How to Write a UK CV: Step-by-Step Guide + Template

How to Write a UK CV: A Step-by-Step Guide

Last reviewed: October 2026

If you are applying for jobs in the UK, you will almost certainly be asked for a CV. The trouble is that CV habits differ from country to country. A format that works well in one place can look unusual, or even cause problems, in a UK application.

This guide explains how to write a UK CV from scratch. You will see what to include, what to leave out, how long it should be, and how to tailor it to each vacancy. There is a copy-ready template, example personal profiles, advice for international applicants, and a section for people with no work experience.

One point before we begin. A UK CV is a document that helps an employer decide whether to interview you. It does not give you permission to work in the UK, and it cannot create visa sponsorship. We cover that properly later in the guide.

What Is a UK CV?

A CV (short for curriculum vitae) is a summary of your skills, achievements and experience that you use to apply for jobs. The National Careers Service describes it as your first chance to promote yourself, and it is usually what an employer reads before deciding whether to interview you.

How a CV differs from a cover letter

Your CV is a factual summary of your background. A cover letter (also called a covering letter) is a short letter that explains why you want this particular job and which parts of your background matter most for it. The two work together. The CV gives the evidence, and the letter points the reader to the most relevant parts.

JobHelp, a UK government resource, suggests sending a covering letter even when the employer does not ask for one.

CV, résumé or application form?

In UK usage, “CV” is the normal word for the document you send with most job applications. Some employers, especially in the public sector, ask you to fill in an application form or write a personal statement instead of, or as well as, sending a CV. Always follow the instructions in the vacancy.

What Should a UK CV Include?

A typical UK CV has these sections, usually in this order:

Contact details. Your name, phone number, email address and, if you have one, a link to a professional profile such as LinkedIn.
Personal profile. A short summary of who you are and what you are aiming for.
Key skills. An optional short list of skills that match the job.
Employment history. Your jobs, placements and volunteering, most recent first.
Education and qualifications. Qualification names, institutions and dates.
Relevant certifications and training. Licences, professional memberships and short courses linked to the role.
Optional sections. Languages, volunteering, projects or interests, but only where they support your application.

The National Careers Service lists contact details, an introduction, education history, work history and references as the core sections. If you are early in your career, education can come before work history. If you have plenty of experience, put your work history first.

What to leave out

The National Careers Service says you should not include your age, date of birth, marital status or nationality. Photographs are not part of the sections it recommends either, so unless an employer specifically asks for one, leave it out. Some UK recruitment processes remove personal details before applications are reviewed, so there is nothing to gain from adding them. For example, the Department for Business and Trade explains that its sift stage hides details such as name and age so the panel can focus on skills and experience.

How to Write a UK CV Step by Step

Step 1 — Choose the Right UK CV Format

For most applicants, a reverse-chronological CV works best. You list your most recent job first and work backwards. Employers can see your current level quickly, and the format suits most applicant tracking systems (ATS), which are software tools many employers use to store and search applications.

Some practical formatting guidelines:

Length. JobHelp says the ideal CV is no more than two sides of A4. Treat two pages as a sensible target, not a rule. A graduate may need only one page, and an experienced professional may need slightly more if every line earns its place.
Font. The National Careers Service suggests a clear font such as Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri in size 11 or bigger.
Consistency. Use the same style for dates, headings and bullets throughout.
Layout. Use headings and bullet points so the reader can scan quickly.
Simplicity. Avoid text boxes, tables, icons and graphics for core content. Some ATS tools may not read them reliably, so keep your key information in plain text.

If you have large gaps in your history, a skills-based layout can help, but keep an honest timeline so the reader is not left guessing. The National Careers Service has advice on explaining gaps in work history.

Step 2 — Add Your Contact Details

Put your name at the top, then your phone number, email address and city or region. A full street address is not necessary. If you are applying from outside the UK, include the country code on your phone number (for example +977 for Nepal), and use an email address that looks professional, ideally based on your name.

Add a LinkedIn or portfolio link only if it is up to date and relevant.

Step 3 — Write a Strong Personal Profile

The profile is a few short lines directly under your contact details. The National Careers Service describes it as a summary of who you are and what you hope to do, written so you sound like the right person for the job.

