New Graduate CV Example (No Experience? Start Here)

No work history? That is normal, and it is not a dealbreaker. A new graduate CV wins by showing potential through proof — projects, internships, coursework, and results — instead of years on the job. Here is a full example and how to build yours.

New graduate CV example

Sam Carter Computer Science Graduate · Manchester, UK sam.carter@email.com · +44 7700 900123 · github.com/samcarter

Professional summary

Recent Computer Science graduate (First Class) with hands-on experience from a summer internship and three full-stack projects. Built and shipped a study-group app used by 400+ students. Eager to start as a junior developer on a collaborative team.

Education

B.Sc. Computer Science, First Class — University of Manchester (2022–2026)

• Relevant coursework: Algorithms, Databases, Web Development, Software Engineering.
• Final project: a recommendation engine scoring 89% in evaluation.

Projects

StudyBuddy (personal project)

• Built a React + Node.js app that matches students into study groups; 400+ sign-ups in the first term.
• Designed the database schema and deployed on a free cloud tier with zero downtime.

Open-source contribution — TaskFlow

• Fixed 6 issues and added a dark-mode feature merged into the main branch.

Experience

Software Engineering Intern — Brightside Tech (Summer 2025)

• Built internal dashboards in React used daily by the support team.
• Wrote unit tests that raised module coverage from 50% to 78%.

Skills

JavaScript, React, Node.js, Python, SQL, Git, problem-solving, teamwork.

Why this CV works without much experience

Education and projects lead, not work history

When you are early-career, the reader expects this order. Your degree result, relevant coursework, and real projects carry the weight. A shipped project beats a long skills list.

Projects are written like jobs — with results

"Built a study-group app used by 400+ students" proves you can take an idea to a working product. That is exactly what a junior hiring manager wants to see.

It targets one clear role

A focused summary ("junior developer") beats a vague "looking for opportunities." Recruiters hire for a specific seat.

Tips for your first CV

• No internship? Use course projects, a capstone, volunteering, or a society role you led — anything with a result.
• Keep it to one page. You do not need two yet.
• List skills you can actually demonstrate — you may be asked in the interview.
• Add links to GitHub, a portfolio, or LinkedIn so they can see your work.

For the fundamentals, read how to write a CV and avoid the common mistakes.