Even if you don’t have any formal work experience or qualifications yet, don’t worry! Your CV just has to tell employers what you’re good at, what you’re interested in and what you’ve achieved in life so far.

You can often upload it when applying for a job online and they’re great to take to jobs fairs.

You should include:

• Full name and contact details, with address, phone number and email.
• Personal statement. This should be a short sentence or two, summing up who you are to the employer. It should briefly say what you can bring to a job, with your drive, experience and ambitions. If there’s a job you dream of – like owning your own business – it looks good to show you have a goal for the future. Use bright and positive language!
• Work Experience. This normally lists jobs you’ve had, with company names and dates, from newest to oldest. Even if you’ve never had a job, there are a number of things that count as work experience. Volunteering with a charity is a great way to boost your CV, as it shows you’ve done something proactive, out of choice. Charity fundraising also shows an ability to manage a project, handle money and deal with people. If you’ve done a short work-experience placement with a company, through school or college, be sure to include that.
• Skills. If you don’t have any job experience, you can still talk up your own great skills and strengths. These could include communication, problem solving and teamwork. Try to include an example of when you showed each one. If you’re a member of a sports team or club, this can show leadership, team building and determination. Enjoy baking? That demonstrates patience, concentration and even core maths skills. If you’re handy with how computers or cars work, it shows a technical mind that seeks to solve problems.
• Qualifications. Any qualifications you have will go here. If this section is a bit light, then you should also include any course you’re still completing, stating when you’re expected to finish. If you have them, include predicted grades. A description of coursework and preferred study techniques can further demonstrate your project and time management skills.
• Reference. Finish your CV with a reference an employer can contact about you. Include their job title, company, phone number and email address. Who can give a reference? Without a previous job, a tutor is ideal or, even better, someone from an organisation you volunteered at.

The CV shouldn’t be more than two pages long. For readability, avoid huge blocks of text. Recruitment experts recommend the Arial or Cambria fonts, to keep it professional. Avoid Word Art or wild colours! Run it through a spell checker on your computer, or get someone else to read it. You also don’t need to include a photograph or your date of birth.

Now that your very first CV is looking its best, you’re ready to start applying. Check out our wide range ofÌýApprenticeship vacanciesÌýwith top Welsh employers who are currently recruiting.Ìý

Mrs Winter took a tour of the accessible centre, spent time with both staff and learners, and heard first hand about the positive impact ¿Ú½»ÑÕÉä’s Traineeship programme is having on learners. The MP was told how ¿Ú½»ÑÕÉä offers all learners a pathway to employment or further study.

Beth Winter MP said: “It was lovely to spend some time in the brilliant new ¿Ú½»ÑÕÉä training centre in Aberdare today.

“It is vital that we have a variety of opportunities and skills pathways for young people in our communities and I came away feeling inspired by the passion of staff and the enthusiasm of learners.�

During the pandemic, ¿Ú½»ÑÕÉä made a significant investment in digital technology, to ensure learners received the very best specialised training to prepare for modern work. This investment is ongoing and can be seen in the new centre, where a large state of the art, interactive whiteboard – called a Prowise Touchscreen, takes centre stage. It enables digital collaboration between learners and staff, learning at home, in the classroom, or linking with other centres.

¿Ú½»ÑÕÉä is no stranger to Aberdare, having been previously located in Victoria Square. The new Canon Street centre offers a bigger space for learners, in a more prominent location. The centre also boasts an outdoor space for learning and teaching, with plans for a kitchen garden in the pipeline. It has the capacity for up to 100 learners.

Regional Manager Hollie Keepings said:Ìý“The centre has a great location in the town’s main street, but it’s what goes on inside that really counts.

“We aim to provide bespoke support to each individual learner whilst they embark on their learning journey with us, coupled with outstanding wellbeing support – which is core to everything we do.”

¿Ú½»ÑÕÉä Managing Director Richard Spear added:Ìý“We were delighted to welcome Beth Winter MP to our Aberdare centre today, to meet our dedicated team and our fantastic learners.

“Beth shares our passion for ensuring everyone in the community has the opportunity to fulfil their potential and we look forward to working with her to improve the economy and skills levels of the Cynon Valley.�

¿Ú½»ÑÕÉä Training has seven centres across South Wales, including Cardiff, Caerphilly, Barry and Bridgend. The newest one in Aberdare offers support and training opportunities to 16-18 year olds looking to join the world of work. Learners can complete a Traineeship in Hairdressing, Childcare, Business Services and more at the specialist site. They are also given advice and guidance on writing CVs, interview techniques and other tips to land their dream job.

