Examples & writing guide
Entry Level CV Example for 2026
Updated 7 July 2026
This entry level CV example shows how to make limited experience count without padding your application or hiding behind vague claims. It explains how to turn education, part-time work, volunteering and projects into credible evidence. You can also use it as an entry level CV template when adapting your details for each vacancy.
Examples by experience level
Entry-level Administrative Assistant
TemplateNavy Atlas4 / 5
Why this works
This entry level CV sample turns part-time work, volunteering and education into credible evidence of organised, accurate administrative support.
Continue writing your CVMid-level Administrative Assistant
TemplateTeal Signal2 / 5
Why this works
This entry level CV sample shows clear progression from customer service into administration, with defensible figures, stronger ownership and evidence of reliable day-to-day delivery.
Continue writing your CVSenior Administrative Officer
TemplateAshford1 / 5
Why this works
Shows clear progression from administrative support to team leadership, with defensible examples of service improvement, record accuracy and operational scale.
Continue writing your CVJunior vs senior: what changes
| Aspect | Junior | Senior |
|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | Names the target role and draws on education, volunteering, placements, part-time work or projects to establish relevant strengths. | Opens with a clear professional specialism, leadership scope and selected organisational outcomes. |
| Experience evidence | Uses early employment, internships, coursework and community activity to show dependable work, practical contribution and the ability to learn. | Prioritises recent roles and explains ownership of teams, services, programmes, budgets or complex decisions. |
| Achievement scale | Uses modest figures that can be checked, such as enquiries answered, records processed, deadlines met or hours saved on a small task. | Shows wider responsibility through team size, service volume, financial scope, work across departments or improvements sustained over time. |
| Skills section | Balances practical administrative abilities with communication, organisation and digital confidence, supported by examples elsewhere in the CV. | Concentrates on specialist knowledge, leadership, planning, stakeholder relationships and methods used to improve performance. |
| Education and development | Gives recent education more room because projects, assignments and positions of responsibility may provide much of the evidence. | Keeps older education brief and devotes more space to recent professional development and career results. |
| CV emphasis | Shows readiness for the next step through relevant potential and evidence gathered in several settings. | Shows a consistent record of judgement, ownership and results at greater scale. |
How to write an entry level CV
Use a clean, reverse-chronological layout of one or two pages. One page will often give a school leaver or recent graduate enough room, while two pages can work when several placements, projects or part-time roles are directly relevant. Begin with your name, location, mobile number, email address and professional profile link. Do not include a photo or date of birth.
| Section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Personal statement | Target role, strongest relevant evidence and the contribution you could make |
| Experience | Paid work, placements, volunteering and substantial projects, newest first |
| Skills | Abilities you can support with examples |
| Education | Recent qualifications, relevant subjects, projects and results |
| Extras | Languages, volunteering or interests that add useful evidence |
Tailor the personal statement to the vacancy rather than describing yourself in broad terms. Under experience, give each position a title, organisation, location and dates, followed by short, achievement-led bullets. If you have no formal employment, draw on coursework, societies, caring responsibilities, community work or personal projects where they prove useful behaviour.
Keep the skills section selective. Borrow accurate terminology from the advert, but do not copy requirements that you cannot support. In education, place your newest course first and give more space to relevant work than older study. Extras belong only when they provide evidence or useful context. A graduate entry level CV may place education above experience when the course contains the strongest evidence.
Personal statement examples
Careful and approachable recent college leaver with customer service experience gained through weekend retail work and volunteering at a community food hub. Trusted to process up to 45 transactions per shift, organise weekly stock checks and answer routine visitor queries. Seeking an entry level administrative role where accurate record keeping, calm communication and reliable follow-through will be useful from day one.
Hard-working individual looking for an entry level opportunity with a good company. I am a fast learner, work well alone or in a team and can do anything asked of me. I would like a role where I can gain experience and develop my career.
Writing your experience
Your experience section should show what you did, the circumstances and the result. Start each bullet with a direct action, add enough scope to make the work understandable, then finish with an outcome when you have one. Figures might describe volume, time, accuracy, attendance, money or frequency, but use only numbers drawn from records or details you can defend.
| Weak bullet | Stronger bullet |
|---|---|
| Helped customers in the shop | Served up to 45 customers per Saturday shift and answered routine questions without supervisor support |
| Responsible for club emails | Reorganised the society inbox into five categories, reducing the weekly sorting task from 40 minutes to 20 |
| Worked on a group project | Coordinated deadlines for a four-person coursework project and submitted all six deliverables on time |
The revised bullets give the reader a task, context and outcome. They do not rely on inflated language. A modest, specific result is more convincing than a claim that you "greatly improved efficiency" with no explanation.
