Graduate CV Review — Land Your First Job
Landing your first job is a numbers game — and most graduates start with a CV that's working against them. Employers reviewing graduate CVs aren't expecting a long work history. They're looking for transferable skills, evidence of learning, and signals that you'll be worth investing in.
Get your graduate CV reviewedFirst analysis free · €0.99 after · No card needed
What recruiters are actually looking for
Graduate recruiters scan for academic calibre, relevant skills (technical or interpersonal), initiative outside the curriculum, and any professional experience — however brief. The biggest differentiator at this level is often how well you present what you already have, not what you're missing.
How to make your CV stand out
Specific advice for your field — not generic tips that apply to everyone.
Put education near the top
As a graduate, your degree is your strongest credential. Place it prominently: institution, degree, classification, and graduation year. Include relevant modules, a dissertation topic, or a strong GPA if it adds context. Don't bury it under a two-line 'Profile' section.
Every experience counts — frame it right
Part-time work, volunteering, society committee roles, and freelance projects all demonstrate real-world skills. Describe them with the same rigour as a professional role: what did you do, what did you contribute, what was the result? 'Managed social media for student society, growing followers from 300 to 2,400 in 6 months' is stronger than 'social media experience'.
Show skills, not just a list
Don't list 'communication, teamwork, problem-solving' without proof. These claims mean nothing without context. Instead, describe situations where you demonstrated them — a group project, a hackathon, a presentation to stakeholders. Show don't tell.
Tailor for every application
Graduates who send the same CV to 50 employers get the same result. Read each job description carefully and reflect the language back in your CV. If they want 'data analysis skills', your CV should describe your dissertation analysis work using that phrasing.
Common mistakes that get CVs rejected
- ✕
One-page constraint taken too seriously — a strong two-page graduate CV outperforms a padded one-pager
- ✕
Generic profile statement that could describe any graduate
- ✕
Listing A-levels without grades
- ✕
No links to portfolio, GitHub, or LinkedIn
- ✕
Activities described without any outcomes or scale
How Bluntly reviews your CV
Not a keyword scanner. Not a template checker. A real analysis that reads your CV the way a hiring manager would.
ATS compatibility check
See exactly how applicant tracking systems parse your CV — including what gets lost or misread before a human ever sees it.
Role-specific feedback
Bluntly knows what hiring managers in your sector care about. The feedback is calibrated to your role, level, and target market.
Actionable improvements
Every suggestion tells you exactly what to change and why. No vague advice — specific rewrites and additions that make the difference.
Find out what's holding your CV back
Upload your CV now and get honest, role-specific feedback in under 2 minutes.
Get your graduate CV reviewedFirst analysis free · €0.99 after · No card needed