UK CV Format: Examples & Advice for the British Job Market

The UK CV format is a 1–2-page document for a job application. It’s similar to US resumes, but the main difference is that UK CVs tend to be longer. Hiring managers in the UK usually encourage job seekers to go for two pages (and even one page and a half) when you’re an experienced candidate. However, one-page CVs also work. Stick to clear headings, bullet points, and the reverse chronological structure.

Applying for jobs in the UK? While our humor may be darker and the weather a perpetual drizzle, the job hunt isn’t so different. But settling into British life isn’t just about avoiding eye contact at all costs; it’s getting familiar with the lingo — including what we call a CV (not a resume, as our friends across the pond say). 

Us Brits love a bit of order — and CVs are no exception. And it all starts with the format. 

Make sure recruiters don’t skip your CV. This guide will show you:

• The best UK CV formatting practices. 
• How to write a good UK CV and what to include. 
• A breakdown of the UK hiring process. 

The Ideal UK CV Example

Here’s a quick look at a condensed UK CV example to guide you on how to structure your information and what to include. The goal is to make your experience and skills shine in a clear way that’s easy to read and tailored to the job.

What to Include on a UK CV? 

Your CV should include a header, summary or objectives, work experience, education, and skills section. Share your contact information, such as your name, phone number, email, location, and LinkedIn profile. Don’t go overboard with personal details by including your age, religion, and gender. Next, highlight your achievements, skills, and relevant projects, but ditch anything that doesn’t fit the job. 

Here’s a summary of the UK CV must-haves and what to leave out: 

How to Format a UK CV?

Here’s how to format a UK CV: 

• Structure. Opt for the reverse chronological order. This involves listing your professional history starting with the most recent job and working backward, so recruiters can quickly find your latest work experience. 
• Font and readability. Stick with professional fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Verdana — between 10 and 12 pts for the main text, and 14 to 16 pts for headings. Steer clear of anything too fancy or outdated (sorry, Times New Roman).
• Headings and sections. Break up your CV with clear headings like “Work Experience”, “Education”, and “Skills”. Make headings stand out using bold font and a slightly larger size.
• Bullet points. Use bullet points to list your responsibilities and achievements. It makes the information much easier to digest than long paragraphs.
• Spacing and margins. Leave some breathing room. Keep margins around 2.5 cm around the page, and use line spacing of 1.15 or 1.5 to make everything feel less cramped. 
• Length. Keep your CV to 1–2 pages, but don’t be afraid to go for one and a half if it means showcasing key skills or qualifications. When you have over a decade of relevant experience, it usually stretches to two. Don’t go for a third page unless absolutely necessary. Avoid padding your CV with irrelevant information or too much empty space.
• File format. PDFs are a solid choice for employers to preserve the layout, but check the job ad. Many recruiters like Word files for easier editing or adding to their templates.

The aim is to make it easy for recruiters to quickly skim and spot your best bits.

A messy layout, tiny font, or a wall of text can quickly land you in the “no” pile before a recruiter even gets to your qualifications. And even if they do give your CV a chance, poor formatting can mean they miss out on key information that could have made all the difference. 

How to Write a UK CV Step-by-Step

Short answer:

When writing a UK CV, focus on making it concise and relevant to the job. Start with your contact information, followed by a strong personal statement summarizing your key strengths. Use reverse chronological order to list your work experience and achievements. Include your education with equivalent grade classifications if you’re applying outside the UK. Add a skills section showing relevant hard and soft skills, alongside any standout technical expertise. Keep formatting clean and professional with a readable font and clear headings. Don’t include personal details like age or a photo — stick to what highlights your value for the role.

1. Add your contact information

Adding your contact information should be the easy part — as long as you know what to include. The recruiter isn’t your friend, so there’s no need to reveal your full address in case they pop over for tea. You just need to provide enough information for them to contact you for a future interview. 

