How to Write a CV for a Graduate Scheme Application
Graduate schemes are a different beast
The biggest graduate scheme programmes — Big Four accountancy, consulting, banking, law, civil service fast streams — receive tens of thousands of applications per year for a few hundred places. The initial CV screen is designed to eliminate, not select.
Your CV for a graduate scheme has one job: get you to the next stage. It won't get you the offer. But it can eliminate you before you have a chance to demonstrate why you're right for the programme.
Here's what you need.
What graduate scheme recruiters screen for
Graduate scheme recruiters are looking for evidence of:
Academic performance — most programmes have a minimum requirement (typically 2:1 or equivalent). If you meet it, state it clearly. If you don't, but you have extenuating circumstances, that's a different conversation — but your CV still needs to lead with your strongest qualification.
Intellectual engagement — not just that you studied, but that you engaged meaningfully with your subject and with opportunities to stretch yourself.
Leadership and initiative — evidence you've taken responsibility, organised things, led people, or created something.
Commercial awareness or relevant interest — for business-facing schemes especially, evidence that you understand the sector you're entering.
Communication and professionalism — the CV itself is evidence of this. Poor formatting, spelling errors, or vague content all signal poor attention to detail.
The graduate scheme CV structure
1. Contact details
Name, email, phone, location. Clean and professional.
2. Personal profile
One paragraph tailored to the scheme type. Name the institution, degree, year, and grade. Name the scheme type you're targeting. Name 2–3 qualities or experiences that make you a strong match.
"First-year Law student at Durham University (expected 2:1), applying for the Linklaters Training Contract. Demonstrated commercial awareness through internship at [company] and leadership through founding the university's Pro Bono Law Clinic. Seeking to develop expertise in corporate law within a leading international firm."
3. Education — first and prominent
University: degree, classification (or predicted), year
A-levels: subjects and grades
For most graduate scheme applications, education should come before work experience.
4. Work experience
Internships first — especially any that are relevant to the scheme type. Then other work, even if informal.
5. Leadership and extracurricular activities
This section is often as important as work experience for graduate schemes. Include:
- Society or club leadership roles
- Sports captaincy or committee positions
- University newspaper, radio, or media involvement
- Volunteering or community involvement
- Entrepreneurial ventures (even informal)
6. Skills
Software, languages, and any relevant certifications.
The importance of evidence over claims
Every line of your CV should provide evidence, not make claims.
Weak: "Excellent leadership skills."
Strong: "Elected President of the Durham University Law Society, leading a committee of 12 and overseeing 20+ events annually with a combined audience of 2,000+ students."
Weak: "Strong commercial awareness."
Strong: "Completed Goldman Sachs' virtual insight programme and wrote a 4,000-word analysis of the impact of ESG regulation on M&A activity in the FTSE 100, achieved highest mark in seminar group."
If you're claiming it, you need evidence of it.
Online assessments vs CV
Many graduate schemes use online assessments (situational judgement tests, numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning) before reviewing CVs. Even if the CV comes first in the process, it's often reviewed alongside assessment scores.
Ensure your CV is impeccable — ATS-compliant, zero spelling errors, tight formatting — because it's being read in a context where first impressions matter and volume is high.
Tailoring across multiple schemes
A single generic CV sent to 20 schemes will perform worse than a tailored CV for each. The personal profile and work experience emphasis should shift based on the scheme type:
- Banking scheme: commercial experience, analytical work, internships
- Consulting scheme: problem-solving, evidence of structured thinking, diversity of experience
- Law: legal work experience, academic excellence, pro bono or advocacy
- Civil Service: public sector interest, policy awareness, public service motivation
Using CVCircuit for graduate scheme applications
CVCircuit helps you structure your graduate scheme CV correctly and tailors it quickly to each scheme type. The AI can help you frame your extracurricular experience and academic achievements in professional language.
Build your graduate scheme CV free — strong foundations matter even more when competition is highest.