Your CV has one job: to get you an interview. In the UK, recruiters and applicant tracking systems often spend seconds on each CV, so clarity, relevance and evidence matter far more than design flair. This guide walks through exactly how to write a CV that gets read.
The structure of a strong UK CV
- Contact details: name, phone, email, location (city), LinkedIn. No photo, age or marital status in the UK.
- Personal profile: 3–4 lines summarising who you are, your strengths and what you're targeting — tailored to the role.
- Key skills: a short, scannable list of the most relevant skills (mirror the job advert).
- Work experience: reverse-chronological, with achievements (not just duties) and quantified results.
- Education & qualifications.
- Optional: certifications, projects, volunteering.
Show achievements, not duties
"Responsible for customer support" is weak. "Cut average response time by 35% by redesigning the triage process" is strong. Use active verbs and numbers wherever you can — impact is what persuades.
Tailor every CV
A generic CV underperforms. Read the advert, identify its priorities, and mirror its language — our Job Intelligence™ tool extracts these automatically. See our ATS-friendly CV guide so your CV parses cleanly, and avoid the pitfalls in common CV mistakes.
Formatting
Keep it to two pages (one for early-career), clean fonts, clear headings and consistent spacing. Save as PDF unless asked otherwise. For specific situations, see our graduate CV guide and cyber security CV guide.
Practise what you've learned
Turn this into a stronger CV now. CV Optimisation checks your CV against a specific role, and Job Intelligence™ decodes exactly which skills and keywords the vacancy wants so you can mirror them. Build the evidence behind your CV in your Career Passport™.
UK CV conventions that matter
A UK CV is typically two pages (one page for early-career), reverse-chronological, and does not include a photo, date of birth, marital status or full address — just your name, phone, email, city and a LinkedIn URL. Use a clean single-column layout with standard headings so both recruiters and applicant tracking systems can read it.
The anatomy of a strong CV
- Header — name and contact details, no photo.
- Personal statement — two or three lines naming your target role and strongest evidence.
- Experience — reverse-chronological, each bullet led by a result ("Reduced processing time 30%…"), not a duty.
- Education — qualifications and grades relevant to the role.
- Skills — genuine, role-relevant skills mirroring the advert's language.
Tailor before you send
The single biggest improvement is tailoring: adjust your statement and reorder bullets to match each advert's priorities, and cut anything that doesn't earn its place. Avoid the common CV mistakes that sink strong candidates, and check your CV against the skills employers actually want.