Teenager CV: Template & Writing Tips

Ensure your CV format is structured to best highlight your unique experience and life situation.

Writing your CV as a teenager and finding a job is a great opportunity to get some real-world work experience and earn some extra cash.

Whether you’re gaining practical knowledge or financing your studies, watch this video so you can learn what steps you’ll need to make a CV as a teenager:

To build on this video’s advice, here are some tips on how to write a great teenager CV to help you get your first job.

1. Highlight the skills you’ve developed so far

Whatever the field, employers will be looking for key skills on your CV that are relevant to the position you’re applying for. There are two kinds of skills: hard skills and soft skills.

Hard skills (also known as technical skills), show your experience with practical tasks you’ll likely be performing on the job. For instance, babysitting children, sewing, or speaking another language are all considered hard skills.

Here are some examples of technical skills you can include on your teenager CV:

• Software or computer skills
• Bookkeeping skills
• Proofreading skills
• Typing speed

Additionally, soft skills (or transferable skills) help employers see that you’ll work hard at the job and get along well with the rest of the team.

Have a look below at other teenager CV soft skills:

2. Write a strong education section for your teenager CV

For most teenagers, having a limited work experience section can make you feel underqualified for the job. To balance out your shorter work history, try making your education section a powerful part of your CV.

Prove to employers you’re fit for the role by listing your:

• school’s name and location
• A-Levels
• GCSE results
• NVQ and BTEC Level 2 grades

These academic details will help add value to your CV, especially if you lack work experience.

Write the dates you started and left (or will leave) school. Knowing when you left school or whether you’re still in education helps your future employer assess if you’re a good fit for the job.

Here’s how you can add details to your CV education section:

3. Use a CV template designed for teens

You may be one out of several other teenagers applying for the same role, so catch your employer’s attention by using a pre-formatted CV template for the UK which saves you time and includes clear CV sections. A standard teenager CV layout should include these sections:

• CV title
• CV personal statement
• work or volunteer experience
• education
• key skills
• additional experience

Using a simple CV template also helps ensure you’re following an appropriate CV format and makes your CV easy to read.

Additionally, customise your teenager CV according to your previous experience by including sections like awards, recognitions, or foreign languages. As long as your experiences are relevant to the role you’re applying for, mentioning them is fine.

How do you start working as a teenager?

You can start working part-time as a teenager when you’re 13 years old. However, the only industries where you’ll need a performance licence are in television, theatre, and modelling.

In Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, you can leave school at the age of 16 to take up full-time work.

In England, you should continue some form of education or training until you’re 18, but you can work up to 20 hours per week. By the time you’re 18, you’ll be considered an adult employee and should follow standard employment policies.

These are several industries where teenagers can apply for jobs:

• retail: (e.g., sales clerk, mystery shopper)
• food: (e.g., waiting staff, fast food crew, delivery driver)
• online or virtual: (e.g., digital arts, social media)
• personal services: (e.g., dog walking, car washing)
• publication: (e.g., leaflet delivery, paper rounds)
• education: (e.g., tutoring, language instructor, musical instrument teacher)

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