A strong profile usually answers three questions in three or four lines:

Who are you professionally? Your role, level or field.
What can you offer? Two or three skills or strengths that match the vacancy.
What are you aiming for? The type of role you want, linked to the employer’s needs.

Avoid empty phrases like “hard-working team player” unless you back them up with evidence elsewhere. Examples appear later in this guide.

Step 4 — Highlight Relevant Skills

A short skills section helps both human readers and ATS software. Choose skills that appear in the job advert and that you can prove.

JobHelp advises finding the key words in each advert, such as the main tasks, personal qualities and action words, and using them in your CV. It adds that doing so can help your CV get through applicant tracking software.

Use the employer’s own terms where they are accurate. If the advert says “stakeholder communication” and you have done exactly that, say so. Do not claim skills you do not have just because they appear in the advert.

Step 5 — Describe Your Work Experience

For each role, the National Careers Service says to include the employer’s name, your job title, the dates you worked there, and what you did, usually in two to three lines. It suggests using the STAR method, which means describing the situation, your task, the action you took and the result.

List your most recent role first. Voluntary work and work placements count as experience too.

Write achievement-focused bullets rather than lists of duties. Compare these two:

Duty-focused: “Responsible for customer emails.”
Achievement-focused (illustrative): “Answered around 40 customer emails a day, cutting average reply time from two days to one by creating a set of template responses.”

The second version shows scale, action and result. Only use figures you can honestly support. If you do not have exact numbers, describe the outcome in words, such as “reduced repeat queries by introducing a clearer FAQ page.”

JobHelp also suggests tailoring your employment history to focus on relevant experience, and says it can be worth making more of a small job if it fits the role well.

Step 6 — List Your Education and Qualifications

Include the name of each qualification, the institution and the dates you attended. The National Careers Service lists exactly these items.

For overseas qualifications, write the qualification title as it appears on your certificate and add the country. You do not need to convert grades yourself. If you want help understanding how your qualification compares to UK levels, UK ENIC provides a comparison service, but check an employer’s requirements before paying for anything. Many employers do not ask for this at the CV stage.

Step 7 — Add Relevant Certifications

Add certifications, licences or short courses that relate to the role. This might include professional memberships, first-aid certificates, software certifications or language tests. Include the awarding body and the year.

Only list items that help your case. An out-of-date or unrelated certificate takes space away from stronger content.

Step 8 — Tailor Your CV to the Job Description

JobHelp says plainly that you should not use the same CV for every application, because tailoring shows an employer you have read the job description and understood how you fit the role. The National Careers Service gives the same advice and suggests highlighting skills the employer has asked for.

A practical way to tailor your CV in about twenty minutes:

Print or copy the job advert and underline the essential requirements.
Match each requirement to a real example from your history.
Rewrite your profile so the first line reflects the role you are applying for.
Move your most relevant bullets to the top of each job entry.
Remove details that do not help for this particular vacancy.

Keep a master CV with all your experience, then create a shorter tailored version for each application.

Step 9 — Proofread and Save Your CV

Check spelling, grammar, dates and contact details. The National Careers Service recommends asking someone else to read it, and JobHelp points out that a typo-free CV shows professionalism.

Then save it carefully:

Use a clear file name, such as Firstname-Lastname-CV.docx.
Check the vacancy for the file type it asks for. If it does not say, a Word document or a standard PDF is usually safe, but always follow the employer’s instructions.
Open the saved file once more to check the layout has not moved.

JobHelp also warns applicants to be careful with AI writing tools. It says they can help you get started but may lack your personality, and that employers can often spot heavily AI-written applications. Whatever tools you use, make sure the final wording is yours and every claim is true.

UK CV Template You Can Copy

Copy the text below into Word or Google Docs, replace every item in square brackets, and delete any section you do not need. The text in brackets is guidance, so remove it before sending.

[FULL NAME]
[Phone number with country code] | [Professional email address] | [City, Country] | [LinkedIn or portfolio URL, optional]

PERSONAL PROFILE
[3–4 lines. Say who you are professionally, your two or three most relevant strengths for this job, and the type of role you are applying for. Match the language of the job advert where it is true.]

