Student CV: Templates + 20 Examples for 2024

Get some work and earn some dosh to supplement your student loan. To do that, you need a great student CV.

Read on to see how to write a student based on our professional CV examples for students. And then get invited to interviews faster than Stormzy spits lyrics.

This guide will show you:

• Job-winning CV examples for students you can personalise and make yours.
• How to write a student CV that’ll get you more interviews than any CV you’ve written in the past.
• CV examples for students with no experience that work.
• Student CV templates that will boost your chances of getting hired.

Want to save time and have your CV ready in 5 minutes? Try our CV zbuilder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ CV templates and create your CV here.

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Use this cv template

Sample student CV—See more templates and create your CV here.

Looking for other CV writing guides? Read more:

• Graduate CV Example
• Waiter / Waitress CV Example
• Sales Assistant / Retail CV Example
• Customer Service CV Example
• Receptionist CV Example
• Cleaner CV Example
• Legal CV Example
• 18+ Creative CV Templates to Download

Student CV example

Now, follow the guide to write an equally impressive student CV:

1. Choose the best CV format for students 

By CV format, I mean the structure and the order of sections of your CV. You want to organise the information on a student CV in a way that best sets out your skills and experience.

A CV template for students should follow a skills-based CV format, because it emphasises your abilities and qualifications, taking the spotlight off your employment history. There’s a set structure for it to follow.

Student CV template—section order

• CV header (including your name, phone number, and e-mail address)
• CV summary
• Relevant skills
• Education section
• Work experience section
• Additional sections

Before we start writing, though, let’s get your CV layout right.

Pro Tip: Using pre-formatted CV templates can help you create your student CV much faster. Good CV templates already feature all the required sections as well as a visually attractive design.

2. Use proper layout for a student CV

Recruiters only spend around 9 seconds looking at an average CV. However, if your student CV looks professional and presentable enough, it will earn you more eye time.

The very first thing that’ll make an impression is the visual layout of your CV. The rules are quite strict, and if you don’t get it right, then your CV gets binned. 

Student CV template tips

• Set margins of one inch on each side of the page.
• Select a line spacing of 1.15 and double space between sections.
• Left align only, no justification.
• Choose the right type and font for your CV. The most common is Times New Roman set at 12 points in size, but it is not the only one. Other common CV fonts include:
• Calibri
• Cambria
• Helvetica
• Gill Sans (a favourite of the BBC)
• Verdana
• Garamond
• Trebuchet MS
• Lato
• Book Antiqua
• Didot
• Keep the right length. One page should be enough for a CV template for students but if you need to then two pages is fine. 
• Name your CV correctly. Having your surname and the position you are after will be enough.
• Save your CV as PDF file, as it keeps your layout intact.

These rules ensure you stick to standard business layout rules and have plenty of white space on the page. White space isn’t wasted space, it’s a powerful way to make your student CV more readable.

Now everything’s set and we’re ready to start writing your student CV.

Pro Tip: There’s no need to include a photo. It’s not the done thing for a UK CV template. 

3. Start your student CV template with a header

The header is the first part of your student CV that gets read. It’s that section at the very top of the page with your name and contact details. 

Student CV template—header

• Include your first name and surname in bold font 4–6 points larger than the body text.
• List the right contact details: phone number and email are essential. The home address is optional.
• Make sure the email is a clickable link. If you decide to add any social media links, make them clickable as well.
• Use only your professional email address. Informal emails have been proven to have a negative impact on the chances of being hired.

Here’s one that’s done just right:

CV example for students: header area

Next up, your personal statement.

Pro Tip: Unlike the rest of your CV, a CV header can be centre aligned. It will boost the chances of having your header noticed.

4. Set out relevant skills in your skills summary

In the absence of a longer work history, this is the section of your student CV that sells you as a candidate. 

Your skills can be divided into two categories, hard and soft:

• Hard skills are abilities you need to be technically competent at something, such as computer programming. 
• Soft skills, also known as employability skills, are the broader abilities that are valuable to almost every employer. Examples of soft skills include teamwork, interpersonal skills, and self-motivation. 

