Graduate CV templates
Graduate CV templates for UK job applications
Ready to turn your degree into your first professional opportunity? Explore graduate CV templates designed for entry-level jobs, graduate schemes and early-career applications in the UK.
Choose a professional layout, add your degree, placements, projects and skills, then customise your CV online and download it as a PDF.
ATS-friendly
UK graduate format
Built for early careers
Free to start
Graduate CV template collection
Graduate CV templates, ready to customise
Start with a graduate CV template that gives your education, experience and skills the space they deserve. These layouts are suitable for graduate schemes, entry-level jobs and your first professional applications.
Choose a template below, then personalise the colours, sections and content online to match your background and the role you’re applying for.
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- Graduate
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Built for your next step
Why choose a graduate CV template?
Your first professional CV has a different job to do. It needs to show employers what you can offer before you have years of career experience to rely on.
Makes your degree relevant
Give useful space to your degree, dissertation, relevant modules and academic projects without making your CV read like a university transcript.
Works with limited experience
Placements, internships, part-time jobs and volunteering can all demonstrate professional skills when they are presented in the right way.
Ready for graduate recruitment
A clear structure helps employers quickly connect your education, skills and experience with the requirements of an entry-level role or graduate scheme.
Professional from day one
Move beyond the student-CV look with a polished layout that presents you as an early-career professional ready to enter the workplace.
Graduate CV examples
See graduate CV examples with real content
Graduate experience can look very different from one candidate to another. Explore three realistic examples to see how you can structure your CV around the experience you actually have.
Sophie Bennett
Business Management Graduate
Business Management graduate with a 2:1 degree and practical experience gained through university consulting projects, part-time work and volunteering. Strong analytical, communication and organisational skills, seeking an entry-level business role where I can contribute and continue developing professionally.
Work Experience
Student Business Consultant
University Consultancy Project
- Worked in a team of five to analyse the customer experience of a local SME.
- Reviewed survey and competitor data to identify opportunities for improvement.
- Presented practical recommendations to the business owner and university assessors.
Customer Service Assistant
Green & Co Retail
- Supported customers in a busy retail environment alongside full-time university studies.
- Handled payments, enquiries and stock tasks while maintaining high service standards.
Education
BSc (Hons) Business Management – 2:1
University of Sheffield
Key Skills
- Business Analysis
- Microsoft Excel
- Research
- Presentation Skills
- Teamwork
- Customer Service
- Organisation
Interests
- Running
- Travel
- Volunteering
- Business podcasts
Emily Johnson
Marketing Graduate
Marketing graduate with hands-on experience in digital campaigns, market research and content creation gained through a summer internship and university projects. Confident using analytics and social media tools, with a strong interest in building a career in digital marketing.
Work Experience
Marketing Intern
Bright Ideas Agency
- Supported social media content planning across LinkedIn, Instagram and other digital channels.
- Conducted competitor and audience research to support client campaign planning.
- Helped optimise email campaigns, contributing to improved click-through performance.
Social Media Coordinator
University Marketing Society
- Created and scheduled content promoting society events and guest speakers.
- Worked with the committee to increase student engagement across social channels.
Education
BA (Hons) Marketing – 2:1
University of Leeds
Key Skills
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media
- Google Analytics
- Market Research
- Content Creation
- Microsoft Excel
- Communication
Interests
- Photography
- Travel
- Running
- Digital trends
You don’t need years of professional experience to build a convincing graduate CV. Use the space you have to demonstrate evidence of skills, responsibility and potential through your degree, projects, placements, jobs and extracurricular activities.
From university to work
Your graduate CV should look professional, not academic
Your degree matters, but employers aren’t reading your CV as university assessors. They want to understand what you can contribute in a professional environment.
A strong graduate CV translates academic experience into evidence. A dissertation can demonstrate research and analysis. A group project can show teamwork and presentation skills. A part-time job can prove reliability, customer service and time management.
The layout should support that transition too: clear, confident and easy to scan, without looking like a university document or relying on unnecessary graphics.
- Professional presentation
- Skills-led content
- Clear career direction
- Evidence over clichés
Who it's for
Who should use a graduate CV template?
Graduate CV templates are intended for candidates moving from higher education into the early stages of their professional career.
Recent graduates
You’ve completed your degree and are applying for your first professional role, with education still forming an important part of your CV.
