CV Ideas for Students in the UK: How to write your student CV.

Want to support your studies with a part-time job? Looking for a dream role once your course finishes? Read on to discover some CV ideas for students. Get ahead of the game and stand out to employers with our key CV tips for students.

What to include in your student CV.

When you first start applying for jobs, you might worry that you don’t have enough experience. Or you may think you don’t have much to include in your CV. Don’t fret – you probably have a lot more to offer than you realise.

Some ideas to include in your student CV include:

1. Personal details – Include your full name, address, contact details, and any other relevant personal information. This is so employers know who you are, as well as where and how to contact you.
2. Personal statement – Add a concise personal summary describing who you are, and what role you’re looking for. Also, try to show how your current skills and experience relate to the job you’re applying for.
3. Education – List the schools, colleges and universities you’ve attended, and the qualifications you gained, to show your academic achievements.
4. Skills – List out your skills and abilities. These may be things like using Microsoft Office, being a proven team player, having analytical skills, or speaking different languages. Try to be as specific as possible, giving examples to support.
5. Work experience – Had a part-time job previously? Done voluntary work? These will help show employers how you’ve applied yourself in a professional capacity.
6. Awards and achievements – Include any recognition you’ve received. This could include any top student awards or research recognition, for example.
7. Professional certificates – These could be industry standard certificates you’re working towards as part of your studies. For example, the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), or the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). You could also include things like Google AdWords certification.
8. First aid certificate – Most employers value this. Include details of how and when you gained the certificate.
9. UK driving licence – Some job specs require this. Even if they don’t, it’s still useful to include. If it’s clean and you don’t have any points on it – mention this, too.

For more tips, check out our guide on formatting a CV in the UK.

CV writing tips for UK students.

Don’t know where to begin? Here are some CV tips and ideas for students to help you get started.

1. Make the most of your extra-curricular activities – Captain of your university sports team? Help at the local food bank in your spare time? Including these hobbies and interests in your CV shows how you apply your skills outside of academia or work. Such experience can be transferrable. For example, if you play a team sport this shows you can work with others in a dynamic fast-paced environment.
2. Keep it simple – Employers have lots of CVs to read and will often skim over them in a matter of seconds. Make yours clear, unique and easy to read.
3. Have clear, bold headings – These will signpost the reader to different sections and help them digest the information more easily.
4. Don’t overdo it with colours – For most applications, keep the text black, on a white background. But if you’re applying for a creative role, you can implement different colours and design elements.
5. Tailor it – Personalise the skills and experience in your CV to the job you’re applying for. Highlight transferable skills relevant to the role to grab the potential employers’ attention.
6. Don’t use fancy fonts – Use clear fonts that make your CV easy to digest. There’s no need to choose anything fancy or decadent – simple fonts are more readable.
7. Cover letter – Not every job advert asks for this, but you should have a cover letter template ready that you can tailor and use if needed.

CV ideas for students.

You may be seeking part-time work for extra cash to support you during uni. Or perhaps you’re looking for your first career job after graduation. Explore these CV ideas for students, with examples for different types of job and career stages.

Craft a CV for a part-time student job.

Retail assistant in a shop. Behind the bar in a local pub. Helping out at your Student Union. These are just some examples of part-time jobs students often do alongside their studies. Some key skills to include here are teamwork, as well as interpersonal skills such as communication.

Make a CV for an upcoming internship.

Doing an internship can help you stand out from the crowd when applying for graduate roles. But how can you tailor your CV to land one? It’s all about showcasing your transferable skills and existing experience.

If you’re studying for a finance degree, for example, demonstrate how you’ve used Microsoft Excel to work on balance sheets and cash flow forecasts on your course. Don’t forget to show how you would apply this experience in the role. Employers want specific examples, so be precise.

Adapt your CV for a volunteering opportunity.

Volunteering can be a rewarding experience that also gives your CV a bit of a glow up. It shows you’re compassionate and willing to go that extra mile. But how can you tailor your CV to land a volunteering position?

Be sure to include any past volunteering. If you haven’t done any, don’t worry. Emphasise your experience working as part of a team, either in your personal life, past work, or academic studies. It shows you can be a team player.

Build your CV for a placement year.

A placement year gives you 12 months’ work experience before you graduate. This can help give you an edge over the competition before you’ve even finished university. But how can you land a placement?

When applying for these, be sure to include skills such as communication, organisation and prioritisation of your work, and ability to meet deadlines. Give specific examples of where and how you’ve experienced these in your studies and any past job experience.

Most placements ads will also ask you to write a cover letter, so be sure to highlight your relevant skills here as well. But keep it short and sweet – and don’t repeat too much information from your CV. The two should complement one another rather than be duplicates in a different format.

Five graduate CV tips for your first step on the career ladder.

Exams are around the corner. Coursework is due soon, with deadlines looming. It can be easy to get caught up in it all. But graduation will come around quicker than you think. Prepare and get ahead by starting to think about your first job after university. The earlier you start, the better.

Here some key things to consider for your graduate CV:

1. Highlight relevant skills – Prioritise anything that relates to your desired role, whether that’s something you’ve picked up in your studies, placement year or other extra-curricular activity.
2. Tailor your CV to the role – Relate your transferable skills to the job you’re applying for, and make sure you weave in any key terms from the job description.
3. Show off those results – You’ve worked hard, now display your achievements. If you don’t know your results yet, show your predicted grades or past years’ module grades.
4. Show off your dissertation – This huge project takes up a big chunk of the final year for many students. If your course includes a dissertation, you should be proud of it! Include what your dissertation is on, the grade you achieved or are predicted, and how the process could apply to the job role.
5. Hobbies and interests – Adding some personal hobbies and interests, such as going to the gym, reading, and painting, will give employers a glimpse of you as a person. Even better if they’re directly relevant to the industry.

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Good to know.

What is a good summary for a student CV?

Highlight a few of your key skills in short and concise sentences, giving examples of how and where you’ve applied them. Then briefly explain what you’re looking for in a role, and how you’re willing to develop these skills further. This is a summary, so don’t overdo it. Cover the key ones you consider important.

How do you introduce yourself in a student CV?

Introduce yourself by highlighting your main strengths. It’s an opportunity to sell yourself and showcase your achievements. Show that you’re dependable and enthusiastic, and that you’re open to learning new skills and taking on new responsibilities.

Is Adobe Express free?

Yes. The basic version of Adobe Express includes everything you need to start working creatively. Adobe Express offers thousands of design templates, images, royalty-free photos and videos – and much more. Create your own student CV, and land that job you’ve always dreamed of. Your first step into the wider world starts with a good CV. Build yours for free today with Adobe.