This guide sets out the UK CV format that employers expect, section by section, with examples written in British English. You'll see what goes in a personal statement, why most CVs stop at two pages, how to state your right to work in one line, and which personal details to leave off. There is a full outline to follow, a section for graduates on degree classifications and A levels, and notes on references, file types and how applications usually work in the UK.
In the UK, a CV is the standard document for almost every job application. It is what Americans call a resume: a targeted summary of your experience, skills and qualifications, usually no longer than two sides of A4. The word "resume" is rarely used. The long, complete academic CV exists too, but only for lecturer, research and some medical posts; our guide to CV vs resume explains the split.
How you send your CV depends on who is hiring:
Whichever route you take, the CV itself follows a fairly settled pattern.
Most UK CVs follow this order. Graduates and school leavers usually move education above employment history; everyone else keeps it near the end.
Keep headings plain, such as "Employment history" and "Education", so both people and software recognise them at a glance.
The personal statement sits at the top of the page and does the job of a summary. UK CVs often write it in the first person with the "I" dropped ("Experienced buyer with..."), though short first-person sentences are fine too. Pick one style and keep to it. Aim it at the role you're applying for, keep it to three to five lines, and back every claim with a fact.
Notice what they avoid: "hard-working team player", "excellent communication skills" and other phrases any candidate could write. Each one names a field, a level, a result and a target. For more openings by career stage, see our summary examples; the advice carries over directly, as long as you switch to British spelling.
UK employers generally don't want personal details that have nothing to do with the job. Equality law protects people from discrimination on grounds such as age, race, religion, sex, disability, and marriage or civil partnership, and many employers prefer not to see this information at all so it can't colour a shortlist. Leave out:
If you're used to the Indian or Gulf format, this is the biggest change: remove the photo, date of birth, father's name, marital status and the closing declaration. Our guide to biodata vs resume vs CV compares the three styles side by side.
Every UK employer has to check that new staff have the right to work here, and recruiters often screen for it early. If your name, education or recent jobs are outside the UK, a busy recruiter may assume you need sponsorship and move on. One honest line, under your contact details or in Additional information, removes the guesswork:
Use the exact name of your status and give an end date if it has one. Avoid vague phrases like "eligible to work" when you aren't sure what they cover, and never overstate your position: the employer will check your documents, or an online share code, before you start. If you need sponsorship, say so plainly. Only employers with a sponsor licence can hire on a Skilled Worker visa, so being upfront saves time on both sides. British and Irish citizens can keep the line very short, or leave it out if their background makes the answer obvious.
A graduate CV leads with education, because that is your strongest evidence. Put your degree first, with its classification or predicted classification. Many graduate schemes have set a minimum, often a 2:1, though some have dropped it, and recruiters look for the grade straight away.
If your degree is from outside the UK, give the original grade, such as "CGPA 8.4/10", rather than claiming a UK classification you weren't awarded. UK ENIC can issue a statement comparing your qualification with UK levels if an employer asks for one. Our pages for freshers and graduates and internship CVs show complete student layouts.
A CV for a UK job should be written in British English. Spellcheckers set to US English will quietly "correct" your words, so set the language to English (UK) before you start. These are the differences that turn up most often on CVs:
Write dates as month and year, such as "Sep 2022 to present". Avoid all-number dates like 03/04/2024, which a UK reader takes as 3 April and an American reader as 4 March. Write bullet points that start with a verb ("Led", "Reduced", "Organised"), use figures to show scale, and spell out abbreviations the first time unless they're standard in your field. Our list of action verbs works just as well for a UK CV.
Length: two sides of A4 is the usual maximum for an experienced candidate. School leavers and recent graduates often fit on one page, and that's fine. Senior candidates with long careers still aim for two, summarising older roles in a line each. Academic and medical CVs are the exception. Our one-page vs two-page guide covers how to decide.
References: the old closing line "References available on request" is now commonly left out, because employers assume you'll provide them. UK employers usually ask for referees after an interview, and many job offers are made "subject to satisfactory references". Have two ready, ideally including your current or most recent line manager, and ask their permission first. Don't put referees' names and phone numbers on the CV unless the advert asks for them; teaching, academic and some public-sector applications do.
File format: send a PDF unless the advert or agency asks for Word. A PDF keeps your layout exactly as you designed it. Name the file clearly, such as "Priya-Shah-CV.pdf", not "CV final v3.pdf".
Cover letter: UK employers commonly expect one, even when it's marked optional. Keep it to a page and match it to the job description; our guide on how to write a cover letter walks you through it.
If you already have a CV or resume, even one in another country's format, you don't need to retype it.
Upload your resume and let AI rebuild it into a clean, ATS-friendly design — free to preview and download.
Try ResumeInk freeUsually no more than two sides of A4. School leavers and recent graduates often fit everything on one page, while academic and medical CVs can run longer.
No, not for most jobs. UK employers generally prefer CVs without photos so that appearance plays no part in shortlisting. The exceptions are acting, modelling and some presenting roles, where a headshot is expected.
Yes, if an employer might otherwise wonder. A single line such as Right to work: settled status (EU Settlement Scheme), or Will require Skilled Worker visa sponsorship, tells a recruiter what they need to know before they spend time on your application.
No. Employers assume you can provide references, so the line is commonly left out to save space. Have two referees ready and share their details when asked, usually after an interview or with a conditional offer.
Put it on the same line as the degree, for example BSc (Hons) Economics, University of Leeds, 2026, 2:1. If you haven't graduated yet, write Predicted 2:1, and for a degree from outside the UK give the original grade rather than a UK equivalent.