Graduate CV Example
Updated 17 June 2026
A graduate CV flips the usual script. Without years of work history, your degree, academic achievements and transferable skills do the heavy lifting. This guide shows you how to write a graduate CV that sells your potential, with real examples and a structure that puts education front and centre.
Graduate CV examples
Recent Graduate (Business)
entryLeads with a strong 2:1 degree and relevant modules, uses part-time retail work to show transferable skills, and keeps it to one page.
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Recent Graduate (Arts & Humanities)
entryUses the History degree to demonstrate research, writing and critical-thinking skills; mines academic group work and a student-society role for leadership evidence.
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Graduate with Internship & Placement
seniorDemonstrates real-world experience through a year-long placement and a summer internship, with metrics that show impact; the degree still leads but work history now carries weight.
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Jun. 2025-
Aug. 2023-
May 2023-
2025,
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2021|
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How to write a graduate CV
Structure and length
A graduate CV should be one page (two at most). With limited history, there isn't enough relevant content to justify more, and recruiters won't read past it for an entry-level role.
The section order for a graduate CV is:
- Name and contact details
- Personal statement
- Education (before work experience)
- Skills
- Work experience
- Hobbies and interests (optional)
- References
| Section | What to include | What to leave out |
|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | Degree, classification, university, career goal (2-3 sentences, under 150 words) | Generic claims without evidence, life story |
| Education | University, degree title, classification, dates, relevant modules, dissertation topic, academic projects | Every single module, GCSE grades listed individually (summarise instead) |
| Skills | Role-relevant technical and soft skills (8-12 items) | Vague claims like "hardworking" without context |
| Work experience | Part-time jobs, internships, placements, volunteering, framed around transferable skills and impact | Low-responsibility tasks with no achievement angle |
| Hobbies/interests | Activities that evidence leadership, teamwork or initiative, with specific examples | Generic lists ("reading, travelling") |
| References | One academic (tutor, dissertation supervisor), one work-related | "References available on request" (just list them) |
Personal statement
Open with your degree and lead straight into what you offer. A strong graduate personal statement is 2-3 sentences: who you are (degree, classification, university), what you bring, and your career goal.
Experience
With limited professional history, include part-time jobs, internships, work placements, volunteering and even university enterprise activities (like Young Enterprise competitions). Frame every bullet around transferable skills, teamwork, communication, problem solving, and back them with numbers.
Skills
List 8-12 role-relevant skills. Mix technical (tools, software, methodologies) with soft skills (communication, time management). If you can't show a skill through work, show it through your degree: group projects, presentations, dissertation research.
Education
This is your strongest section. List your university, degree name, classification and dates. Then add:
- Relevant modules (especially when they match the role you're applying for)
- Dissertation or final-year project (title and grade if strong)
- Academic achievements (group projects, presentations, awards)
For A-Levels and GCSEs, summarise older qualifications: "10 GCSEs, grades 9-6, including Maths (8) and English Language (7)" rather than listing each one.
Hobbies and interests
Only include these if they evidence skills you can't yet show through work: leadership (captain of a sports team), teamwork (society committee member), initiative (organising events). Be specific and back claims with examples.
Personal statement examples
Recent business economics graduate with a 2:1 honours degree from Lancaster University. Strong analytical and communication skills developed through academic research and customer-facing retail work. Seeking a graduate analyst role in the healthcare or public sector where I can apply econometric and policy-analysis skills to support evidence-based decision making.
Hardworking and motivated recent graduate looking for an opportunity to use my skills and grow in a dynamic organisation. I am a strong team player with excellent communication skills and a passion for learning. I am eager to start my career and make a positive contribution.
Writing your experience
The result-plus-metric pattern
Even part-time jobs and internships can show impact. Every bullet should follow the pattern:
Action verb + task + result (with a number)
Graduates often list duties ("responsible for serving customers") instead of achievements. Flip that.