Here’s what to include for your UK CV contact information: 

• Name: Put your full name at the top of the CV in bold and in a slightly larger font (around size 14–16). 
• Phone number: Add your mobile number and ensure it’s one you’re easily reachable on. Always double-check — one typo could be game over. 
• Email address: Include a professional email address. If your current one is too casual or outdated (think [email protected]), create a new one specifically for job applications (and probably for the rest of your adult life). 
• Address: Only add your address if the job ad states they want someone from a specific city or location. Simply listing the city and country should be enough, such as “London, UK.” 
• LinkedIn profile or portfolio: Copy a link to your LinkedIn profile or an online portfolio showing your work. Just make sure these are updated and align with your CV.

To avoid discrimination (and TMI), these are details you don’t need to include on your UK CV: 

• Home address: No need to share this — and honestly, you probably don’t want to put it online anyway.
• Personal details: Don’t include your age, date of birth, marital status, or nationality. This information isn’t relevant and could lead to unconscious bias.
• Photo: Unless you’re in an industry where it’s the norm (like acting or modeling), leave the photo off. Unlike other European countries, UK recruiters prefer CVs without pictures to keep the focus on your skills and experience.

Here’s what the contact section for a UK CV looks like:

Ella Berkshire 
London, UK
[email protected]
+44 7123 456789
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ellab
Portfolio: ellaberkshiredesigns.com

2. Write a professional profile (CV summary)

A professional profile, or a personal statement or summary, is a short introduction at the top of your CV. It’s not mandatory, but adding one can catch an employer’s attention and set the tone for the rest of your CV. 

Your profile should be concise, ideally no more than 3–5 lines. Not sure what to include? Write your profile last. Once your CV is done, you’ll have a clearer picture of your key achievements and standout skills to highlight in your profile.

Ditch the generic phrases and overused buzzwords like “hardworking team player.” Your profile should be tailored, so using the same statement for every job won’t cut it. Read the job description carefully and add specific skills and experiences that match your background. This way, recruiters know right away that you’ve put thought and effort into your application.

Here’s an example profile for a UK CV: 

Motivated digital marketing specialist with over 5 years of experience creating and executing targeted campaigns that increased brand engagement by up to 30%. Proficient at using data analytics to drive strategic decisions and improve ROI. Eager to boost digital presence and expand customer outreach for Confetti Inc.

3. List work experience in reverse chronological order

Recruiters often spend less than ten seconds reading a CV, so don’t force them to waste valuable time trying to find the highlights from your professional background. 

Stick to what’s familiar with the reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent job and working backward through your previous roles. Recruiters will see your most relevant experience upfront while getting a quick sense of your career progression.

For each role, you should list:

• Job title
• Company name
• Start and end dates by month and year
• Location (city, country)
• Duties and achievements in bullet points

And if you’ve had different roles with the same employer, show the progression by breaking down each position with its corresponding dates.

Tips for writing the work experience section of a CV

You only have seconds to get noticed — simply detailing a long list of duties isn’t enough for a strong work experience section. 

Use strong action verbs to highlight your contributions. Specify notable achievements and tasks using numbers to emphasize your impact. 

Let’s compare these two CV bullet points:

• “Wrote blog posts and social media ads.”
• “Published 3 blog posts per month to drive traffic and wrote copy for social media ads, boosting engagement on LinkedIn by 30%”

See the difference? The first focuses on what you did, while the second focuses on your impact. 

Companies don’t just want employees to complete tasks, they want you to help them solve problems and reach targets — so prove you have what it takes with concrete examples and measurable results. 

Don’t have any direct experience? Never focus on the negatives — switch the attention to what you do have. 

If you’re new to the workforce or looking for your first full-time job, emphasize skills gained through internships, volunteering, or university projects. 

And if you’re changing careers, focus on transferable skills. For example, a customer service role could highlight your communication and problem-solving skills, which are valuable in any position. 

Gaps in employment also happen, and they don’t have to be deal-breakers. Be transparent but concise. Briefly note the reason on either your CV or cover letter, and focus on showing what you gained from that time, like relevant qualifications, projects, or volunteering.

