CV for 16-Year-Olds (Examples & Templates)

Your CV for a 16-year-old should focus on academic achievements, skills, and relevant activitiesSince your work experience is limited, highlight transferable skills gained from education, volunteer work, and extracurricular activities.

Key sections of a CV for a 16-year-old typically include:

• Education: Details of current schooling, subjects studied, and any academic achievements.
• Skills: A list of relevant abilities, such as computer proficiency, languages, communication, or teamwork.
• Experience: Information on any part-time jobs, work experience, or volunteer roles.
• Extracurricular Activities: Participation in clubs, sports, hobbies, or personal projects that demonstrate responsibility and skills.

I’ll show you how to write a CV for a 16-year-old that will stand out based on numerous CV examples and tips. Plus, you’ll see a CV template for 16-year-olds you can use for your first CV with ease.

Don’t worry if you’ve never written a CV before. With professional CV templates and expert guidance every step of the way, you can create a professional CV in minutes – no experience required.

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We created the sample on the right using our builder. See other good CV examples like this one.

CV template for a 16-year-old

That’s the best format of CV for 16-year-olds.

Need a different CV example? Check these samples:

• Apprenticeship CV
• Cleaner CV
• Customer Service CV
• CV for a Part-Time Job
• Delivery Driver CV
• First CV
• Internship CV
• School Leaver CV
• Student CV
• Shop Assistant CV
• Waiter / Waitress CV

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our CV samples.

Here's how to write a CV for a 16-year-old, including CV examples and six key tips:

1. Start your CV for a 16-year-old with a strong personal statement

Here’s something you may not know: the person receiving your CV for 16-year-olds could spend less time reading it than you do viewing an Insta story. One study found that the average recruiter looks at a CV for 7.4 seconds. How to make sure you don’t get swiped left? Start with a captivating personal statement (CV summary).

A solid CV personal statement is full of facts and ambition, not empty statements like ‘detail-oriented, punctual, and reliable’. Put it at the top of your CV to capture the reader’s interest.

When writing a CV for a 16-year-old, focus on the most significant achievements relevant to the role, or those that demonstrate maturity and work ethic, such as sporting or hobby successes.

You can also write a CV objective presenting what you can bring to the company. This is particularly helpful when writing a CV for a 16-year-old with no experience. See the example below:

CV template for a 16-year-old: personal statement example

Even if you don’t have much experience, a strong CV summary can show employers why you’re a perfect fit for the role. Simply choose from expert-written personal statements and tailor them to make them your own in the LiveCareer CV builder.

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2. Include an education section in your CV for a 16-year-old

Your education is about all you’ve got at this point, so make the most of it.

In the CV education section of your CV for a 16-year-old, list your grades above A. If you have a lot of lower grades, for example, four passing grades, simply record it as ‘4 GCSEs’. If they include Maths and English, specify that; those are more important.

List the education you are continuing with an expected graduation date.

CV for a 16-year-old with no experience: education section

3. Highlight transferable skills in your CV for a 16-year-old

You are short on work experience, but you’re not helpless. Think about school experience, extracurricular activities, volunteering, or hobbies that showcase the skills you will be using in your new job.

Applying for a data entry job? Something as simple as playing many computer games can be an advantage if you take a typing speed test to prove it. If you have sporting achievements, they can show leadership and teamwork like no other.

List a mix of hard and soft skills in your CV for a 16-year-old. Hard skills are teachable abilities, such as IT skills. Soft skills are people skills, such as teamwork or effective communication.

If you are really struggling to fill the page, consider adding a sentence of explanation of your achievements in those skills to each bullet point.

CV template for a 16-year-old: skills example

4. Add extra sections to your CV for a 16-year-old

Most 16-year-olds will have no idea how to do this correctly. They will list a few words about their normie hobbies & interests. Instead, think of activities that show the employer transferable skills and a strong work ethic.

Volunteering is something that 82% of managers consider in their choice. Awards show achievement. Sporting successes show teamwork. Languages are always good. All those things together show you can multitask.

Don't list references on your CV, though. Recruiters know they can ask for them.

