How to Write Your First CV as a Beginner (2025 Guide): What to Add, Remove & What Really Matters

Creating your first CV can feel overwhelming. You open a blank document, stare at the cursor, and wonder where you’re supposed to begin. You think about the jobs you want to apply for, the experience you don’t have yet, and the pressure to make everything look “professional enough.”

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
Most beginners struggle with CV writing not because they lack the skills, but because no one sits down to explain what actually matters and what employers really look for.

The good news?

Your first CV doesn’t need to be complicated.
It doesn’t need 20 job experiences or impossible achievements.
It only needs to show clarity, potential, and proof of your ability to learn and add value.

This guide breaks everything down in a simple, fully detailed way so anyone, whether you’re a student, fresh graduate, or career switcher, can create a CV that is clean, professional, and interview-ready.

By the end of this article, you’ll be able to write a CV you’re confident to submit anywhere.

Why Your First CV Matters More Than You Think

Many beginners believe employers don’t take them seriously because they lack experience.
That’s not true.

Recruiters expect beginners to have little formal experience.
What they want to see is evidence of readiness, not a long job history.

Your CV is your first impression. It tells the hiring manager:
• Who you are
• What you can do
• What you’ve tried
• How you think
• And why you are worth giving a chance

Your CV doesn’t need to be perfect ,it needs to be clear, relevant, and intentional.

How to Structure Your CV (Beginner-Friendly Layout)

A beginner CV still needs structure, but it should be simple and clean. Below is the recommended order:

1. Header / Contact Information
2. Professional Summary / Career Objective
3. Skills Section
4. Projects (VERY important for beginners)
5. Education
6. Certifications & Courses
7. Volunteer / Internships / Extracurriculars
8. Optional Sections (Languages, Tools, Interests)

Let’s break each one down in detail.

1 Contact Information (Keep It Clean & Professional)
This section should be at the very top of the document.

What to include:
• Full name
• Phone number
• Professional email
• Location (City, Country)
• Links (LinkedIn, portfolio, GitHub, Behance, blog, etc.)

Example Format:

Ada Smith
Junior Data Analyst
Lagos, Nigeria | +234 800 000 0000 | ada.smith@email.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adasmith | GitHub: github.com/ada-smith

Avoid:
• Nickname emails
• Full home address
• Too many links
• Multicolored fonts

2 . Professional Summary / Career Objective

This is a short 2–3 sentence introduction about you.
Think of it as your “elevator pitch.”

If you’re a complete beginner, use a Career Objective:

Focus on:
• What you’re learning
• What role you want
• How you intend to add value

Example:

“Aspiring digital marketer currently building skills in content strategy, analytics, and campaign execution. Passionate about helping brands grow online. Seeking an entry-level marketing role to apply hands-on experience from personal and volunteer projects.”

If you have some experience, use a Professional Summary:

Focus on:
• Your strengths
• A key achievement
• Your career direction

Example:
“Junior front-end developer skilled in React and JavaScript, with 3 completed web projects. Strong focus on responsive design and user experience. Seeking a role where I can contribute to building clean, functional interfaces.”

3. Skills Section (One of the Most Important Parts)

Your skills determine whether you match the job requirements.

Divide into two clear categories:

Technical Skills:

Examples: Python, SQL, Canva, React, Excel, Data Visualization, Figma

Core Skills (Transferable):
Examples: Problem-solving, communication, teamwork, analytical thinking

Why this matters:

Recruiters skim your CV in 6–10 seconds.
A powerful skills section helps them understand your relevance immediately.

4.Projects : The Section That Can Replace Experience
This is where beginners shine.
If you have no job experience, projects ARE your experience.

What counts as a project?

• A design you created
• A website you built
• A marketing campaign you planned
• A data dashboard you analyzed
• A case study you wrote
• A school assignment you turned into something real
• A volunteer task (e.g., managing someone’s social media)

How to write your project description:

Each project must show:
• What you built
• The tools you used
• The result or impact

Use this formula:
Action + Method + Result

Example (Tech):
“Built a sales dashboard using Python and Tableau, cleaning 120k rows of data and reducing reporting time by 70%.”

Example (Marketing):
“Created a 4-post Instagram campaign for a local café, increasing foot traffic by 10% in 2 weeks.”

Example (Design):
“Designed a 3-screen mobile UI prototype for a fintech app using Figma, based on user research and competitor analysis.”

Add proof:

• GitHub link
• Behance link
• Portfolio link
• Google Drive folder
• Website demo

Recruiters LOVE proof.

5. Education Section
This is straightforward but important for beginners.

Include:

• Degree or ongoing program
• School
• Year of graduation
• Relevant courses (optional)
• Thesis or final year project (if relevant)

Example:

B.Sc. Computer Science , University of Lagos (2024)
Relevant modules: Data Structures, Data Analysis, Web Development

6. Certifications and Courses

This section shows employers you’re upgrading your skills.

