UK CV Format: What to Include and What to Leave Out

A UK CV follows a fairly settled set of conventions. Recruiters expect a certain length, a certain order and, just as importantly, the absence of certain personal details. Get these right and your experience gets read. Get them wrong and your CV can look out of place before anyone reaches your achievements.

How long should a UK CV be?

Two pages is the standard for most people. School leavers and recent graduates can often fit everything on one or two pages. Very senior people rarely need more than two, even with long careers. Academic and some medical CVs are the main exception, as they often list publications, research and clinical experience in full.

The US "resume" is a slightly different document. It's usually one page and often more condensed. If you're applying to a UK employer, write a CV, not a resume.

The sections to include

1. Name and contact details: your name as the heading (you don't need to write "Curriculum Vitae"), phone number, a professional email address, your town or city, and your LinkedIn URL.
2. Professional profile: three to five lines summarising who you are, your key experience and the kind of role you want next.
3. Work experience: in reverse order, most recent first, with your job title, employer, dates and achievements.
4. Education and qualifications: also most recent first. Experienced candidates can keep this short.
5. Skills: technical skills, software, languages and certifications that matter for the role.
6. Optional extras: volunteering, professional memberships, publications or interests, but only if they add something relevant.

Graduates and school leavers usually put education before experience. Everyone else puts experience first.

What to leave out

This is where many people applying from overseas go wrong. UK employers generally don't expect, and often prefer not to see, personal details that have nothing to do with your ability to do the job. The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination based on characteristics like age, religion, marital status and race, and leaving these details off your CV keeps the focus on your skills.

• Photo, unless you're applying for acting or modelling work.
• Date of birth or age.
• Marital status, children, religion or other personal circumstances.
• Nationality, except a short line about your right to work in the UK if it isn't obvious.
• National Insurance, passport or ID numbers. You'll give these after an offer, never on a CV.
• Full home address. Your town or city is enough.
• "References available on request". Employers assume this. Use the space for something useful.
• An "objective" statement about what you want from the employer. A profile about what you offer works better.

Should you put a photo on your CV in the UK?

No, in almost all cases. UK employers don't expect a photo, and many prefer not to receive one so that hiring decisions can't be influenced by appearance. The exceptions are acting, modelling and some presenting roles. If you're applying to the Gulf, the answer is different: see our Gulf CV format guide.

How to write each role

For each job, give a one-line summary of your role, then three to six bullet points about what you achieved, not just what you were responsible for. Numbers help a recruiter picture the scale of what you did.

Start each bullet with a strong verb (led, built, reduced, launched, negotiated), keep it to one or two lines, and give more space to recent and relevant roles. Older or unrelated jobs can be summarised in a line or two.

If you have a gap in your employment, a short, honest line such as "Career break to care for a family member" or "Relocated to the UK" is usually enough.

Layout, fonts and file type

• Use a clean, readable font such as Arial, Calibri or Georgia, at 10 to 12 point for body text.
• Keep margins and spacing consistent, and use clear section headings.
• Avoid heavy graphics, text boxes, columns crammed with icons and "skill bars". They can confuse applicant tracking systems and they don't tell a recruiter much.
• Send a PDF unless the employer asks for Word. Name the file clearly, for example Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf.
• Use UK spelling (organised, programme, centre) for UK employers.

Quick checklist

• Two pages or fewer, with your name as the heading
• A short profile instead of an objective
• Achievements, with numbers, for each recent role
• No photo, date of birth, marital status, religion or ID numbers
• Keywords from the job advert used naturally
• Checked for spelling, consistent dates and a working email address