CV Template for 16 Year Old: UK Layout and 6 Examples

By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published 2026-10-30 · Updated 2026-10-30

6 min read

A CV template for a 16 year old is one A4 page with five parts: name and contact details, a two-line personal profile, education, any work, volunteering or activities, and a short skills list. At 16 you are not expected to have a work history. A reader looks for reliability, a few real skills and a CV that is clean and correct. Below is the layout and six complete CVs to copy, from no experience at all to a Saturday job. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.

You are 16, the form asks for a CV, and the only thing you have ever applied for is a place in the school football team. That is enough to fill a page.

The template, filled in for no experience

Start here if you have never had a job. Education comes first, because at 16 it is your strongest section.

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Or start from one of our free resume templates

What to put on a CV at 16

The National Careers Service says "Your CV should include a section for your contact details, an introduction, your education history, your work history and references." Its guide to how to write a CV adds a line that matters at 16: "If you’re applying for your first job, you can focus on skills you’ve learned through projects, work experience or volunteering." It also says "You can also include your interests and hobbies that show some of the skills you have."

So the idea is simple. You do not need a job. You need evidence. A team sport, caring for family, a school role or a club all count if you say what you did.

The layout, section by section

• Name and contact details. Town, mobile number and a sensible email address. Use your name, not a joke address. You can leave the full street address off.
• Personal profile. Two lines. Who you are and the job you want.
• Education. School, qualifications and dates. List GCSEs you are taking and any predicted grades, labelled as predicted.
• Work experience, volunteering and activities. Newest first. For each, what you did and one detail.
• Skills. Languages, software, first aid or any certificate.
• References. Write "References available on request".

Do not include your date of birth. The National Careers Service says "You should not include your age, your date of birth, whether you're married or your nationality." For fonts and layout, Prospects says "Avoid fonts such as Comic Sans." Use Arial or Calibri at size 11.

Five more CVs for a 16 year old

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Writing the personal profile at 16

Two lines, written without the word I. Say your year, what you are looking for and one real fact. A line such as Year 11 student looking for a Saturday job in a cafe, with a Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award works. A line that says hard-working and passionate team player does not, because nobody can check it. For more wording, see our guide to a personal statement with no experience.

Tailor it to the job

The University of Manchester Careers Service, in its CV guide, says: "Our advice is to make your applications personal and specifically tailored to the employers needs." For a first CV that means one change per job: read the advert, then rewrite the profile and the top two bullets to use its words. If the advert says friendly and reliable, give an example of each.

Mistakes to avoid

• Making up experience. Be accurate about what you did and when.
• A joke email address. Use one with your name.
• Predicted grades that look like results. Always label them predicted.
• Spelling mistakes. Read it aloud and ask someone else to check it.
• A photo. Not expected in the UK.

For more, see our page on a CV example with no experience, the wider set of CV examples, and what a CV looks like.

Frequently asked questions

What should a CV for a 16 year old include?

Contact details, a two-line profile, education, any work, volunteering or activities, skills and references on request. Keep it to one page.

How do I write a CV with no work experience at 16?

Put education first and use activities as evidence: sport, caring for family, school roles, clubs, Duke of Edinburgh or volunteering. Say what you did, not just the name of the activity.

Should I put my GCSE results on my CV?

Yes. If results are not out yet, write the subjects and label the grades as predicted.

How long should a 16 year old's CV be?

One page. There is no need for a second.

Do I need a photo on my CV?

No. A photo is not expected in the UK.

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