Part-time work, placements, volunteering and substantial academic projects can all supply evidence for an entry level CV. A café shift may demonstrate cash handling, prioritisation and customer communication. Coursework might prove research, spreadsheet use or deadline management. Describe your contribution plainly rather than assuming that the activity's title will speak for itself.
Useful opening verbs include organised, processed, checked, resolved, prepared, updated, scheduled, supported, coordinated and recorded. Pick the verb that describes your own action. Replace "helped with" when you can identify your contribution, but never claim sole credit for a team result.
Give the most space to recent, relevant evidence. Three or four bullets are usually enough for a useful position; older or less relevant entries can be shorter. Reorder bullets for each application so the closest match to the vacancy appears first. For an administrative vacancy, that may mean leading with evidence of answering enquiries, scheduling meetings, maintaining records or updating information systems.
Key skills & ATS keywords
Hard skills
Soft skills
ATS keywords
Education & certifications
List education in reverse-chronological order, with the institution, exact qualification or course title, subject and dates. Include results when they help the application. Recent school leavers and graduates can add a relevant project, practical assignment, elected responsibility or award, provided that each note gives the employer useful evidence.
An Entry Level qualification is an optional route for someone seeking a qualification recognised across the UK who is not ready for GCSEs or equivalent qualifications. Entry Level qualifications have no entry requirements. They are known as certificates or awards and cover a wide range of subjects. Copy the exact title from your certificate rather than shortening it or presenting it as equivalent to another qualification.
Do not add a certifications section merely to occupy space. Include only completed, relevant credentials, using their exact names and issuers where known. Mark an unfinished course as in progress and state its expected completion date instead of implying that it is complete.
Some employers specify a qualification level for a particular vacancy. Check the advert and place the requested evidence where it is easy to find. If the employer does not state a particular qualification, concentrate on relevant learning, projects and verified results. As your work history grows, compress older education so that recent experience receives more space.
Common mistakes to avoid
AvoidSending the same generic entry level CV for every vacancy, without reflecting the duties or wording in the advert.
InsteadAdjust the personal statement, skills order and evidence for each application. Keep your facts unchanged, but bring the most relevant coursework, projects, employment or volunteering to the front.
AvoidOpening with unsupported claims such as "hard-working team player".
InsteadConnect each quality to evidence. Mention a group deadline you met, a customer question you resolved or a set of records you kept accurate.
AvoidLeaving out short jobs, placements, projects or voluntary work because the title does not match the vacancy.
InsteadInclude experience from any setting when it demonstrates a useful skill. A college event, society role or retail shift can provide evidence of organisation, communication and reliability.
AvoidCopying duties into the experience section without explaining the outcome.
InsteadWrite each bullet around an action, its scope and the result. Add only figures you can defend, such as the number of enquiries handled, meetings arranged or records checked.
AvoidGiving education too little space when it contains the strongest evidence.
InsteadFor an entry level CV, include relevant projects, assignments and responsibilities beneath recent education. Focus on what you produced or improved rather than listing every module.
AvoidCrowding the CV with every hobby, school activity and software package you have encountered.
InsteadKeep the strongest recent material. Prioritise evidence related to the vacancy, then include interests or additional information only when they reveal something useful.
Frequently asked questions
One or two pages usually gives enough room for relevant evidence. A focused page is better than two padded pages, but useful projects, placements and transferable work should not be cut merely to reach one page.
Use education projects, volunteering, societies, caring responsibilities, personal projects and community activities when they demonstrate skills relevant to the vacancy. State what you did, how much work was involved and what happened as a result.
No. Leave both off a British-style CV and use the space for contact details, a focused personal statement and evidence related to the role.
Keep a consistent, readable structure, but tailor the content to each vacancy. Use wording from the advert only where it truthfully describes your experience, and move the best-matched evidence nearer the top.
Lead with skills that transfer into the new field, then prove them through earlier work, training and projects. Keep previous job titles accurate and explain results in language that a reader outside your old industry can understand.
Choose skills that appear in the vacancy and that you can demonstrate through study, work or other experience. Avoid long lists of vague qualities or software you have used only once.
From example to application
Turn this entry level example into a CV that sounds like you.
Keep the structure that works. Tailor the details around your experience, strengths, and the role you want.