Keep it up to date

Firstly, make sure all the information on your CV is up to date. Regardless of whether you’re looking for a job or not, it’s good practice to add to your CV every time something significant occurs in your career.

Tailor your application

Tailoring your application is vital; an employer or recruiter should read your CV and immediately see key skills relevant to the job they are recruiting for. For example, if you’re applying for a retail position, and you’ve got experience in both care and retail, make sure that your retail experience is more prominent on your CV so it stands out. Also, really think about if each job/experience detailed on your CV is relevant – your first Saturday job might not be anymore.

Read through the job description and highlight the essential qualities/requirements of the role, then read your CV; how many of these keywords and skills can you see in your CV?

Personal Profile

Directly underneath your name and contact details (email, phone number, location, LinkedIn profile link), it’s a good idea to write a personal profile to tell the employer who you are, what you’re looking for, and your top skills in a couple of sentences. This summarising statement is a great way to grab the employer or recruiter’s attention and outline what you’re all about before they read on. Don’t forget to tailor this to each application and include keywords mentioned in the job description!

Example: Currently working in a management role in the Hospitality industry, I am looking for a new challenge to put my strong organisational and people skills into practice and further my professional development.

Focus on achievements

This is your opportunity to sell yourself as an individual and show off your successes. Rather than listing your duties, focus on your achievements, turning passive sentences into active ones.

Example: Change ‘a promotion was rewarded to me after a year of service’ to ‘I was awarded a promotion after a year of service.’

Give specific examples to back up your claims too, using figures where possible. Active, achievement-focussed language and statistics highlight the impact you had in your previous roles.

Example: Change ‘I was responsible for selling stock to businesses’ to ‘I consistently hit my sales targets, increasing sales by 30% over six months.’

Keep it short and to the point

The general rule is to limit your CV to two pages maximum. Of course, if you’re just starting out, you may only fill one page comprehensively, and that’s okay. Or, if you have a lot of high-level experience, you may need more than the two page limit.

Make it easy for your potential employer to read by using bullet points throughout and keep sentences short.

Check your spelling

This tip is arguably the most important: ensure everything on your CV is spelt correctly. Employers who have large numbers of applications will see any spelling and grammar mistakes as a way of differentiating between candidates, therefore it is imperative your CV is error-free. Use spelling and grammar checkers and ask someone else to proof-read it for you.

Make it look good

Your CV should be easy to read, so choose a clear font such as Arial or Times New Roman and ensure you leave sufficient white space around each section. Use headers to section your CV so the reader can easily find your experience, education etc. Keep it simple with black text colour on white paper; you want your experience to make you stand out as a candidate, not your design (unless of course, you are going for a design role!).

Most people send their CV to employers or recruiters in a Microsoft Word document or PDF format, however PDF is recommended as different versions of Microsoft Word may affect the format.

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Now you’ve read our top tips and your CV is looking its best, you’re ready to start applying. Check out our wide range of Apprenticeship vacancies with top Welsh employers who are currently recruiting.Ìý

We’ve put together some top tips on how to use social networking to progress your career.

Stalk yourself and remain professional

It’s well known that employers look up potential employees on social media. In fact, research by YouGov found that . The top three reasons givenÌýwhich discourage employers from hiring a potential candidate, were offensive language, anti-social behaviour, and bad spelling/grammar.

Review all your social media profiles and check your privacy settings. Then do a quick internet search of your name, you might be surprised what pops up. Have you posted anything that you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see? Consider deleting it or go to your privacy settings and make your profile as private as you can.

Imagine you’ve spent an evening writing a job application emphasising how passionate you about a job, only for your potential employer to discover your Twitter rant complaining about your current job. The key thing is to think before you post! This applies for all social media platforms but is especially important if you are using an account for professional purposes.

Professionalism on social media also applies to your photos too. Even if you’ve locked down your privacy, your profile photo will always be public so it’s important to ensure you would be happy for a future employer to see it.

Set up a LinkedIn account

LinkedIn is a social network all about expanding your professional and industry connections. You create your own CV-like profile to share with potential employers, peers and useful contacts. It’s a great platform for connecting with your past and present colleagues, searching for jobs, getting involved in industry conversations, and reaching out to those in your sector, whether that be for sales leads or career advice.

Once you’ve created your profile, start conversations by joining relevant industry groups and engaging with posts from companies and peers.