Check out this work experience example for a UK CV:

Marketing Assistant
‍Crossways Ltd., London
June 2021 – Present
• Contributed to a digital marketing campaign that increased brand engagement by 35% within six months.
• Analyzed customer feedback and adjusted strategies to improve user satisfaction. 
• Worked in a cross-functional team to launch a new product, achieving launch sales 15% above the forecast.

Social Media Coordinator
‍One Stop Charity, Birmingham
January 2018 – May 2021
• Developed content that increased follower growth by 20%.
• Coordinated monthly email newsletters that boosted donor engagement. 

4. Add formal academic qualifications in the education section

Your work experience section should take center stage, but you can expand on your education or place it above your work experience if you don’t have a strong professional background. Just like your other sections, you’ll want to start with your most recent qualifications and work backward.

Here’s what to include: 

• Degree or qualification
• University or school name
• Dates you attended
• Location

If you’ve just left school, or you’re applying for your first job, you can list your A-levels or GCSEs. But if you’ve been working for a while, simply adding your highest education, such as a university degree, should be enough. 

Are you applying from outside the UK? For international qualifications, like a U.S. GPA, it’s smart to include the UK equivalent. Most British recruiters won’t know off the top of their heads what a GPA of 3.8 means — adding equivalents shows awareness and helps skim-reading recruiters. 

Here’s an approximate breakdown of the college GPA equivalents for our US readers: 

5. Consider including extra sections 

Adding extra sections to a UK CV can help paint a fuller picture of who you are as a candidate. 

However, this can backfire. 

Ask yourself: do these extra details really show why you’re the best candidate for the job? If you just hesitated, maybe skip this section and focus more on your work experience. 

If the answer is a definite yes, go for it — just make sure everything is relevant to the role. Filling up your CV with details about your time as a competitive juggler for an IT job will just look like unnecessary padding. The golden rule: quality over quantity.

Here are some additional sections that could add value to your CV:

• Certifications. Do you have additional training relevant to the job? You can add certifications in health and safety, first aid, or industry-specific courses to your education or in a separate section. Certifications show you’re proactive about building skills outside work and formal education.
• Volunteer experience. Volunteering can be just as valuable as paid work experience, as it helps you develop those all-important transferable skills. You can mention community projects, charity work, or events alongside any accomplishments or positive outcomes. 
• Awards. Your CV isn’t the place to be shy. Show off any industry awards, academic scholarships, or even being named employee of the month. Focus on the most impactful achievements, especially those that show you drove positive outcomes for your employer or team.
• Hobbies. Including your hobbies and interests can be a hit or miss. They can add personality or take up valuable CV space. Your safest bet is only including hobbies if you’re low on work experience and if they align with skills relevant to the job. For example, competitive sports show teamwork, while playing an instrument suggests creativity and focus. 

These additional sections should always take a backseat to your work experience, skills, and education — so it’s best to place them at the bottom or the side of your CV. 

Here’s an example of how to present additional sections on your UK CV:

Certifications
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), 2024
• Health and Safety at Work Certificate, 2023

Volunteer Experience
Community Outreach Organizer, Local Food Bank, July 2023 – Present
• Coordinated monthly food drives, managing a team of 15 volunteers to collect and distribute supplies to over 200 families.

Awards
• Employee of the Month, ABC Ltd., April 2022: Awarded for exceeding sales targets by 25% in a challenging quarter. 
• Scholarship for Academic Excellence, University of Leeds, 2023: Recognized for maintaining a top 5% grade average.

Hobbies and Interests
• Avid marathon runner, completed the London Marathon in 2022 to raise funds for charity.
• Member of a local photography club, with work featured in two community exhibitions.

6. Put down relevant key skills in the skills section

There are two ways to show off your skills: weave them into your work experience or give them a dedicated section. You should do both. 

A skills section gives employers an overview of your qualifications and expertise, while your work experience and achievements will show how you put those skills into action. This winning combo is especially helpful if the job has specific technical or soft skill requirements, as it quickly reassures employers that you tick the right boxes.

