How to write a CV with no work experience

Keep it to one page

• Your name, mobile number and email at the top.
• One line saying what you are looking for, e.g. "Student looking for weekend part-time work in F&B or retail".
• Then education, activities, skills and availability. That is enough.
• Leave out your NRIC number, photo, age and marital status. Employers do not need them to decide on an interview.

What to write instead of work history

• School or course, with the year you finish or finished.
• CCAs, clubs and sports: say what you did. "Treasurer, Photography Club: tracked the club budget" beats "Member".
• Volunteering, community events, helping in a family business, tuition you gave, event help at school: all of it counts.
• Anything you have done repeatedly and reliably shows the thing employers care about most.

Skills worth listing

• Languages you speak and write, e.g. English and Mandarin.
• Handling cash or a payment terminal, if you have.
• Microsoft Excel, Canva, social media, typing speed: whatever you can actually use.
• Certificates such as a food hygiene course or first aid, if you have them.

Say when you can work

For shift and part-time jobs this is often the deciding line: "Available weekends and school holidays", or "Available weekday mornings, can start immediately".

Example lines

• "Helped run the school’s open house: welcomed visitors and answered questions for 200+ families."
• "Volunteer, community food drive: packed and delivered food packs every month for a year."
• "Gave weekly maths tuition to two Primary 5 students for six months."