No Work Experience? Here’s What to Put on Your CV

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One of the hardest parts of looking for your first job is being told you need experience when you have never had the opportunity to gain it.

You may open a vacancy and see "1 to 2 years' experience required" and immediately feel like there is nothing you can put on your CV. If you have recently finished matric, completed a qualification, left university or college, or are simply trying to enter the workplace for the first time, this can be frustrating.

But having no formal work experience does not mean you have an empty CV.

Your CV can show an employer what you have learnt, what you can do, what you have been involved in and what kind of employee you could become. The key is knowing how to present the experience you already have.

Start with what you do have

Your first CV does not need to look like the CV of someone who has been working for ten years.

Instead of trying to make your CV appear more experienced than it is, focus on the things that demonstrate your ability and potential.

This could include:

• Your matric results and subjects.
• College, university or TVET qualifications.
• Learnerships and internships.
• Volunteer work.
• Part-time or casual work.
• School, college or university projects.
• Freelance work.
• Community involvement.
• Leadership roles.
• Technical or personal projects.
• Relevant short courses and certifications.
• Skills you have developed outside formal employment.

These experiences may not all be called "employment", but they can still demonstrate skills that employers value.

1. Put your education in a strong position

When you do not have a long employment history, your education becomes more important.

Clearly list your highest qualification and any other education that is relevant to the position.

For example:

• Diploma in Information Technology, Tshwane University of Technology, 2025
• National Certificate: Marketing, relevant TVET College, 2024
• National Senior Certificate, 2023

You can also include relevant subjects, coursework, academic achievements or practical training if they strengthen your application.

If you are applying for an entry-level accounting position, for example, subjects or coursework involving accounting, finance or bookkeeping may be worth highlighting.

2. Do not underestimate matric

For young South Africans applying for their first job, matric is still an important part of the CV.

Include your school, the year you completed matric and relevant subjects or achievements.

If a vacancy specifically asks for certain subjects, make sure those subjects are easy to find on your CV.

For example, if a position requires Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy, English or another specific subject, clearly indicate what you completed.

You do not need to include every detail about your school career. Focus on information that is relevant to the opportunity.

3. Include projects you have completed

Projects can be extremely useful when you have little or no formal employment history.

A project gives you an opportunity to demonstrate that you have actually used your skills rather than simply listing them.

For example, an aspiring software developer could include:

• A website they designed and built.
• A mobile application they developed.
• A database project completed during their studies.
• A coding project published on GitHub.

Someone interested in marketing could include a social media campaign they created for a student organisation, community project or small business.

An aspiring administrator could describe a project where they organised information, managed records or coordinated an event.

Explain what you did, which tools or skills you used and what the outcome was.

4. Add internships and learnerships

Internships, learnerships and workplace-based training are valuable experience and should not be hidden at the bottom of your CV.

Even if you were not employed permanently, you were still gaining practical knowledge and exposure to a working environment.

Include:

• The programme or position.
• The organisation.
• The dates.
• The main responsibilities.
• Skills or systems you learnt.

Be specific about what you actually did. "Completed a learnership" is less useful than explaining the practical work, training and responsibilities involved.

5. Volunteer work counts

Volunteering can demonstrate valuable workplace skills, particularly when you are starting your career.

If you helped at a community organisation, school, church, charity, sports club or local initiative, think about what you actually did.

You may have:

• Helped organise events.
• Managed registrations.
• Worked with members of the public.
• Handled basic administration.
• Managed social media.
• Collected or recorded information.
• Helped coordinate activities.
• Assisted with fundraising.

These activities can demonstrate communication, organisation, teamwork, responsibility and problem-solving.

6. Include part-time, casual and informal work

Not every job comes with a formal employment contract or a large corporate office.

If you have earned money through part-time work, casual work, tutoring, selling products, doing freelance work or helping with a family business, you can include relevant experience on your CV.

For example, if you helped run a small family business, you may have dealt with customers, handled cash, managed stock, posted products on social media or kept basic records.

Do not exaggerate your role. Simply describe what you actually did and the skills you developed.

7. Create a skills section that actually says something

A skills section is useful, but avoid filling it with vague words such as "hardworking", "punctual", "honest" and "team player".

These qualities are fine, but almost every applicant can claim them.

Instead, include specific skills that relate to the position.

For example:

• Microsoft Word and Excel
• Google Workspace
• Data capturing
• Customer service
• Social media management
• Basic bookkeeping
• Canva
• HTML and CSS
• Python
• Database management

Only list skills that you genuinely have. You should be comfortable explaining or demonstrating any skill that appears on your CV.

8. Show where you used your skills

One of the best ways to make a skills section more convincing is to connect your skills to actual experience.

For example, instead of simply writing:

Microsoft Excel

You could explain:

Used Microsoft Excel to organise project information, create basic spreadsheets and track expenses during a college project.

This gives the employer evidence of how you have used the skill.

9. Include short courses and certifications

If you have completed relevant online courses, short courses or certifications, consider adding them to your CV.

This can be particularly useful if you are trying to enter an industry where practical knowledge is important.

Examples could include:

• Microsoft Office training.
• Google career certificates.
• CompTIA certifications.
• Digital marketing courses.
• First aid training.
• Health and safety training.
• Basic bookkeeping courses.
• Programming or technical courses.

