Valeria, a career coach for international students, shared a step-by-step approach for students to write compelling CVs even without formal work experience.
The video covered CV structure, key content sections, and techniques to highlight transferable skills, achievements, and personal qualities.
Viewers were encouraged to use a free CV template available via the video description.
The session focused on practical, detailed advice suitable for students at school, college, or university level.
Action Items
No specific action items were assigned, as this was an informational video guide.
How to Structure a Student CV with No Experience
Use a clear, consistent, professional layout and formatting (same font, font size 10.5–11.5, no tables, pictures, or graphs, save as PDF with name-surname-cv).
Limit the CV to one page and ensure all dates/places are formatted consistently, using bold text where appropriate.
Essential CV Sections and Their Contents
Personal Details
Include a professional email address and LinkedIn profile (customized URL recommended).
Only city/country or street name is required for the address, not full details.
Personal details section can be visually highlighted but should maintain professionalism.
Profile Section
Write 3-4 sentences summarizing your course, university, qualities, key skills, and career goals.
Include language, technical, or programming skills as relevant.
End with a line about the roles or industries you’re interested in.
Education
Clearly list degrees, predicted grades, and relevant modules or dissertation topics.
Include any awards, scholarships, or grants.
Provide A-level/GCSE/IB/IGCSE subjects with grades in brackets.
Mention skills developed during studies, especially those transferable to work.
Volunteering, Positions of Responsibility, or Work Experience
Treat all extracurricular, volunteer, or part-time roles as valuable experience.
List positions with organization name, dates, and specific responsibilities or achievements, using measurable results when possible.
Highlight leadership, initiative, and outcomes, even for non-office roles (e.g., charity work, babysitting).
Achievements
List any personal, academic, or extracurricular achievements (e.g., competition wins, society roles, sports, exhibitions).
Always include role/title, organization/event, location, and date to add credibility.
Additional Skills
Include language proficiency (with levels), technical/software skills, and any relevant certifications.
Mention unique skills (e.g., sign language, social media management, driving license) that demonstrate adaptability and learning ability.
Hobbies and Interests
Share hobbies with specific achievements or meaningful details (e.g., completed a half marathon, exhibited artwork).
Avoid generic statements like “watching movies” or “running”; instead, illustrate activities that showcase personality and perseverance.
Decisions
N/A (No decisions applicable, as this was an informational session.)
Open Questions / Follow-Ups
No open questions or follow-ups were raised in the session.