Your skills section should focus on hard skills (like SEO, coding, and data analysis), so recruiters can quickly see if you’re a match. Aim for 5–10 relevant skills and make sure they relate directly to the job.

When listing soft skills (e.g., leadership, problem-solving, adaptability), you could easily land in generic buzzword territory — “good communicator” could mean anything from giving presentations to mastering the art of office gossip. Instead, show off those soft skills in your work experience section with real examples of how you used them to get results. 

And don’t just list random skills — do your homework first. Go through the job description and pinpoint the key skills. Then, match those to what you’ve got and add them to your CV.

Here’s a list of in-demand hard and soft skills in the UK: 

Discover the best skills for your industry: The Best Skills to Put on a Resume

7. Tailor your CV to the job description

Tailoring your CV means customizing your application for each job. This might sound like extra work (and it is), but it can really give you an edge. Imagine finding out your date was sending the same cheesy message to everyone who swiped right. Being made to feel special is universal, and recruiters don’t want to see generic applications.

Taking the time to personalize your CV shows you’re genuinely interested in this job and not just firing off applications at random. Plus, with more companies using Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to scan for keywords, a tailored CV can mean the difference between making it to the next round and disappearing into the digital void.

So, how do you tailor your CV? Start with the job description. Highlight the key skills, experience, and qualifications, then look at your own experience and find where there’s overlap. Use the same wording they do (but naturally) so your CV can pass the ATS scan and impress recruiters. 

Want to go the extra mile? Check out the company’s website or LinkedIn page. Do they champion sustainability or cost efficiency? Mention when you led an eco-friendly project or slashed costs by optimizing the budget. Just keep it honest — there’s no point fitting into their mold if it’s not a match for you, too.

Check out our Rezi AI Keyword Targeting tool to get some help tailoring your CV to the job description. 

What Does the Hiring Process Look Like in the UK?

The hiring process isn’t just for employers; it’s also for you. It’s your chance to work out which jobs spark your interest, learn more about different companies, and see what skills and qualifications are in demand. Every application, even the ones that don’t pan out, is a step closer to finding the right job. 

Being prepared can also take some of the sting out of the process. The UK hiring landscape has a few key stages and practices that are good to know, especially if you’re new to job hunting or switching careers. And thanks to employment laws covering everything from discrimination and equality to health and safety, the process is designed to be as fair as possible.

Here’s a rundown of how the hiring process typically looks in the UK:

Finding the right candidates 

Recruiters in the UK have multiple ways to find candidates. They can advertise jobs on online job boards, through recruitment agencies, company websites, and LinkedIn. Referrals are also popular, and many businesses reach out to universities for fresh talent. If you're applying for a job, you may have to send your CV, cover letter, and an online application. 

Scanning applications 

Once you send in your CV, it goes through a screening process. Your application could reach HR or a recruiter, but many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) first, which scans for specific keywords that match the job ad. 

And be warned: the ATS market in the UK is booming, expected to reach USD 586 million by 2029, according to GlobeNewswire. 

It’s best to tailor your CV if you want your application to reach human eyes. Make it through this stage, and you’ll usually get a standard email saying your CV is in the running for an interview.

Going through the interview rounds

Congrats — you’ve made it to the interview stage! The excitement might flip to nerves, but remember, an interview is a two-way street. It’s not just about them grilling you; it’s also your chance to see if the company and role are your best options. 

Interviews in the UK come in all shapes and sizes. You might have a straightforward one-on-one chat, or you could face a panel or be asked competency-based questions. Some jobs even include practical tasks or presentations to see your skills in action.

Need help preparing for an interview? Check out Rezi AI Interview. Answer common questions based on your resume and industry, with valuable feedback and detailed reports. 

Contacting references 

While you shouldn’t put references directly on your CV, you should have a list of references ready. If a company’s interested in making you an offer, they’ll reach out to your references to confirm your experience and work ethic. It’s their way of double-checking that your CV and interview match reality.

As tempting as it is to add your best mate as a reference, remember: you never know what they’ll ask. If they catch wind that you’re being dishonest, kiss that job goodbye. 