Let’s dive straight into an example:

Student CV example—skills summary

When it’s done right, a skills summary is a powerful way of positioning yourself as a prime candidate in the absence of professional experience. Use a clear layout, dividing your skills into subheadings, then use bold and capitalisation for emphasis. 

Once you’ve created headline skills, add bullet points giving details, and where possible, examples. Don’t do what the wrong example does though and just make a shopping list of skills. There’s nothing to back up the claims you’re making. It’s as rubbish as running out of beer during freshers week.

The right example though uses experience and extra-curricular activities to demonstrate solid workplace skills, even in the absence of a long work history to fall back on.

The best way to write this student CV section is to first brainstorm a short list of core headline skills. Then take the time to consider all of your life experience and how this has enabled you to develop those skills. All the while, remember to make it relevant to the job you’re applying for. Just as you did when writing your personal profile.

Also don’t forget to make use of keywords—here’s why they’re vital.

Student CV keywords

CV keywords are words or phrases in your CV that the ATS will pick up. The ATS is an application that scans your CV before it gets read by a human. More than 90% of large companies use it. If the ATS doesn’t like what it sees, then your student CV will have as much chance of success as Mr. Bean becoming president of the NUS.

Identify the keywords by looking at the job ad. If you can see “Accountant with minimum 2 years experience,” add it to your profile. Do the same for skills. If the job listing mentions Wordpress, this phrase should appear in your skills section.

Remember though: never lie. It’s tempting, especially when you’ve got limited experience, but just don’t. It’s actually fraud and can have serious consequences for your future when you get found out.

Pro Tip: Two of the biggest and best keywords are the name of the company and the job role you’re applying to. Make sure you include them in your CV profile to keep the ATS happy.

Next we’ll work on your education section.

When making a CV in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional CV template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s CV builder will score your CV and tell you exactly how to make it better.

5. Add your education even if you haven’t graduated yet

You’re a student, you’re in the process of being educated. This section of your student CV should be listed in reverse chronological order, with your most recent education coming first and working back from there. Here’s how to do it:

• Use some layout hacks to make this section easier to read. Bold and italic have added emphasis and clarity to the most important sections. 
• Include the dates showing when you completed the particular stage of education and put in “expected completion date” as the case may be if you haven’t finished it.
• Include honours for university education if you achieved them, and specify the A-levels you attained. 
• Mention Maths and English for GCSEs (if you’ve achieved them), as they’re considered essential for most jobs. 
• Don’t list other subjects unless they are directly relevant to the job you’re applying for.

We’ll use the student CV example of a post-graduate, so you can see how to write your education section for school, undergraduate, and postgraduate education.

Student CV examples–education section

You now have a CV education section that’d make Professor Brian Cox proud. Let’s move on to your experience.

Try out some different CV templates. Read more here: 20+ Free CV Templates to Download Now

6. Include work experience if you have it

If you have any work experience at all, add it to your student CV, regardless of what you’re applying for. Even if it’s just hospitality work or being stood behind the till at your local supermarket. It'll still show skills that every hiring manager looks for, like customer service, communication skills, and a good work ethic.

Many students don’t have any experience at all, so if you do have some, it’ll make your CV stand out. Here’s how to structure the work experience section:

• Show your most recent activities. List your jobs in reverse-chronological order. 
• Prove you’re the perfect candidate for the position by tailoring your student CV to the job description.
• Use adjectives, action verbs, synonyms, and power words.
• Include numbers whenever you can. Using them correctly on your student CV will only boost your chances!
• Emphasise the basic info about the job. Then don’t just list duties like the wrong example does. 
• Write it in a way that demonstrates skills to the reader and gives something measurable for what you did. Targets and numbers are the best way to do this.

Let’s take a look at a great student CV example of an experience section.