| Weak (duty-focused) | Strong (result-focused) |
|---|---|
| Responsible for serving customers in a busy retail environment | Served an average of 60 customers per shift, consistently meeting sales targets and receiving positive feedback for clear communication |
| Helped with organising society events | Organised 6 guest-speaker events attended by an average of 45 students, managing a budget of £800 and increasing society membership by 20% |
| Assisted with data entry and admin tasks during internship | Built a Python data-processing pipeline that automated the ingestion of 10,000+ records per day, reducing manual work by 12 hours per week |
Mining academic experience
If you don't have much work history, your degree is a goldmine. Look for:
- Group projects: teamwork, conflict resolution, meeting deadlines
- Presentations: public speaking, stakeholder communication
- Dissertation: research, analysis, report writing, time management
- Leadership roles: society committee, course rep, mentoring
Action verbs for graduates
Research and analysis: Analysed, evaluated, investigated, researched, synthesised, interpreted
Communication: Presented, wrote, edited, liaised, collaborated, communicated
Leadership and initiative: Organised, coordinated, led, managed, trained, mentored
Problem solving: Resolved, improved, streamlined, automated, redesigned, optimised
Key skills & ATS keywords
Hard skills
Soft skills
ATS keywords
Education & certifications
How to present your degree
Your degree is the centrepiece of a graduate CV. List it before work experience, and include:
- University name (full official name)
- Degree title (e.g. Bachelor of Science (Hons))
- Subject (e.g. Business Economics)
- Classification (First Class, 2:1, 2:2, omit if lower or still awaiting results)
- Dates (start year and end year)
- Relevant modules (especially when they match the role)
- Dissertation or final-year project (title and grade if strong)
- Academic achievements (group projects, awards, presentations)
Example:
University of Edinburgh | Bachelor of Science (Hons), Computer Science | 2021–2025
- Classification: First Class
- Modules included Software Engineering, Database Systems, Machine Learning, and Human-Computer Interaction.
- Final-year project: "A Machine Learning Approach to Sentiment Analysis of Social Media Data" (awarded 82%).
- Led a team of 4 in a group software-engineering project, delivering a web application on time and presenting the work to a panel of 3 academics.
A-Levels and GCSEs
Summarise older qualifications rather than listing every grade:
- A-Levels: List subjects and grades (e.g. "Economics (A), Mathematics (B), English Literature (B)").
- GCSEs: Summarise (e.g. "10 GCSEs, grades 9-6, including Maths (8) and English Language (7)").
Don't list every GCSE individually, it wastes space and recruiters don't care about your Year 10 geography grade.
Certifications for graduates
Most graduates won't have professional certifications yet, but if you do, list them in an Achievements or Certifications section:
- Tech: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, Google Analytics, Microsoft Office Specialist
- Languages: IELTS, DELF (French), DELE (Spanish)
- Project management: Prince2 Foundation, Agile Foundation
- First aid: First Aid at Work (if relevant to the role, e.g. care, education)
Only include certifications that are relevant to the role you're applying for. A lifeguard certificate won't help you land a graduate analyst job unless you're framing it as evidence of responsibility and quick decision-making.
Common mistakes to avoid
Omitting your degree classification or subject
Always include your classification (if 2:1 or above) and the full degree title. Recruiters screen for this. If you're still awaiting results, write "Expected classification: 2:1" or "Results pending (June 2026)".
Listing duties instead of achievements in work experience
Every bullet should show impact. Not "responsible for serving customers" but "served an average of 60 customers per shift, consistently meeting sales targets and receiving positive feedback."
Padding the CV with irrelevant course descriptions
Only list modules that are relevant to the role. A marketing graduate applying for a content role should mention "Digital Marketing and Social Media Strategy," not "Quantitative Methods for Business."
Devoting space to low-responsibility part-time work instead of academic achievement
If your part-time job was just washing dishes, keep it to one line and focus on your degree, dissertation and academic projects instead.
Writing a generic personal statement that could apply to any role
Tailor your personal statement to the role. Name the job title you're applying for and link your degree and skills to it. "Seeking a graduate analyst role in the healthcare sector" is better than "looking for an opportunity to grow."
Listing hobbies without showing how they evidence skills
Don't just write "reading, travelling, football." If you captain a football team, say so and explain what it shows: "Captain of university football team, leading training sessions for 20+ players and coordinating match-day logistics."
Junior vs senior: what changes
| Aspect | Junior | Senior |
|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | Leads with degree, classification and university; focuses on transferable skills and career goal | Leads with degree but emphasises placement/internship experience and technical skills gained in real-world roles |
| Education section | Detailed: lists relevant modules, dissertation topic, group projects; may include A-Levels and GCSEs in full | Concise: degree, classification, dates; modules and dissertation only if directly relevant; A-Levels and GCSEs summarised or omitted |
| Work experience | Part-time retail/hospitality jobs, volunteering; bullets focus on transferable soft skills (teamwork, communication) | Placement year, internships, volunteer roles with technical responsibilities; bullets show measurable impact and technical skills |
| Skills section | Mix of soft skills (time management, teamwork) and basic technical skills (Microsoft Office, social media) | Technical skills dominate (programming languages, tools, methodologies); soft skills are evidenced in experience bullets rather than listed |
| Achievements | Academic awards, society roles, volunteering milestones | Hackathon wins, internship projects, technical certifications, open-source contributions |
| Length | One page (limited history) | One to two pages (placement/internship experience adds depth) |