UK CV Format and Template

What is a UK CV?

In the UK, the document you send with a job application is called a CV, short for curriculum vitae. It does the same job as a resume in the US or India: a short summary of your experience, skills and education that gets you to interview. A UK CV opens with a personal statement, lists experience in reverse order, and leaves out personal details such as a photo or date of birth. Most UK employers and recruitment agencies screen CVs with tracking software, so a clean layout matters.

UK CV format and length

Two pages is the accepted maximum for most UK jobs. Graduates and people with up to about eight years of experience can usually fit a stronger CV on one page, which this template is designed for. Use a reverse-chronological layout, a clear font, consistent dates such as Sep 2023 to Present, and standard headings: Personal Statement, Work Experience, Education and Skills.

What to leave out of a UK CV

The Equality Act 2010 protects job applicants from discrimination based on characteristics such as age, sex, race, religion and marital status. UK employers therefore do not expect, and often prefer not to see, a photo, date of birth, age, marital status, nationality or religion on a CV. A full home address is also unnecessary. Your town or city is enough.

Sections in a UK CV

1. Name, town, phone, email and LinkedIn.
2. Personal statement.
3. Work experience.
4. Education, with degree classification.
5. Skills and certifications.
6. Right to work, if relevant.
7. Interests, only if they support the application.

Personal statement examples

• Graduate: "Economics graduate with a 2:1 from the University of Bristol and a summer internship in credit risk. Looking for a graduate analyst role in financial services."
• Experienced: "Operations manager with nine years in retail logistics, leading teams of 50 and cutting delivery costs by 14 percent across 80 stores."
• International applicant: "Software engineer with five years building payment systems for a bank with 20 million customers. Graduate visa holder with full right to work."
• Career changer: "Former teacher moving into learning and development, with experience designing training for 200 students a year and a CIPD Level 5 qualification."

Writing work experience for UK employers

For each role, give your job title, employer, town and dates, then three to five bullets. Lead with results rather than duties: what you improved, by how much and for whom. UK recruiters favour a modest, factual tone, so let the numbers speak instead of adjectives like outstanding or world-class. If an employer is not well known in the UK, add a few words on its size or sector.

Education on a UK CV

Give your degree, classification such as First or 2:1, university and year. Recent graduates can add A-level or equivalent results and a relevant module or dissertation. If your degree is from outside the UK, a statement of comparability from UK ENIC shows its UK level, and some employers ask for it. You can also give the grade in a form UK readers recognise, such as First Class equivalent.

Right to work and visas

UK employers must check every new hire's right to work. If you are not a UK or Irish citizen, a short line removes doubt early, such as "Graduate visa, full right to work until 2027" or "Requires Skilled Worker sponsorship". Put it under your contact details or at the end of your personal statement.

Skills, interests and references

List skills that match the job, grouped if you have many. Interests are optional in the UK and only worth including if they show something relevant, such as running a society or volunteering. References are not needed on the CV itself; employers ask for them after an offer, so have two ready.

UK spelling and style

Use British spelling, such as organised, programme and analyse, and pounds for money. Write dates as month and year. Keep sentences short and plain, and check every line for typos, because UK recruiters often reject CVs with spelling errors.

UK CV for international applicants

If you are moving from India, the Gulf or elsewhere, remove the photo, date of birth and declaration that are common in other formats, convert currency or use percentages, and explain your employers in a few words. Add your visa status and any UK qualification you are working towards. For jobs in mainland Europe, the European CV template follows those norms instead.

Is this UK CV template ATS-friendly?

Yes. It is one column with real text and standard UK headings, so tracking systems used by employers and agencies read every section in order. Check your CV with the ATS resume checker before you apply.

Mistakes on UK CVs

• Adding a photo, date of birth or marital status.
• Going beyond two pages, or two pages for a graduate role.
• A generic personal statement that could fit anyone.
• American spelling and dollar figures on a CV for UK jobs.
• Leaving right to work unclear when you need a visa.

Tailoring your CV for each role

Rewrite your personal statement for each job and move the most relevant bullets to the top. The resume keyword scanner shows which terms from the advert are missing, and job-tailored resumes create a tailored version in minutes.

UK CV bullet examples

• "Cut month-end close from seven working days to four by automating bank reconciliations."
• "Managed a store team of 18 and raised customer satisfaction scores from 78 to 89 percent in a year."
• "Won 9 new accounts worth 420,000 pounds in annual revenue across the North West."
• "Introduced a ward discharge checklist that reduced delayed discharges by a fifth."

Gaps and career breaks

UK employers are used to career breaks for caring, study, travel or relocation. Add a single line with the dates and a plain reason, such as "Career break, relocation to the UK, 2024", and mention any courses or volunteering from that time. A short, honest line is better than an unexplained gap.

Get started

Open the UK CV template, write your personal statement and add your results, or upload your current resume and convert it to UK format. Check your ATS score, download a clean PDF and apply with a CV that UK employers recognise at a glance.