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Writing a graduate CV is something you only have to do at one time in your life. Although you might apply for several vacancies before you get your first graduate job, after that you'll have direct career experience to include on your CV before you list your education.
In this guide we'll look at some graduate CV examples and best practices to help you structure your CV when you apply for your first job after university. This period can feel very daunting, but as a graduate you've given yourself the tools to compete for the best jobs on the market.
Depending on your chosen profession, the kind of graduate CV example provided below should give you a good basis to create your own graduate CV template, featuring your most valuable skills and expertise centre-stage.
As a new university leaver, you might not have direct work experience relevant to the role you are applying for. If this is the case, you need to be flexible with your graduate CV, focusing on the best-selling points you can offer.
That probably doesn't mean listing your student weekend job at the top of your CV. While it's useful to show that you have a work ethic, good time management and other professional soft skills, you can do this further down the page.
See our graduate CV template for a full breakdown of what to include on a graduate CV and how to structure one.
In general, it's good to structure your CV as follows:
Make sure you provide a professional-sounding email address. If you still only have a personal account with a childish-sounding nickname, create a more formal account - just remember to check the junk/spam folder for replies from recruiters, as brand new accounts often catch legitimate emails by mistake.
If you're applying for a graduate scheme, fast-track management scheme, or trainee position, it's useful to follow a specific graduate scheme CV example.
Graduate schemes recognise that succeeding at university, regardless of your subject area, takes initiative and commitment, a willingness to walk your own path, and the intellectual capacity to learn a subject in-depth at a relatively fast pace. But how can you best show your accomplishments and abilities?
The precise details to include when applying for a graduate scheme are similar to applying for any graduate role.
Be sure to prioritise any soft skills that make you a good fit for the scheme, such as examples of effective leadership, long-term ambition, or an ability to develop your skills and knowledge quickly.
No matter what sector you are applying to work in, it's a good idea to use the job spec to tailor your graduate CV. This not only helps make your CV more relevant to the role, it can also help you get past any Applicant Tracking Systems, or ATS.
ATS is the process by which applicants' CVs are automatically scanned for key words and phrases. It's a way for hiring managers to quickly shortlist the most relevant candidates - so make sure you include key phrases from the job advertisement in your CV to improve your chances.
If you've never had to do this before, don't panic. It's not about forcing awkward phrases into every line of your CV. Instead, go through the job description and highlight words and phrases you want to use.
Then, write your CV with those phrases in mind, but try to use them naturally, in context and with the correct tone, so they will be detected by the ATS but won't look wrong to a human interviewer.
Ultimately if you get past the ATS - if the recruiting company uses one - your CV will still land in front of a pair of human eyes, so don't sacrifice your standards for the sake of pleasing an algorithm.
So, what are our final few top tips for graduate CVs?
Last but not least, speak to a Michael Page recruitment consultant if you need any help. We work closely with candidates, including new university graduates, to help craft a CV that puts your best foot forwards, ready to take the first step along your graduate career path. If you’re looking for opportunities, submit your CV below:
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