2026-09-23

How to Write a CV as a Fresh Graduate in Saudi Arabia (2026)

The hardest question for a fresh graduate CV is what to put under Experience. The answer is that you probably have more experience than you think; it doesn’t come with a job title. Your graduation project, co-op training (التدريب التعاوني), volunteering, and courses or bootcamps are all evidence of what you can do, as long as you describe them specifically.

The section order for a fresh graduate

When your work history is short, lead with what’s strongest. This order suits many graduates:

• Contact details: name, mobile, email, city, and a LinkedIn link if your profile is up to date.
• A short summary: your major, your strongest skills, and the field you’re heading into.
• Education: university, major, degree, graduation date, and GPA if it helps you.
• Projects and co-op training.
• Volunteering and student activities.
• Courses and certificates.
• Skills and languages.

Keep the CV short and focused, and cut anything that doesn’t serve the job you’re applying for. A short, clear CV beats a long one padded with filler. If your field is technical or design-related, add a link to your GitHub profile or portfolio, as long as it’s current and tidy.

GPA: when and how to include it

If your GPA helps you, or the posting sets a minimum, include it with the scale your university uses so the reader doesn’t have to guess. If you graduated with honours, add that next to it. An illustrative example of the format:

• Example: GPA 4.3 out of 5.00

If your GPA isn’t a strength and the posting doesn’t ask for it, you can leave it out and focus on projects and skills. Don’t round it up or write an inaccurate figure, though; an employer may ask for your academic transcript later.

Write projects and co-op training as achievements

Treat your graduation project and co-op training the way you’d treat a job: the project or organisation, your role, the tools you used, and the result. These are illustrative examples of phrasing:

• Example: Graduation project: a clinic appointment booking app for the university, built with Flutter and Firebase and tested by 40 students during the pilot.
• Example: Co-op training in Human Resources: updated more than 200 employee records and organised the digital archive.
• Example: Course project: analysed an online store’s sales data in Python and presented the findings in a Power BI dashboard.

The examples name the tools, because job postings name them too. Pick the projects that relate to the job you’re applying for rather than listing everything you studied.

Volunteering, courses, and bootcamps

Volunteering is evidence of skills like organisation, communication, and teamwork. Name the organisation, your role, and what you delivered, not only the word "volunteer".

For courses and bootcamps, such as programmes from Tuwaiq Academy or courses on well-known learning platforms, give the programme name, the provider, and what you actually applied. A certificate of completion on its own says little; a project you built during the course says more.

Before you send your CV

• One column with familiar section headings, and no tables or images that contain text.
• A professional email address that includes your name.
• A spelling check of both the Arabic and English versions, if you’ve prepared both.
• A PDF or DOCX file with a clear file name.

If you’re applying in more than one field, prepare a version for each field instead of one general CV that tries to fit everything. Adjust the summary and the order of projects and skills to each posting.

For a second opinion before you apply, upload your CV to HireRank for a free score and practical notes on clarity, formatting, and what you can improve.