Too vague: Did a school project.
More specific: Completed a [course or capstone] project on [topic], contributing [your specific task] using [tool].
Use responsibly: Do not present group work as sole ownership.
Role-specific CV playbook
Fresh Graduate CV Example (No Work Experience)
No formal job history does not mean no evidence. Use projects, coursework, volunteering, and NYSC accurately, with dates and your own contribution.
Important: These examples are teaching patterns, not a real candidate's employment history. Replace brackets with accurate details. Never add a credential, tool, result, or metric you cannot verify.
Role keywords to check against the actual vacancy
- Education and relevant coursework
- Internships and volunteer work
- Projects and portfolios
- Tools and technical skills
- NYSC or service status
These are prompts for comparison, not a list to paste blindly. Only include a skill when your experience supports it.
Professional summary structure
Recent [degree] graduate with project experience in [area]. Completed [project, internship, or service] using [verified skills], and seeking an entry-level [role] opportunity.
Fill each bracket with your real background. Remove any phrase that does not describe you.
Weak vs stronger experience bullets
Too vague: Volunteered.
More specific: Supported [activity] for [organization or community] by [specific responsibility] during [dates].
Use responsibly: Keep the volunteer label explicit.
Too vague: Know Excel.
More specific: Used Excel to [actual task such as sort, validate, or summarize] a [real or practice] dataset.
Use responsibly: Label practice datasets as exercises.
Checklist for this role
- Lead with education and relevant projects if that is your strongest evidence.
- Use dates and clear role labels.
- Remove objective statements that say only that you need a job.