Negotiating salary and contract 

Landing an offer is a huge win, but don’t rush to sign just yet. Negotiation is your next step, whether it’s over salary, benefits, or other contract details. Walk in prepared and know your worth.

By UK law, every employee must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage (NMW) or National Living Wage (NLW). These rates often change, so make sure you’re up to date on what you’re entitled to based on your age and job role.

Onboarding and orientation

And that’s it! You’re officially in. Welcome to the onboarding phase. This is when you get settled in, meet your team, go through orientation, and figure out how things run in your new workplace. Pay attention during these early days and double-check the contract for the onboarding period (so you can stay on your best behavior). 

Summary

Here’s an overview of how to format and write a UK CV:

• Customize your CV for each role by aligning your skills and experience with the job description. Highlight relevant achievements and responsibilities that match what the employer is seeking. 
• Add keywords and phrases from the job description to get through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Use standard headings, avoid graphics, and save it as a simple format like a Word document or PDF.
• Add a brief personal statement of around 3–5 lines to summarize your top skills, relevant experience, and career aspirations. 
• Always list your work experiences in reverse chronological order, so employers can immediately see your latest and most relevant work. 
• Don’t just list duties under each job; emphasize what you accomplished in those roles with strong action verbs and quantifiable results. 
• Include an education section with your most recent qualifications, and mention the British equivalent classification if you went to school outside the UK. 
• List 5–10 of your most relevant skills in the skills section, like technical expertise or leadership abilities. Prioritize those directly applicable to the job.
• Present your CV with clear headings, bullet points, and a professional font like Arial or Calibri. 
• Don’t include age, marital status, nationality, or a photo, as these aren’t relevant to UK recruiters. Simply listing your location by city and country is enough for personal details. 
• Stick to a two-page maximum for your CV unless you have over a decade of relevant experience. Being concise helps recruiters easily find key details without wading through unnecessary information.
• Check your CV for spelling, grammar, and formatting mistakes. Even minor errors can make you seem careless or unprofessional. You could also ask someone else to review it for you.

FAQs

What makes a good UK CV?

A great UK CV is tailored and concise. It showcases your relevant skills, experiences, and education in a format that’s easy to scan. Highlight your accomplishments and use reverse chronological order with bullet points for your work history, so employers see your latest roles first. 

Keep it compact (no more than two pages), and use strong, action-oriented language. Good formatting is also essential — clean sections, readable fonts, and a touch of white space can help your CV be more reader-friendly. And always customize your CV for each job to show you’ve made the effort.

What are the best things to put on a UK CV?

Start with a professional profile summarizing your key skills and career goals. Add your work experience, focusing on responsibilities and achievements that show your potential to deliver results. Include key skills relevant to the job and outline your education, relevant certifications, and a link to your LinkedIn or online portfolio. Leave out unnecessary details — the goal is to show why you’re the right fit without fluff.

Does the UK use a CV or resume?

In the UK, CV is the term you’ll hear most often and is the equivalent of a resume in the US. A CV is the main document for job applications, and it’s tailored to highlight your experience, qualifications, and key skills. 

Learn more about the key differences: CV (Curriculum Vitae) vs. Resume

What makes a CV for the UK different from other European CVs?

UK CVs have distinct differences and similarities compared to those in other European countries. Photos are commonly included in CVs for countries like Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, Belgium, and Spain, but are not expected in the UK. 

A UK CV typically prioritizes your work experience, listing roles in reverse chronological order, followed by your education and skills. However, some countries like France or Germany may emphasize education first. Additionally, UK CVs frequently feature a concise profile or summary at the top, while in some European formats, a simple job title is preferred. 

What’s the British standard for building a CV?

The British standard is to keep it professional, clear, and tailored. Start with your contact details at the top, followed by a personal statement. List your work experience, focusing on relevant achievements, then add your education and key skills. Keep it all under two pages unless you have extensive, relevant experience. Don’t add a photo or personal information like your age — those details aren’t needed in the UK.