KEY SKILLS
- [Skill 1 from the job advert that you can prove]
- [Skill 2]
- [Skill 3]
- [Skill 4]
- [Skill 5]

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

[Job title] | [Employer name], [City, Country] | [Month Year] – [Month Year or Present]
- [Achievement: what you did, how you did it, and the result]
- [Achievement 2]
- [Achievement 3]

[Job title] | [Employer name], [City, Country] | [Month Year] – [Month Year]
- [Achievement 1]
- [Achievement 2]

[Add earlier roles in the same format. Keep older, less relevant roles to one or two lines.]

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

[Qualification name, subject and grade if relevant] | [Institution], [Country] | [Year started] – [Year finished]
[Qualification name] | [Institution], [Country] | [Years]

CERTIFICATIONS AND TRAINING (optional)
- [Certification name], [Awarding body], [Year]
- [Course name], [Provider], [Year]

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (optional)
- Languages: [Language and level, e.g. English (fluent), Nepali (native)]
- Volunteering: [Role, organisation, dates, one line on what you did]
- Interests: [Only if they show relevant skills, e.g. captain of a sports team]

REFERENCES
References available on request.

Why “References available on request”? The National Careers Service says not to put someone else’s contact details on your CV and suggests this wording instead. Make sure you ask your referees for permission first.

UK CV Personal Profile Examples

The examples below are illustrative. They are not real candidates, and you should only adapt them using facts that are true for you.

Weak example

Hard-working and motivated person looking for a job in a good company where I can use my skills and grow. I am a fast learner and a team player.

Why it falls short: It could be about anyone. It names no field, skill or evidence, and it focuses on what the writer wants rather than what the employer needs.

Improved example: early-career applicant

Recent business administration graduate with experience coordinating events for a student society of 150 members. Confident with Excel and Google Workspace, and used to handling enquiries from students and external suppliers. Looking for an administrative assistant role where organisation and clear communication will support a busy office team.

Improved example: experienced professional

Customer service team leader with eight years’ experience in retail and e-commerce, including managing a team of ten. Skilled in handling escalated complaints, coaching new staff and improving service processes. Seeking a customer operations role where I can improve service quality and support team development.

Notice that both examples name a field, give two or three relevant strengths, and state the target role. Adapt the numbers and details so they reflect your real experience.

UK CV Example for International Job Seekers

If you have worked or studied outside the UK, you can present that experience clearly without pretending it happened elsewhere. Here is a short illustrative excerpt. The person, employer and figures are invented to show the format.

PERSONAL PROFILE
Accountant with six years' experience in audit and financial reporting in Kathmandu, Nepal. Experienced in month-end close, budgeting and preparing reports for senior managers. Fluent English speaker seeking a finance assistant or junior accountant role in the UK.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Senior Accounts Officer | [Company name], Kathmandu, Nepal | Jan 2022 – Present
- Prepared monthly management reports for the finance director, reducing preparation time by two working days through a standard Excel template.
- Reconciled supplier accounts and resolved discrepancies with vendors.
- Trained two junior colleagues on accounting software and reporting procedures.

EDUCATION
Bachelor of Business Studies (Accounting) | [University name], Nepal | 2015 – 2019

Tips for overseas applicants

Be specific about location. Include the city and country for each role so UK readers understand where the work took place.
Translate, don’t assume. Explain job titles, qualifications or systems that UK employers may not recognise, using a short bracket where needed.
Show transferable skills. Focus on what the work involved, such as the tools you used, the people you managed and the results you achieved, rather than on terms specific to one country.
Evidence your English. If the role needs strong English, mention relevant study, work in English or a recognised test result if you have one.
Skip personal details. Leave out nationality, date of birth, marital status and photographs, in line with the National Careers Service guidance.

Work eligibility and visa sponsorship

Your CV does not decide whether you can work in the UK, and its format cannot give you sponsorship. Eligibility depends on UK immigration rules and your personal circumstances.

