A good student CV is not an empty CV — it's a different kind of CV

The challenge with a student CV is rarely a lack of value. It's a lack of conventional professional markers. Limited paid experience, no management track record, no years of measurable impact — on paper, it can feel thin.

But a recruiter opening a student CV already knows this. They are not expecting a director-level profile. They are looking for something else: clarity, consistency, early evidence of reliability, and a glimpse of potential.

A good student CV puts forward what genuinely counts at this stage: your course, your projects, your placements, your part-time work, your societies, transferable skills, and a coherent sense of direction.

If your situation is more specific, see our dedicated guides: graduate scheme and placement CV, summer job CV for 16-18s, or CV with no experience at all.

What a recruiter wants to understand in 10 seconds

Four questions go through a recruiter's mind when they open a student CV:

What role is this person targeting?
Does their background make sense for this target?
Have they actually done or produced something concrete?
Do they seem focused, reliable and capable of learning quickly?

Every line of your CV should answer at least one of these questions.

The ideal structure for a student CV

1. Start with a job title, not your academic status

The top of your CV should say what you're seeking, not just what you currently are.

Avoid:

"BSc Computer Science Student"
"Looking for summer internship"
"Motivated student"

Prefer:

"Marketing Intern — 3-month summer placement"
"Front-end Developer — Industrial placement year"
"Retail Sales Assistant — Part-time, weekends available"

This title positions you immediately and helps with keyword matching if you are applying through an online portal. Our guide on how to write your job title on a CV explains how to phrase it well.

2. A useful profile summary — not decorative

Two to four lines beneath the title. The aim is to answer "who are you and what do you want?" in the fastest way possible.

Example for a marketing placement:

"Second-year Marketing student at the University of Bristol. Experience running social media content for a student society reaching 1,200 followers. Strong in written communication and basic data analysis. Seeking a 12-month placement starting September 2026."

If you have essentially no experience yet, keep the summary to one or two lines and focus on your course and target.

3. Education before experience (for most students)

At student level, your course is your primary credential. Put it high on the page.

Include:

University name, degree title and classification (predicted or actual)
Expected or actual graduation year
Relevant modules, if they directly relate to the role (optional, 3-4 max)
A-levels or equivalent qualifications and grades
Other notable academic achievements: dean's list, prizes, competitive scholarships

For structuring this section, see our education and qualifications guide.

4. Work experience — include everything relevant

This section is broader for students than for experienced professionals. Include:

Paid internships or placements
Part-time and casual work (even if in a different sector)
Freelance or self-directed work (design, tutoring, coding projects)
Volunteering and charity work
Significant society or student union roles

For each entry, write 2-4 bullet points that show what you actually did — and ideally, a result:

Managed the society's Instagram account, growing followers from 400 to 1,200 in 6 months
Provided maths tutoring to 4 GCSE students; 3 improved their grade by at least one level
Supported a team of 8 in a busy café during peak weekend service, handling till and customer queries

Avoid filler lines: "Worked as part of a team" appears on almost every CV and says nothing distinctive.

5. Skills section

Keep this practical and honest. For a student CV, useful entries might include:

Technical: specific software (Excel, Python, Figma, Adobe, SPSS), programming languages, platforms
Languages: proficiency level per language (B2, C1, native, conversational)
Driving licence if relevant to the sector

Do not pad the section with soft skills like "good communicator" — demonstrate these through your bullet points instead.

What to do when you genuinely have very little experience

If you have never had a paid job, focus on:

Academic projects: a group project where you led the coordination, a dissertation requiring independent research, a case study competition where your team placed

Student societies: any role with responsibility — event organising, managing a budget, editing a publication, representing students in a committee

Voluntary work: conservation, foodbank, hospital volunteering, mentoring schemes

Self-initiated work: a personal website, an app you built, a blog with real readership, a business you started, however small

The key question for each entry is: "Can I show something I did, produced or improved?" If yes, it belongs on your CV.

Mistakes students make most often

Using "team player," "hard-working," and "good communicator" without evidence. These words are ignored by recruiters because every candidate uses them. Replace them with specific examples.

Listing every module studied. Three or four relevant modules can add useful context. A full list of twelve takes up space without adding value.

Submitting a generic CV for every application. Even at student level, tailoring the title and the first two bullet points of your main experience to the specific role significantly improves your conversion rate. See our guide on adapting your CV for each application.

Forgetting to include a professional email address. Your university email (firstname.surname@university.ac.uk) is ideal. An informal personal address from years ago may undermine an otherwise strong CV.

Build your student CV with CV Creator

CV Creator offers clean, professional templates built for readability — no registration, one-time payment of €2.99, unlimited CVs for 24 hours. Download your PDF and start applying. View templates.

Student CV: Simple Template for Internship, Placement or Part-Time Job