By EdCaptain editorial desk · Published
“I can’t write a CV. I haven’t had a job.” A blank employment section can make a teenager overlook things they have actually done: completed a demanding project, helped organise an activity, learned a tool or kept a regular commitment.
A first CV does not need to imitate an adult’s career history. For ages 13–18, the useful task is to select truthful evidence for a particular opportunity and explain it clearly. Younger teens can make a practice version; sending it anywhere is a separate decision, subject to the opportunity’s requirements and local rules.
Start with the opportunity, not a decorative template
Read the actual instructions together. Is a CV requested, or is there an application form? What does the organisation need to know? Check the age requirements, supervision and suitability before preparing an application for a minor. A polished document cannot make an unsuitable opportunity appropriate.
Pick two or three qualities the instructions genuinely ask for, such as working with others, explaining information or following a process. UCAS recommends tailoring a CV to the role and backing up the claims it makes. Your teen is choosing relevant evidence, not trying to include every positive thing about themselves.
If the opportunity is still vague, the guide to a first career-information conversation can help your teen investigate the work before drafting an application.
Collect ordinary evidence before writing sentences
Use a scrap page or a private note. Ask your teen to remember three situations in which they did something useful, worked through a difficulty or learned to do something independently. Do not demand an award or an impressive title.
The government’s JobHelp advice for people without work experience recognises skills developed through hobbies, caring, volunteering and community activities. Paid employment is not the only place skills are used.
Try questions that recover details:
- “Which part did you do yourself?”
- “What did you have to learn or check?”
- “Who needed the result, and what happened next?”
- “What could you explain if someone asked about this?”
A teen who has fewer clubs, trips or formal opportunities can still describe real learning. Do not turn family finances or access to expensive activities into a test of merit. Caring responsibilities are optional to discuss; a young person does not owe an employer private information about a relative’s health.
Turn a label into a specific, honest statement
“Excellent communication skills” tells the reader little. A useful line says what the teen did and, where known, what that helped accomplish.
Hypothetical example: if a teen really helped with a school book swap, they might write, “Sorted donated books by age group and explained the exchange system to visitors.” That is clearer than inventing a title such as “community programme director.” The example belongs on their CV only if it accurately describes their own experience.
Help separate individual work from group results. “Created the illustrations for our group display” is different from claiming to have produced the whole display. Do not add percentages, money raised, attendance figures or praise unless the teen can verify them.
Keep the setting visible: school project, personal project, family responsibility or voluntary activity. Label a practice exercise as practice. Unpaid help should not be presented as a paid job, and familiarity with a tool should not become a qualification.
For an ongoing habit of noticing evidence, use our guide to building transferable skills. This CV is a selected snapshot, not the entire collection.
Build a short first version
One readable page is a useful starting point when there is little relevant experience, unless the instructions request something different. Do not shrink the type to squeeze in weak material. A possible order is:
- Contact: name and an appropriate, checked way to reply.
- Brief introduction: current student status, the opportunity sought and a relevant strength supported below.
- Education: accurate current study and completed qualifications, with dates where relevant.
- Relevant experience or projects: a few clear examples, including unpaid activity when useful.
- Additional skills or interests: only those that add relevant information.
Distinguish completed qualifications from those in progress. Use predicted grades only when appropriate, genuinely issued and clearly labelled. Do not guess future results or list a certificate the teen has not earned.
A skills statement can be modest and informative: “Used a spreadsheet to record plant growth for a school investigation.” It does not need to become “advanced data analyst.” If your teen cannot explain a phrase comfortably, simplify it.
Keep the parent’s role clear
Offer to be the question-asker or proofreader. You can help recall dates, notice an unclear sentence or ask whether a claim is accurate. The teen should choose the examples and approve every line.
For ages 13–15, a private practice draft and a short session collecting examples may be enough. For ages 16–18, encourage comparison with a real, appropriate opportunity and more independent drafting. These are options, not readiness deadlines.
Dictation, a keyboard, a screen reader or help organising notes can make writing accessible without supplying the achievements. A teacher or careers adviser may help your teen find suitable wording. If a digital writing tool is used, check its age and privacy rules, remove identifying details and reject anything it invents. Read the final text together rather than accepting polished output automatically.
Check privacy and accuracy before sharing
The National Careers Service’s CV guidance advises omitting age, date of birth, nationality and marital status. It also advises keeping referees’ contact details off the CV and obtaining agreement before using someone as a referee. This is UK guidance; check the genuine recipient’s requirements and handle any necessary eligibility information separately through its verified process.
For a minor, review the recipient and contact arrangements with an adult. Do not post a contact-filled CV publicly or include identity documents, a home timetable, private family details or unapproved links showing other children. Ask permission before sharing someone else’s work or personal information in a portfolio.
Use a simple layout, consistent headings and the file type requested. Open the final file on another device if possible: are the dates, bullets and contact details readable? Check spelling, dates and every claim, then save a dated private copy.
Before sending, ask your teen, “Could you talk about everything here honestly?” A short CV they understand is a stronger starting point than an impressive document they do not recognise.