Read each vacancy carefully. Some employers say they cannot sponsor visas, some say they can, and some do not mention it.
GOV.UK explains that a Skilled Worker visa generally requires a job offer from a Home Office-approved employer, a certificate of sponsorship, an eligible occupation and a minimum salary.
GOV.UK’s work visa overview lists other routes, including some that do not require a job offer. Use the official Check if you need a UK visa service to see what applies to you.
Rules and thresholds change, so always check the official pages before you apply.

If you want to say something about your status on your CV, only do so if it is accurate and relevant, for example “Right to work in the UK: [accurate statement]”. If you are unsure, leave it out and answer honestly when the employer asks. Employers must carry out right to work checks before someone starts, and GOV.UK has guidance on how those checks work.

How to Write a UK CV With No Experience

Not having a paid job in your history does not mean you have nothing to say. The National Careers Service says that if you are applying for your first job, you can focus on skills you have learned through projects, work experience or volunteering. The Civil Service Careers site gives similar guidance, noting that work history can include voluntary work and experience from school, college, clubs and hobbies.

What to use instead of paid employment:

Education. Put your education section first. Include relevant modules, a dissertation or major projects.
Volunteering. Describe what you did and what you achieved, such as helping at a food bank or supporting a charity event.
Projects. Academic, personal or community projects can show planning, research and teamwork.
Training and courses. Online courses, workshops and short certificates show that you are building skills.
Hobbies and responsibilities. The National Careers Service gives the example of captaining a sports team, which can show leadership and organisation. Include these only when they demonstrate something the job needs.

Here is one illustrative bullet written from a volunteering role:

Organised a weekly collection rota for a community group of 12 volunteers, ensuring every shift was covered for three months.

Use a short skills-based profile, keep the CV to one page if possible, and match your examples to what the advert asks for.

Common UK CV Mistakes to Avoid

Sending the same CV everywhere. Both JobHelp and the National Careers Service advise tailoring.
Including personal details that are not needed. Age, date of birth, marital status and nationality should stay off, according to the National Careers Service.
Writing duties instead of achievements. Show results wherever you honestly can.
Making the CV too long. Aim for around two pages unless there is a strong reason to go beyond that.
Using fancy design for important content. Heavy graphics, columns and text boxes can cause trouble for some ATS tools and for readers on small screens.
Leaving out key words from the advert. Use the employer’s language where it truthfully matches your experience.
Typos and inconsistent formatting. Ask someone else to read your CV before you send it.
Exaggerating or inventing experience. Employers can check, and it can damage your application at any stage.
Assuming a CV secures sponsorship. Visa routes depend on official rules, not on how you write your CV.
Ignoring special application processes. Some public-sector roles, for example, may ask you to complete a form or personal statement in a particular way. Follow the instructions in the vacancy.

Frequently Asked Questions About UK CVs

How long should a UK CV be?

JobHelp says the ideal CV is no more than two sides of A4. For many people, one to two pages is a helpful target. It is a widely followed convention rather than a legal rule, so choose the length that lets you present relevant information clearly.

Should I include a photo on my UK CV?

Usually not. A photo is not part of the CV sections recommended by the National Careers Service, and some UK recruitment processes deliberately hide personal details when reviewing applications. Include one only if an employer specifically asks for it.

Should I include my nationality?

No. The National Careers Service advises against including your nationality, along with your age, date of birth and marital status. If a vacancy asks about your right to work, answer that question truthfully and directly in the application.

Can I write a UK CV without experience?

Yes. Lead with education, then add volunteering, projects, training and transferable skills. See the “No Experience” section above for ideas and an example.

Should I include references?

You do not need to list names and phone numbers. The National Careers Service suggests writing “References available on request”, and it recommends not putting someone else’s contact details on your CV. Make sure you have your referees’ agreement before an employer contacts them.

Can I use the same CV for every job?

It is better not to. JobHelp says tailoring shows an employer that you have read the job description, and the National Careers Service recommends matching your CV to the job and company. You can keep one master CV, then adapt it for each vacancy.

Does a UK CV guarantee visa sponsorship?

No. A CV is a job application document. Whether an employer can sponsor you, and whether you qualify for a visa, depends on the employer, the role and UK immigration rules. Check the vacancy and the official GOV.UK work visa guidance.