How to write a CV with no experience (freshers' guide with examples)

Updated 2026-10-15

Writing your first CV feels hard when the “Experience” section is empty. The good news: employers hiring freshers do not expect years of work. They want to see that you can learn, finish things and communicate. This guide shows you exactly what to write, section by section, with example lines you can adapt.

The best CV format for freshers

Use a simple, one-page, one-column layout. Many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that scan your CV before a person reads it. Fancy layouts with text boxes, tables or icons can confuse them. Put sections in this order:

Name and contact details
Career objective / summary (2–3 lines)
Education
Projects
Internships, volunteering or part-time work
Skills
Certifications, achievements and languages

1. Name and contact details

Write your full name in large text, then your phone number, a professional email (firstname.lastname@…), your city, and a LinkedIn or portfolio link if you have one. You do not need your full address, date of birth or father's name unless the job asks for them.

2. Career objective that isn't generic

Skip lines like “Seeking a challenging position in a reputed organisation”. Say who you are, what you are good at and what job you want.

B.Com graduate with strong Excel and Tally skills and a 2-month accounts internship. Looking for an Accounts Assistant role where I can support month-end reporting and GST filing.

Final-year Computer Science student who has built 3 web apps in React and Node.js. Seeking a junior front-end developer role.

3. Education

For freshers, education goes near the top. List the most recent first: degree, college, year and marks (CGPA or percentage, if it is good). Add relevant subjects or a final-year project if they match the job.

4. Projects: your secret weapon

College projects, personal projects and competitions show real skills. Write each one with a title, the tools you used, and one or two lines on what you did and the result.

Inventory tracker (Excel, Google Sheets): built a stock sheet for my family's shop that flags low items; reduced weekly stock-check time from 2 hours to 30 minutes.
Final-year project – Student attendance app (Python, Flask): led a team of 3; app used by 60 students in our department for one semester.
Marketing case study: analysed Instagram campaigns of 5 local cafés and presented recommendations to the class.

5. Internships, volunteering and part-time work

All of these count as experience. So do helping in a family business, tutoring, freelancing, organising a college fest or running a small online shop. Use action words: organised, built, managed, taught, sold, handled, improved.

Volunteer, College Annual Fest (Jan 2026)
• Managed registrations for 400+ participants using Google Forms and Sheets
• Coordinated a team of 8 volunteers on event day

Home tutor (2024 – present)
• Teach Maths and Science to 4 students in Class 8–10; two improved their scores by more than 15%

6. Skills

Split them into technical skills (Excel, Tally, Canva, Python, AutoCAD, social media tools) and soft skills (communication, teamwork, time management). Only list skills you can talk about in an interview. Copy the exact skill words from the job post when they apply to you – this also helps the ATS match your CV.

7. Certifications, achievements and languages

Add short online courses, NCC/NSS, sports, awards and scholarships. List languages with your level, for example “English (fluent), Hindi (native), Arabic (basic)”. This matters a lot for Gulf and customer-facing jobs.

Common mistakes to avoid

Two or three pages for a fresher CV. Keep it to one.
Spelling mistakes. Read it aloud and ask a friend to check.
Unprofessional email IDs.
Copying a friend's CV word for word. Recruiters notice.
Saving as an image or using photos of text. Always send a PDF (or Word if asked).
Writing a “Declaration” paragraph and signature. It wastes space on modern CVs.

Write a short cover letter too

A cover letter of 3 short paragraphs – why this company, what you can offer, and a polite close – can set you apart from other freshers. Mention one project that matches the job.

Templates that make it faster

Our Resume + Cover Letter Pack includes a dedicated Fresher resume and matching cover letter as ATS-friendly Word files you can edit on your phone in Google Docs or Word. The Modern Minimal Resume Pack has six more clean designs. Prefer someone to write it for you? Our CV writing service turns your details into a finished CV and cover letter.

Questions

How long should a fresher CV be?

One page. Recruiters spend only a short time on each CV, so keep the most relevant information on a single page.

Should I add a photo to my CV?

For most jobs in India, the UK, the US and Canada, a photo is not needed. Some Gulf employers and certain roles ask for one, so follow the job post.

What can I write if I have no work experience?

Use education, projects, internships, volunteering, freelance or family-business work, college societies, certifications and skills. Describe what you did and what changed because of it.

What is an ATS-friendly CV?

A CV that job portals' Applicant Tracking Systems can read: one column, normal fonts, standard headings, real text instead of images, and saved as PDF or Word.

Products in this guide

CV & Resume