CV template for a 16-year-old: additional sections

5. Format your CV template for a 16-year-old correctly

If you want to appear organised, mature, and reliable, follow these simple CV layout rules strictly:

• Use a professional CV font. Arial and Calibri are classic.
• Use 1-inch margins on all sides.
• Put bold, simple headings for each CV section. 
• Space sections out with lines to create a CV structure you can skim-read.
• Unless told not to, save your CV in a PDF format.

Remember that at this point in your professional life, your CV should be one page long. Don't worry if you feel it's too empty. It's better to leave some white space than to lie on your CV. Recruiters don't expect long CVs from 16-year-olds.

Leave your contact details near the top of your CV. Don't list such details as your date of birth or gender. Also, don't include your home address. Your phone number and email address are enough.

Expert advice: Thinking of using free CV templates you found online? Or those best CV templates recommended by a friend? Make sure they are ATS-friendly. ATSs are those robots that scan your CV. And they usually don't like visual CVs like Canva CV. They prefer basic CV layouts.

Seeking more CV and career advice? When sending in your job application, don't use 'Please find attached my CV for your consideration / review / reference'. It's too vintage. Instead, try something that sounds more natural: 'I’ve included my CV below' or 'Please consider the attached CV'.

These are the most essential CV writing tips. With them, you definitely know what a good CV should look like.

6. Pair your CV for 16-year-olds with a cover letter

A typical 16-year-old’s cover letter is either a copied short cover letter template with the name scribbled on it, or a very worrying image of the chaos and inexperience of a teenager.

The first paragraph of your cover letter should hook them with your most important selling point. The middle paragraph should explain two or three additional arguments for why they should hire you, and the last paragraph should explain what you can do for them.

If you are sending a CV with no experience, this is your chance to highlight your transferable skills.

Remember: you don’t need job experience to make a strong CV and cover letter. With the LiveCareer CV builder, you’ll find ready-made phrases and templates designed for students and first-time job seekers — just fill in your details and you’re done.

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Thanks for reading my piece on how to write a CV example for a 16-year-old. I hope you found our CV template for a 16-year-old useful. And if you need more expert-written CV-writing advice, feel free to explore other articles on our blog!

How we review the content at LiveCareer

Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with LiveCareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.

Sources

• University of Southampton, Careers and Employability Service: Writing a Personal Profile or Career Objective
• The Ladders (2018), Eye-Tracking Study
• Deloitte (2016), Deloitte Impact Survey: Building leadership skills through volunteerism

Frequently asked questions about a CV for 16-year-olds

Does a 16-year-old need a CV?

Yes, if you’re a 16-year old seeking a job, you definitely need a CV. A well-written CV summarises your previous professional experiences, education and qualifications, as well as abilities, and it helps employers decide whether you’re right for a particular job. It is your chance to gain a recruiter’s interest and qualify for further recruitment steps.

How to write a CV for a 16-year-old?

When writing a CV for a 16-year-old, which can be your first CV, adjust it to a specific role. Study the job ad carefully and pull out the most important job requirements. Refer to them in your application, including the key terms from the job description. If you don’t have significant experience, highlight your education, relevant skills, and extracurricular activities. Once your CV is ready, contact a qualified professional or a friend for constructive feedback and helpful CV tips.

What to include in a CV for a 16-year-old?

A CV for a 16-year-old resembles a typical reverse-chronological CV structure. It consists of the following sections:

• Contact details
• Personal profile
• Work history
• Education
• Skills
• Additional sections

If you don’t have professional experience, include volunteer work or projects you participated in to gain the required knowledge and expertise. You can also use a skills-based CV format that emphasises your abilities and talents instead of work experience.

How do I write a CV without GCSE results?

Employers highly value GCSEs, but you can still write a CV without them if you haven’t received them yet. There are a number of things you can include in your CV instead, such as:

• Predicted grades
• Work experience
• Volunteering
• Skills
• Languages
• Hobbies and interests
• Achievements
• Awards and certificates
• Extracurricular activities

Likewise, if you have bad GCSE grades, you shouldn’t include them in your CV unless an employer asks for particular GCSEs to consider you for the role. In such a case, provide the expected grades, but obviously, be sincere and avoid lying on a CV.