CV examples for students—work experience

All well and good, but what can you put in a CV for a student with no experience? Read on. 

Pro Tip: For your work experience section, even such simple part-time gigs like babysitting, tutoring, or delivering pizza can count—they are great for highlighting transferable skills. 

7. Harness the power of additional sections

Writing a student CV for a first job? You can leave out the work experience section all together. Then add extra sections to show off all the other experience and skills you have. 

• Volunteer work
• Awards and honours
• Hobbies and interests
• Language skills
• Certification
• Training

They all help your CV to convince the recruiter you’re the best choice for the job, without needing a long list of work experience. 

CV examples for students with no experience—additional sections

Simple! Just include the details of the award, your placing and the name plus the year you achieved it. Do keep it relatively recent and relevant though. Being awarded “Best Donkey” in your Year 2 nativity play isn’t going to cut it.

Your student CV is almost finished. Now let’s summarise it.

Wondering if you should include references on your student CV. Find out more in our guide: References on a CV

8. Write your student CV personal statement

Also known as your personal profile, this is a brief paragraph that summarises your skills and experience. It shouldn’t explain why you’re good for any job, it needs to explain why you’re good for this job. So write a fresh personal statement for each job you apply for.

How long should your CV personal statement be? No longer than 3–4 sentences. Include examples with achievements to back them up if you’re able to.

Follow the steps below to create a student CV profile:

• Read the job advert. Get an understanding of the skills and experience wanted and tweak your personal profile to match.
• Get started by asking yourself three questions: 
  • Who are you? 
  • What can you offer to the employer? 
  • What are your career goals?
• Write the personal statement last. Look for the things in your sections that make you stand out and can help you get the job.
• Select 2–3 top accomplishments and skills that are relevant to the opening.
• Don’t make it longer than 150–200 words, or four lines: space is at a premium on your CV, so don’t waste it.

Let’s have a look at how it should look like.

Student CV examples—personal statements

Now your student CV is 100% ready. But before you start sending it, there’s one more thing to do that will boost your chances of getting hired.

Make sure you did it right. See our guide: What a CV Should Look Like

9. Remember to include a cover letter

It’s not a good night out without a kebab to finish, and it’s not a good CV without an accompanying cover letter. 

Cover letters cause a bit of argument in recruitment circles. There’s around a 50/50 split in opinion on whether not including one is a deal-breaker. That’s not just another dry statistic. Now, your student CV is perfect—you don’t want to ruin your chances with the half of employers who want cover letters, do you? As for the other 50% they can just ignore it.

For employers who do appreciate them, though, a well-written cover letter can be the little extra nudge needed to push you into the yes pile. You can learn what to include in a cover letter during a lunch break. Need more convincing? The right cover letter length is one page long, tops. What’s one page compared to all the coursework you have to submit? And it’s much better for you than a dirty doner, that’s for sure.

This time we really are finished. Time for a recap.

Make sure your cover letter formatting is perfect. Read more: How to Format a Cover Letter [Examples & Step-by-Step Guide]

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your CV will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaways

That’s all there is to it when it comes to writing a student CV. We can’t promise you won’t be eating Pot Noodle anymore, but at least it’ll be posh Pot Noodle.

Here’s how to write a student CV:

• Choose the best student CV format. Skills-based aka functional CV format works best.
• Leverage layout for a visually appealing student CV that’ll get read from top to bottom.
• Grab their attention with tailored personal statement.
• Use a student CV template centred around your skills summary. But don’t forget your education, always include work experience, and add value with additional sections.
• Add a student cover letter for top marks.

Got any more questions on how to create a CV template for UK students? Still struggling with making your skills summary shine? Ask away in the comments section and we’ll be happy to help.

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Sources

• https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/the-power-of-white-space
• https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/529390/2013-11-01-bmg-research-with-employers-on-new-gcse-grades.pdf
• https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/cyber.2014.0542
• https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/employers-sifting-through-applications-likened-to-swiping-through-tinder-as-research-shows-people-9988512.html