As well as connecting with those you already know, you can also utilise LinkedIn to network with other people who do your dream job or work in the industry you want to get into. Invite these people to connect with you and message them with any questions you may have: how did they get your dream job? What kind of skills do you need to do their job? What’s your top tip for someone aspiring to do their job? Most people will be flattered and happy to help. You never know, you might get an opportunity from reaching out in this way.

Watch this space for our guide to setting up your LinkedIn profile.

Don’t just accept anyone into your network

Although it’s a good idea to reach out and connect with people you don’t know in your industry, be careful about who you are linked with on social media.

Just as it’s important to think before you post, accepting someone into your network on any social media platform, is an endorsement of that individual. Think about who you want to be associated with online just as you would offline in the real world.

Follow and engage with others

Follow organisations, key professionals and publications relevant to your chosen industry on social media platforms. You can easily do this on Twitter and LinkedIn in particular. They will share interesting and relevant news, initiatives and opportunities so you can keep up to date with what’s going on in your field.

Following prospective employers too is a great way of getting to know about job opportunities and vacancies, as well as keeping up to date with the latest company news – this will be particularly valuable if you are invited for an interview.

Don’t be afraid to engage and ask questions either. Reaching out to say ‘I’m really interested in working for you. Do you have any current opportunities?’ could end up landing you your next job.

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Looking to progress or kick-start your career and gain a nationally recognised qualification? An Apprenticeship could be for you! From Accounting to Care, find out more about the routes we offer here.

Key information

The purpose of your CV is to summarise yourself to a potential employer, therefore there is certain key information that you need to include. You also want to aim for a structure similar to the following example:

1. Name, address and contact details
2. Personal Profile
3. Education
4. Work Experience/Skills and Hobbies
5. References

As this is your first CV, you should aim to fill one side of A4 comprehensively, but no more than two pages.

Personal Profile

A personal profile is the place to tell the employer who you are and what you’re looking for in no more than four lines.

Clearly and simply state your current situation and what type of work you are seeking. Have you just left school? Are you looking for part-time work? What sector are you applying for? If you can, also include the main reason why you think you’d be great at the job you want. If you’re looking for a retail job and you have strong people skills, say so.

Example: ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Currently working towards my GCSEs, I am seeking a post-exam apprenticeship inÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý retail where I can showcase my strong people skills and develop my customer serviceÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý skills.

Education

List your educational achievements, beginning with your most recent qualification. If you don’t have your results yet write down your predicted grade or that it is ‘pending’. As this is your first CV, this section comes before any work experience. Once you have a job or two under your belt, this section will move down further down the page.

Example: ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Whitchurch High School, Cardiff, September 2011 – June 2018
Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý 9 GCSEs including grades A-C in Maths, English, Science, Geography, IT

Work Experience/Skills and Hobbies – You have more experience than you think

This is the important, meaty section of the document and the place to talk about your paper round or those evenings you babysit for your neighbour.

Start by making a separate list of all your achievements: if you were your class representative or a member of the football team, write it all down. You may not realise that these are responsibilities that will showcase transferrable skills. Even if you haven’t had a job before, you most likely have more experience than you think. All those extracurricular activities, voluntary work or school work experience help you develop these transferable skills you can highlight in your CV. Skills such as time management, reliability, communication and people skills are all things employers are looking for in a candidate.

Look at the job description and tailor the information you provide. A CV is all about proof: you need to highlight instances when you demonstrated as many of the required qualities as possible in detail. Use your list of achievements to match your experiences and skills with the job requirements.

Avoid long paragraphs and use short sentences or bullet points to make your CV easy to digest and to highlight key information.

Example: ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý As captain of the school hockey team, I have experience of both leadership andÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìýteamwork. This position also demonstrates commitment in my dedication to the trainingÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìýand matches.

References

When you apply for a job, you will usually be required to supply two references before you can be employed by the company. Typically this will include your last employer, however if you are still at school or haven’t had a job, this can be your personal tutor, teacher or work experience supervisor. Importantly, remember to ask politely before you use someone as a reference.

Be aware that you do not have to put the names and contact details of your references on your CV. You can simply say ‘References available on request.’ This is particularly useful if you’re not sure yet who to put down as a reference as it gives you time to sort it out.

Check Your Spelling!

This last tip is arguably the most important: ensure everything on your first CV is spelt correctly. Employers who have large numbers of applications will see any spelling and grammar mistakes as a way of differentiating between candidates, therefore it is imperative your CV is error-free. Use spelling and grammar checkers or ask someone else to proof-read it for you.

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Now you’ve created your first CV, you’re ready to start applying. Check out our wide range of Apprenticeship vacancies with top Welsh employers who are currently recruiting. Ìý

Good luck!