Include:
• Google certificates
• HubSpot courses
• Udemy/ Coursera courses
• Tech bootcamps

Make sure they’re relevant.

1 Volunteer Work, Internships, Extracurriculars

Even as a beginner, you may have done something valuable.

Examples of what counts:
• Social media volunteer
• Community manager
• Class representative
• Personal assistant
• Freelance gigs
• Bootcamp tasks

Write them like real experience:

“Organized weekly events for 50+ students, improving community participation by 40%.”

8. Additional Sections (Optional but Helpful)

• Languages: English (Fluent), French (Basic)
• Tools: Slack, Notion, Trello
• Interests: Only if relevant (e.g., blogging, coding, research)

What to REMOVE From a Beginner’s CV

These mistakes can hurt your application:

❌ Long bios
❌ Irrelevant job history
❌ Fancy fonts & graphics (ATS won’t read them)
❌ Photos (unless required)
❌ Personal details: religion, tribe, marital status
❌ “References available on request”
❌ Unrelated hobbies

How to Write Strong Bullet Points (Beginner Formula)

Use this structure:

Action Verb + Task + Result

Examples:

❌ Weak: “Helped with social media.”
✔ Strong: “Created weekly content calendars and increased engagement by 25%.”

❌ Weak: “Worked on design project.”
✔ Strong: “Designed a responsive 3-page website using Figma and HTML.”

3 Full CV Examples (Beginner-Friendly)

Below are detailed examples (you can adjust them to your level, field, or style).

Example 1: Fresh Graduate ( Data Analyst) CV

ADA SMITH
Junior Data Analyst
Lagos, Nigeria | +234 800 000 0000 | ada.smith@email.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adasmith | GitHub: github.com/ada-smith

Career Objective
Aspiring data analyst with hands-on experience in Python, Excel, and Tableau. Skilled in cleaning and visualizing datasets. Seeking an entry-level analyst role to turn raw data into meaningful insights.

Skills
Technical: Python, Pandas, Excel, SQL, Tableau
Core: Analytical thinking, problem-solving, communication

Projects
1. Sales Dashboard _ Python, Pandas, Tableau (2025)
• Cleaned 120,000+ rows of sales data.

• Designed an interactive Tableau dashboard used to identify top-selling products.
• Reduced manual reporting time by 70%.

2. Customer Churn Prediction — Python, Scikit-Learn (2025)
• Built a model to predict customer churn with 82% accuracy.
• Used for understanding retention strategies.

3. Education
B.Sc. Computer Science — University of Lagos (2024)

4. Certifications
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate (2024)

**5. **Volunteer
Data Assistant — NGO (2024)
• Standardized donation records and created monthly reports.

Example 2: Beginner Digital Marketer CV

JAMES OKAFOR
Entry-Level Digital Marketer
Abuja, Nigeria | +234 900 000 000 | james.okafor@email.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jamesok | Portfolio: jamesportfolio.com

Professional Summary
Entry-level digital marketer with hands-on experience creating social media campaigns and analyzing content performance. Skilled in Canva, content strategy, and basic paid ads.

Skills
Technical: Canva, Google Analytics, Meta Ads, Content Writing
Core: Creativity, time management, communication

Projects
Instagram Campaign for Local Café — Freelance (2025)
• Created 4-post campaign and tracked analytics.
• Increased store foot traffic by 10% in two weeks.

Education
HND Business Administration (2018)

Certifications
HubSpot Content Marketing (2025)

Example 3: Beginner Front-End Developer CV

NGOZI EZE
Front-End Developer (Junior)
Lagos, Nigeria | +234 000 000 000 | ngozi.eze@email.com
GitHub: github.com/ngozi-dev | Portfolio: ngozi.dev

Professional Summary
Front-end developer with strong experience in React and JavaScript. Built 6 functional web apps including task managers, landing pages, and authentication flows.

Skills
Technical: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Git
Core: Problem solving, debugging, teamwork

Projects
TaskManager App — React, Node.js (2025)
• Built a responsive web app with user login, CRUD tasks, and dashboard view.
• Deployed using Netlify and GitHub.

Education
Full-Stack Web Development Bootcamp (2025)

How to Make Your CV Actually Get Interviews (Final Tips)

1. Tailor it to each job
   Use the company’s keywords and highlight relevant skills.

2. Add links
   Recruiters want to SEE your work.

3. Keep it to 1 page
   Clarity beats length.

4. Use professional formatting
   Clean, simple, readable.

5. Update your LinkedIn
   Consistency matters.

Conclusion

Your first CV doesn’t need to be packed with experience. What it needs is structure, clarity, relevance, and proof that you can learn and deliver value.

With the right projects, skills, and formatting, even a beginner CV can stand out and open doors to opportunities.

visit @tenyne.com for more enquires