Graduate CV UK
Every graduate has the same problem: no experience. Here's how to write a CV that gets through ATS and makes a recruiter stop on page one — even with a blank work history.
200+
Average applicants per graduate role at large UK employer
6 seconds
Time a recruiter spends on first CV scan
75%
Applications rejected by ATS before human review
3×
More callbacks from tailored CVs vs generic CVs (Autoply internal data)
One page. No exceptions.
UK graduate CVs should be one page until you have 3+ years of relevant experience. Two pages signals poor editing. Recruiters will notice — and stop reading.
What to include in a UK graduate CV
Contact details
Required- ✓Professional email: firstname.lastname@gmail.com
- ✓LinkedIn URL (customise it: linkedin.com/in/yourname)
- ✓Location: City only (not full address)
- ✓GitHub if you're technical
✗ Avoid: Date of birth, photo, marital status, nationality (not required in the UK, can create bias)
Personal statement (3–4 lines)
Required- ✓Position you're targeting + degree/field
- ✓Your strongest relevant skill or achievement
- ✓What you want to contribute — not what you want to get
✗ Avoid: "Hard-working team player seeking an opportunity to..." — every graduate writes this
Education
Required- ✓Degree title, university, expected/achieved grade + year
- ✓Relevant modules (not all of them — pick 4–6 that match the role)
- ✓Dissertation title if relevant to the job
✗ Avoid: GCSEs — list them briefly unless A-levels are also weak. Don't list every subject.
Experience (work, internships, placements)
If relevant- ✓Even part-time/retail counts — frame it in terms of transferable skills
- ✓Format: Role, Company, Dates | bullet points with STAR structure
- ✓Quantify: "Served 80+ customers daily" beats "served customers"
✗ Avoid: Listing responsibilities. Everything should be an achievement or demonstration of skill.
Projects & university work
If relevant- ✓Final year project, dissertation, society initiatives, hackathons
- ✓Link to GitHub/portfolio if technical
- ✓"Independently built X using Y, achieving Z outcome"
✗ Avoid: Don't include group projects without specifying your individual contribution
Skills
Required- ✓Software: list specific tools (Python, Tableau, Salesforce) not vague claims
- ✓Languages: include proficiency level
- ✓Soft skills: only if evidenced elsewhere on the CV
✗ Avoid: Listing "Microsoft Office" unless Excel/VBA is specifically required
Extracurriculars & leadership
If relevant- ✓Societies you led or held committee roles in
- ✓Sports: captaincy, club treasurer
- ✓Volunteering: quantify the impact where possible
✗ Avoid: Listing memberships with no responsibilities. "Member of film society" adds nothing.
ATS optimisation for graduate CVs
75% of UK graduate applications are rejected by an Applicant Tracking System before a human sees them. These 5 fixes will get yours through.
Match job title keywords
If the job says "Business Analyst" and your CV says "Data Researcher" — ATS may reject it before a human sees it. Mirror the language.
Avoid tables and text boxes
ATS parsers often skip content inside tables. Use clean, single-column formatting for your main content.
Use standard section headings
"Work Experience" not "My Journey." ATS looks for recognised headings to categorise your content correctly.
Save as PDF (with text)
Save as PDF to preserve formatting. But make sure it's a text PDF (not a scan) — ATS can't read scanned images.
Don't stuff keywords unnaturally
Keyword match matters, but ATS and humans both notice when language is unnatural. Work keywords in naturally.
The "no experience" trick that actually works
Recruiters know you're a graduate. They're not expecting 5 years of work history. What they're hiring for is potential, aptitude, and attitude.
The trick: take every non-work experience you have and reframe it in professional language:
- • Society treasurer → "Managed £12,000 annual budget, delivered 14 events with 94% member satisfaction"
- • Dissertation → "Independent research project: collected 240 data points, built regression model, presented findings to 3-panel committee"
- • Part-time retail → "Processed 80+ daily transactions, trained 3 new staff, maintained 4.8/5 customer rating"
Let AI score and fix your graduate CV
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