How to write a graduate CV.

1. Your CV is a sales document, not a transcript

The most common graduate CV mistake is writing it as a record of everything you've done at university. Every module, every society, every shift.

Every line earns its place by selling you for the role. The instinct, when you don't have much experience, is to put everything in. There's usually plenty. You just have to write it differently.

Bad:

Member of the university film society for three years. Attended weekly screenings and contributed to discussions.

Good:

Treasurer, University Film Society (2023–24). Managed $4K annual budget across 30 events; grew membership 40% year-on-year through a relaunched welcome week campaign.

Same person, same society. The first is a transcript entry. The second is a sale.

2. What goes on a graduate CV

Four core sections, plus an optional fifth that's particularly useful for graduates:

1. Name and contact details
2. Personal statement (3–4 lines)
3. Experience (paid and unpaid, treated equally)
4. Education
5. Interests and other experience (optional, see section 6)

No standalone "skills" section. No "references available on request."

One useful addition if it applies to you: a brief right-to-work indicator like "US Citizen" or "EU National." It can head off awkwardness if your name or background isn't common in the country you're applying to.

3. The personal statement

Three or four lines at the top of your CV. The first thing a recruiter reads, and most graduate ones are awful.

Bad:

A hardworking, motivated, and passionate recent graduate with strong communication skills and a keen eye for detail. Looking for a challenging role where I can grow and develop.

Strip the adjectives and there's nothing underneath. Every other graduate has written the same paragraph.

Good:

Economics graduate (First, University of Bristol) with internship experience at a Series B fintech and a dissertation on consumer credit pricing. Looking for an analyst role at a data-led financial services firm.

Three things in three or four lines: who you are, what you've done that's relevant, and what you're looking for. If you're applying for a specific named role, lead with the job title. It signals you've read the spec.

4. Writing experience bullets (and what to do without numbers)

This is where most graduate CVs collapse. Bullets describe activities, not outcomes:

Worked on social media for the society. Helped organise the summer ball.

Neither tells a recruiter anything they can use.

The default formula: a strong verb, what you did, the quantified outcome.

Bad:

Helped organise the summer ball as part of the events committee.

Good:

Organised university summer ball for 600 attendees, generating $8K profit reinvested into society events.

When you don't have numbers. This is the bit graduate writers most need. You will often genuinely not have numbers. You weren't running a P&L, you were a course rep. When numbers don't exist, fall back to one of these:

• Scope. Coordinated weekly meetings across six course reps and three faculty members.
• Frequency. Ran twice-weekly tutoring sessions for first-years throughout final year.
• Complexity. Resolved customer complaints during peak service in a 200-cover restaurant.
• Ownership. Sole organiser of society's annual conference: speakers, venue, ticketing, budget.
• Recognition. Selected by tutor as course rep for second year running.

Each answers the recruiter's underlying question (was this real, was it sustained, was it yours?) without inventing a number.

Apply the same lens to everything: coursework projects, hackathons, internships, side projects, the bar job. The bar job is real work. Train it through the rubric (scope, ownership, recognition) and it earns its place.

5. Education

For graduates, education is often your largest section. Make it pull weight.

Format: University Name, Degree Title (Class), Graduation year. Include the year for any recent Master's too. The visible date explains the gap between undergrad and your first role.

Then where useful:

• Dissertation: one bullet. Project, method, finding. "Pricing dynamics in UK consumer credit markets, using regression analysis on 2018–2023 lender data; awarded First."
• Relevant modules: only if they relate to the role. Three or four max, named not described.
• Grade: include if it's a First or 2:1 (or international equivalent). 2:2 is a judgement call. Below that, lean toward leaving it off.

A-levels (or equivalent): school, subjects, grades. Dates optional. GCSEs: drop them once you have A-levels, unless a specific grade is genuinely relevant. No primary school. No "school prefect" line.

6. Interests and other experience

The optional fifth section, and where graduates can genuinely differentiate themselves, if they've done something differentiating.

The bar. This section earns its place when you've done something that shows sustained commitment, leadership, real achievement, or genuine breadth of experience. It doesn't earn its place when it's a list of hobbies.

Format. One short context line, then one to three tight bullets, Impact-First where possible.

Bad:

Interests: travelling, reading, music, sports.

Good:

Captain, university 2nd XI hockey team. Coordinated weekly training and BUCS league fixtures across 18-strong squad.

Grade 8 piano (Distinction, 2021). Performed at school leaving recital.

Solo travelled six countries in Southeast Asia (3 months, 2023) on a self-funded budget; conversational Thai picked up.

The test: would removing this section weaken your CV? If yes, keep it. If you can't tell, cut it.

7. Make it legible

Bad:

Led the Stage 3 group lab in CHEM3210, presenting findings at the departmental symposium and contributing to the PI's research output.

The recruiter has no idea what any of that means.

Good:

Led a four-person final-year chemistry research project, presenting findings at the department's annual research showcase; cited in supervisor's published paper.

Same achievement, made legible. Spell out acronyms the first time you use them, and add brief context to course names, society names, and employers that aren't self-explanatory.

8. Tailoring and things to leave off

Tailoring. Don't write a fresh CV per application. Keep one master, then make 15-minute role-specific edits before each application.

9. Don't lie

Rounding is fine and expected. Inventing a placement, claiming a grade you didn't get, or saying you led something you were a member of is not.

Sell yourself. Don't mis-sell.