never had a paid job. Start with your education, skills and examples of work you have completed through studies, training, volunteering or personal projects.
The aim is to help an employer understand what you can do and whether you match the position. This guide explains what to include, how to describe your skills honestly and how to prepare a CV you can send with an application.
1. Read the Job Advertisement Before Writing
Keep the advertisement beside you while preparing your CV. Identify the required qualification, skills and any experience conditions.
For an entry-level accounts position, your relevant details might include a Commerce qualification, spreadsheet skills and an accounting project. For an office assistant role, document preparation, record keeping and communication skills may be more relevant.
Use this information to decide what deserves space on your CV. Do not add a skill simply because it appears in the advertisement.
If the employer provides a prescribed application form or CV format, follow those instructions. A CV does not replace a required application form.
2. Gather Your Information
Before choosing a design, collect:
- Your name, working phone number and email address.
- Your city and province.
- Your qualification names, institutions and completion dates.
- Any relevant courses or training you completed.
- Projects, internships, volunteering or other activities that demonstrate useful skills.
- The software, tools and languages you can actually use.
Check dates and qualification names against your documents. This helps prevent differences between your CV and application form.
3. Choose a Simple, Readable Layout
For many first-job applications, one page is a practical starting point. Use a second page if you have relevant information that cannot fit comfortably. Follow any length limit stated by the employer.
A useful section order is:
- Name and contact details.
- A short profile, if it adds useful information.
- Education.
- Relevant skills.
- Projects, internships or volunteering.
- Relevant training or certifications.
- Languages, where useful.
You can move a strong internship or relevant project above the skills section. Remove sections you do not need rather than leaving empty headings.
Use a readable font such as Arial or Calibri. Body text around 11–12 points is usually comfortable to read. Keep headings consistent and leave enough space between sections.
A single-column layout with normal text and clear headings is a practical choice. Avoid putting essential details inside images, decorative icons or complex text boxes. No design can guarantee that every recruitment system will process a CV correctly.
4. Add Clear Contact Details
Place your name and contact information at the top:
YOUR FULL NAME City, Province Phone: [Your active phone number] Email: [Your professional email address]
Use an email address that is easy to identify and type. An address based on your name is usually more suitable than a nickname or joke.
You may include a LinkedIn profile or portfolio link if it is relevant, accessible and up to date. Neither is required for every first-job application.
Which Personal Details Should You Include?
For a general CV, your city and province are usually enough to indicate your location. A full residential address is not normally needed unless the employer asks for it.
Do not automatically include your CNIC number, date of birth, father’s name, religion, marital status, photograph or copies of identity documents. Some recruitment processes request particular personal details or documents; provide them through the specified application route when required.
If an advertisement specifically asks applicants to state their domicile, include it accurately. Do not treat your current city of residence as proof of domicile.
5. Write a Short, Specific Profile
A profile is optional. Include one if it quickly connects your education and skills to the position.
Avoid a paragraph such as:
I am a hardworking and passionate individual seeking a challenging opportunity in a prestigious organisation where I can grow and contribute to success.
This gives the employer little information about your background.
A more useful example for a candidate who actually has the stated qualification and skills would be:
Commerce graduate seeking an entry-level accounts role. Practised recording transactions and preparing expense summaries through coursework. Comfortable entering data and using basic formulas in Microsoft Excel.
Keep the profile to two or three short sentences. Do not call yourself an expert, accountant or experienced professional unless your background supports that description.
6. Present Your Education Accurately
List your most recent relevant qualification first. Include the qualification name, institution and completion year.
[Exact qualification name] [Institution], [City] Completed: [Year]
You can add a grade, percentage or CGPA if it is requested or useful. Copy the result accurately from your record. Do not convert a CGPA to a percentage using an unofficial formula.
If you are still studying, label the qualification clearly:
[Qualification name] — In progress [Institution], [City] Expected completion: [Month and year]
If you have completed examinations but are awaiting the result, state that accurately. Do not present a pending qualification as awarded.
Include relevant coursework when it helps explain your preparation for the job. A short list of two or three subjects is more useful than copying your entire transcript.
7. Describe Skills You Can Demonstrate
Replace broad claims with specific tasks.
- Instead of “Computer expert”: “Microsoft Word: document formatting, page setup and PDF export.”
- Instead of “Excellent Excel skills”: “Microsoft Excel: data entry, sorting, filtering and basic formulas.”
- Instead of “Strong communication”: Describe a relevant presentation, customer interaction or written task you completed.
Only use these examples if they match your abilities. If you can enter spreadsheet data but cannot use formulas, describe your data-entry skills without adding formulas.
Include typing speed only if you have measured it. Do not copy a required speed from the advertisement and present it as your result.
Avoid percentage bars such as “Excel 90%.” They do not explain which tasks you can perform.
8. Use Projects and Activities When You Have No Paid Experience
You do not need to create an employment history to fill space. Use a heading such as “Relevant Projects,” “Internship” or “Volunteer Experience” when you have suitable examples.
A useful entry explains:
- What the activity was.
- Where or in what context you completed it.
- When you completed it.
- What you personally did.
- What you produced or achieved, when you can support the result.
Example: An Academic Spreadsheet Project
Monthly Expense Tracker — Academic Project March 2026 • Entered sample transactions into an Excel worksheet. • Categorised expenses and calculated monthly totals. • Prepared a summary showing spending by category.
This is more useful than “Worked on an Excel project” because it describes the tasks.
Label academic and practice projects accurately. Do not present sample transactions as a company’s real financial records.