Prioritise courses that are relevant to the job you want. You do not need to list every short online course you have ever started.

10. Include leadership and responsibility

You may have developed leadership skills without ever having the job title "Team Leader" or "Manager".

Think about situations where people relied on you to take responsibility.

This could include being a class representative, sports captain, student leader, society committee member, residence representative or volunteer coordinator.

Explain what you were responsible for rather than simply listing the title.

For example:

Student Representative: Coordinated communication between students and lecturers, collected feedback and helped organise class activities.

That tells an employer much more than simply saying "Student Representative".

11. Write a useful personal profile

Your personal profile sits near the top of your CV and is one of the first sections an employer may read.

When you have no experience, do not use the space to apologise for being inexperienced.

Instead, explain your background, the type of opportunity you are looking for and the relevant skills or knowledge you can bring.

For example:

Recent National Senior Certificate graduate with strong communication, computer and customer service skills. Interested in building a career in administration and eager to gain practical workplace experience. Comfortable working with Microsoft Office and working with people in busy environments.

This is more useful than simply saying that you are "a hard-working young person looking for any opportunity".

12. Do not lie about experience

When you are struggling to get your first opportunity, it can be tempting to make your CV sound more impressive by adding experience you do not have.

Do not do this.

Employers may ask detailed questions about your previous experience during an interview. Qualifications, employment history and professional registrations may also be checked.

If you have never worked in a particular environment, say what you have actually done and focus on your potential to learn.

There is nothing wrong with being a first-time job seeker. Your CV should present your current experience honestly rather than pretending you are further along in your career than you are.

13. Do not fill your CV with unnecessary information

Having no work experience does not mean you need to make your CV longer by adding irrelevant information.

A CV filled with hobbies, school history from primary school, unrelated certificates and long personal descriptions can make the important information harder to find.

Keep asking yourself one question: Does this help show why I could be suitable for this job?

If the answer is no, consider leaving it out.

14. Keep your CV simple and professional

You do not need an expensive template or complicated design to create a good CV.

Use clear headings, readable fonts, consistent spacing and a logical order.

A simple structure could look like this:

• Full name and contact details.
• Personal profile.
• Key skills.
• Education and qualifications.
• Projects, volunteering or practical experience.
• Internships or learnerships.
• Certifications and short courses.
• References, if required.

You can adjust the order depending on your situation and the job you are applying for.

What about references?

If an employer asks for references, make sure the people you provide are able to speak honestly about your character, skills or experience.

If you have never had a formal job, a lecturer, teacher, internship supervisor, volunteer coordinator or another appropriate professional contact may be able to provide a reference, depending on the employer's requirements.

Always ask someone for permission before listing them as a reference and confirm that their contact details are correct.

What if the job asks for experience you do not have?

This is common when looking for your first job.

If a vacancy asks for experience that you do not have, read the rest of the requirements carefully. You may still meet many of the other criteria.

For example, a vacancy might ask for one year's experience with Microsoft Office, but you may have used Word and Excel extensively during your studies, internship or volunteer work.

That does not mean you should falsely claim one year of employment experience. Instead, highlight the practical experience you genuinely have and explain how it relates to the position.

Some employers also use experience requirements as a guide rather than an absolute barrier. If you meet most of the requirements and can demonstrate relevant skills, an application may still be worth making.

Do not forget the rest of your application

Your CV is only one part of a job application.

If the employer asks for a cover letter, Z83 form, certified documents, portfolio, academic record or other supporting documents, make sure you provide them exactly as requested.

For South African government vacancies and some other formal applications, the application instructions can be particularly important. Missing a required document or failing to follow the stated submission process can affect your application.

Always check the vacancy carefully before pressing "Apply".

A first CV is supposed to be different

Your first CV will not look like the CV you have after five or ten years of working. That is completely normal.

At the beginning of your career, employers are often looking for evidence that you are capable, reliable, willing to learn and able to contribute. Your education, projects, volunteering, practical training, skills and other experiences can help demonstrate those qualities.

As you gain experience, your CV will change. You will gradually replace school projects with professional achievements, add new responsibilities and build a clearer picture of your career.

Before sending your first CV

Use this quick checklist before applying:

• Are your name, phone number and email address correct?
• Does your personal profile explain what you are looking for?
• Have you clearly listed your matric or highest qualification?
• Have you included relevant projects, volunteering or practical experience?
• Have you listed skills that are relevant to the vacancy?
• Have you included relevant learnerships, internships or short courses?
• Have you removed information that does not help your application?
• Have you checked your spelling and grammar?
• Have you followed the employer's application instructions?
• Have you included every document the employer requested?

Your lack of experience is not your whole story

Getting your first job can be one of the most difficult stages of your career because you are trying to prove yourself before you have had many opportunities to do so.

But your CV does not have to pretend that you already have years of experience. It needs to show what you have done, what you have learnt and what you are capable of doing next.

Whether you are a matriculant, graduate, TVET student, young person looking for your first opportunity or someone changing careers, focus on the experience you genuinely have. Present it clearly, connect it to the job and keep building from there.

Your first opportunity may not be your dream job. It can, however, be the experience that gives you the skills, confidence and track record to take the next step.

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