Final-year students
If graduation is approaching and you’re already applying for post-university jobs, your CV should start positioning you as a graduate candidate rather than simply a student.
Graduate scheme applicants
Structured graduate programmes often assess potential, transferable skills and evidence from education alongside professional experience.
Early-career applicants
A graduate CV also works when you have already gained an internship, placement or first junior role but your degree remains central to your profile.
Get the basics right
What makes a good graduate CV?
The strongest graduate CVs don’t try to hide limited experience. They organise the evidence you already have around what an employer needs to know.
A targeted personal profile
Open with a short profile covering your degree, relevant strengths and the type of opportunity you’re targeting. Avoid generic claims such as “hard-working graduate seeking a challenging position” unless you support them with something concrete.
Education with context
Your degree can still be one of your strongest selling points. Include your university, classification and dates, then add relevant modules, a dissertation or major projects only when they strengthen your application.
Experience beyond full-time jobs
Internships, placements, part-time jobs, volunteering and positions of responsibility all count. Focus on what you achieved, learned or contributed rather than simply naming the role.
Skills backed by evidence
Choose skills relevant to the vacancy and demonstrate them elsewhere in the CV. Excel becomes more convincing when you’ve used it to analyse data; teamwork means more when you’ve delivered a project with other people.
A clear one-page structure
For many recent graduates, one page is enough. Use clear headings, concise bullet points and sensible spacing. Two pages can be appropriate when you have substantial placements, projects or other genuinely relevant experience.
Graduate or student ?
Graduate CV vs student CV
The two CVs can contain similar experience, but they represent different stages. Once you’re approaching graduation and applying for professional roles, your CV should start presenting you as a graduate candidate.
| Graduate CV This page | Student CV | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Graduate jobs & schemes | Jobs while studying |
| Career stage | Final year / recently graduated | Currently studying |
| Main focus | Professional potential | Education & early experience |
| Education | Important, but selective | Often central |
| Experience | Internships, placements, jobs, projects | Part-time jobs, volunteering, societies |
| Profile | Career direction & value | Availability, strengths & goals |
| Typical applications | Graduate schemes, entry-level jobs | Part-time jobs, internships, placements |
Ready for recruitment
Build a graduate CV recruiters can scan quickly
Graduate recruitment can involve large numbers of applications, so clarity matters. Your CV needs to communicate your degree, relevant experience and strongest skills without making the recruiter search for them.
Our graduate templates use recognisable sections, readable typography and a clear content hierarchy. You can then tailor the wording to each vacancy and include relevant terminology from the job description where it genuinely matches your experience.
Recognisable headings
Standard sections such as Profile, Education, Work Experience and Skills make important information easy to locate.
Job-focused content
Tailor your profile, skills and experience to the requirements of each graduate vacancy rather than sending the same generic CV everywhere.
Readable PDF
Download a clean PDF that keeps your CV presentation consistent when you upload it to recruitment portals or send it to employers.
Easy to scan
Clear hierarchy and concise bullet points help recruiters identify your degree, experience and strongest evidence quickly.
How it works
Create your graduate CV in four steps
Start with the right structure, then make the content your own.
Choose a template
Pick a professional graduate CV template that gives your education, experience and skills a clear structure.
Add your experience
Include your degree, placements, internships, projects, jobs and other experience that supports your application.
Tailor it to the job
Adjust your profile, skills and bullet points around the requirements of the graduate role you’re applying for.
Download your CV
Review the final document, download your PDF and use it for your graduate applications.
Your first professional applications
How to customise your graduate CV template
Once you have chosen a Graduate CV template, the next step is to customise it around your own education, experience and target role. The strongest applications do not simply fill every section: they prioritise the information that matters most to the employer.
Start with a targeted personal profile that introduces your degree, strongest skills and the type of role you are seeking. Add your education and highlight relevant modules, projects or your dissertation where they support your application.
Include internships, placements, part-time jobs and volunteering, focusing on responsibilities and achievements rather than simply listing duties. Choose skills that match the vacancy and support them with evidence from your studies or experience.
Finally, customise your CV for each application by adjusting your profile, keywords and most relevant experience to the job description. Keep the layout clear and consistent so recruiters can quickly identify your strongest qualifications.
Need more help with the content? Read our complete guide on how to write a Graduate CV.
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