Example: Volunteer Activity
If you helped organise a college event, describe your actual contribution. For example, you might have maintained a registration list or prepared attendance records.
Do not claim you managed the whole event if you handled one task. For group projects, explain your own contribution rather than taking credit for the entire group’s work.
If you have no relevant project yet, you can complete a small practice task before adding it to your CV. An office-role applicant might create a sample attendance sheet or format a business letter. Use fictional information rather than someone’s private records.
9. Add Relevant Training and Languages
For a completed course, include its title, provider and completion date. Add a brief description only when the title does not explain the relevant learning.
A course completion certificate is different from a professional licence or registration. Use the correct description.
For languages, state your ability honestly. For example:
- Urdu: fluent spoken and written communication.
- English: able to read instructions and write routine emails.
These are examples, not labels to copy without checking. Avoid claiming fluency if you cannot comfortably work at that level.
10. Adjust the CV for Each Position
Keep a main editable CV, then prepare a version for each application.
Adjust the profile and order of relevant skills or projects. Keep qualification names, dates and other facts consistent.
For an accounts role, give more space to accounting coursework and spreadsheet tasks. For an office role, highlight document preparation, record keeping and relevant administrative activities.
Use the advertisement’s terminology when it accurately describes your background. Do not copy whole requirements into the CV or repeat keywords to fill space.
A Copyable First-Job CV Template
Copy this template into Word or Google Docs. Replace every bracketed instruction with your own information and delete sections that do not apply.
[YOUR FULL NAME] [City, Province] Phone: [Active phone number] Email: [Professional email address] [Relevant portfolio or LinkedIn link — optional] PROFILE [Two or three short sentences connecting your actual education and skills to the position. Optional.] EDUCATION [Exact qualification name] [Institution], [City] [Completion year or clearly stated study status] [Relevant result or coursework — optional] RELEVANT SKILLS • [Tool or skill and the tasks you can perform] • [Tool or skill and the tasks you can perform] • [Another relevant, supported skill] PROJECTS / INTERNSHIP / VOLUNTEERING [Activity title] — [Accurate activity type] [Organisation or academic context] [Month/year or date range] • [What you personally did] • [A relevant task, output or supported result] TRAINING [Relevant course title] [Provider] | [Completion date] LANGUAGES [Language]: [Accurate ability] [Language]: [Accurate ability]
Do not leave instructions or unused headings in the version you send.
A Completed Example for a Fresh Candidate
The candidate and background below are fictional. The contact fields are placeholders. This example shows how a candidate without paid work experience can present education and academic work.
ALI AHMED Lahore, Punjab Phone: [Candidate’s phone number] Email: [Candidate’s email address] PROFILE Commerce graduate seeking an entry-level accounts role. Practised recording transactions and preparing expense summaries through coursework. Comfortable with Excel data entry, sorting, filtering and basic formulas. EDUCATION Bachelor of Commerce Example College, Lahore Completed: 2026 Relevant coursework: Financial Accounting, Business Communication and Business Mathematics RELEVANT SKILLS • Microsoft Excel: data entry, sorting, filtering, SUM formulas and basic expense summaries. • Microsoft Word: document formatting, tables and PDF export. • Bookkeeping practice: recording sample transactions and preparing ledger entries through coursework. ACADEMIC PROJECTS Monthly Expense Tracker March 2026 • Created an Excel sheet using fictional transactions. • Categorised expenses and calculated monthly totals. • Prepared a spending summary by category. Bookkeeping Assignment November 2025 • Recorded sample transactions in a journal. • Posted entries to ledger accounts. • Prepared a trial balance for the coursework exercise. LANGUAGES Urdu: fluent spoken and written communication. English: able to read instructions and write routine emails.
The example does not claim paid accounting experience. Its project descriptions show what the candidate practised. Your own CV should describe your actual background, even if it is shorter.
11. Save and Check the File
Keep an editable copy so you can make changes for future applications.
If the employer does not specify a format, a text-based PDF is a practical option for preserving the layout. If the employer requests DOCX or another format, use that instead.
Use a clear filename, such as:
Ali-Ahmed-CV-Accounts-Assistant.pdf
Open the exported file and check:
- All pages are complete and in the correct order.
- Headings and bullet points have not moved unexpectedly.
- Contact details are readable and correct.
- Text can be selected rather than appearing only as a scanned image.
- Any links work.
- The file meets the stated upload-size limit.
Do not attach certificates, photographs or identity documents inside the CV unless the instructions request that arrangement. Submit supporting documents in the required way.
Common First-Job CV Mistakes
- Inventing experience: Use accurately labelled projects or volunteering instead.
- Claiming every advertised skill: Include only skills you can demonstrate.
- Using an oversized design: Keep the layout readable and focused on relevant information.
- Listing pending education as completed: State your current status clearly.
- Including unnecessary personal data: Follow the employer’s requirements rather than adding sensitive details automatically.
- Adding references without permission: Ask before sharing someone’s contact details. Omit references unless requested.
- Sending the wrong version: Check the profile, filename and attachment before submitting.
Final CV Checklist
- My name, phone number and email address are correct.
- My CV is relevant to the position.
- Qualification names, results and dates match my records.
- Every skill and activity is honestly described.
- Projects are clearly distinguished from employment.
- There are no unused placeholders or empty sections.
- The layout is readable and the exported file opens correctly.
- I have followed the employer’s format and document instructions.
Before sending the CV, read each line and ask whether you could explain it in an interview. Keep the details you can support and revise any wording that overstates your background.