CV template for the UK: how to write a CV, with a layout to copy

A UK CV usually runs to no more than two sides of A4 and follows a set order: contact details, a short personal statement, work history with the most recent job first, education, then skills. Leave off your photo, date of birth, age, marital status and nationality, and tailor the CV to each job ad.

What does a UK CV look like?

A UK CV is a short, plain document that lets an employer decide quickly whether to interview you. The National Careers Service says it should include contact details, an introduction, your education, your work history and, if you like, a line on references. Most CVs add a skills section too.

The order that works for most people:

1. Name and contact details
2. Personal statement (three to five lines)
3. Work history, most recent job first
4. Education and qualifications
5. Skills, such as languages, software and licences
6. Interests, only if they are relevant
7. References, optional

If you are early in your career or have little work experience, move education above work history. The National Careers Service suggests exactly that swap.

How long should a CV be?

No more than two sides of A4 for most jobs. Prospects, the graduate careers site, quotes that as the standard advice. Students looking for part-time work can go shorter. Three pages can be justified for senior roles, academic CVs, some medical posts, or if you have had several relevant jobs in the last five to ten years.

To stay within two pages, keep only the main points. If an old job does not help with this application, summarise it in one line.

What goes in each section?

Contact details. Your name, phone number, email address and, if you have one, a link to your LinkedIn or portfolio. Use your name as the heading; Prospects advises against titling the document “Curriculum vitae”. If you post your CV on a public jobs site, Prospects suggests leaving your home address off. A town or city is enough.

Personal statement. A few short lines under your name that say who you are, what you are good at and what you want next. Make it fit the type of role you are applying for. Avoid stock phrases such as “team player” and “hardworking” unless you show them with an example.

Work history. For each job: the employer, your job title, the dates and two or three lines on what you did. The National Careers Service recommends the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) so each line ends in an outcome. Placements and volunteering count, so include them.

Education. The name of each qualification, where you studied and the dates, most recent first. Grades help if they are recent or the ad asks for them.

Skills. Languages, software you can genuinely use, a driving licence if the job needs one, and professional certifications named in full.

References. You do not need to name referees now. The National Careers Service says not to put other people’s contact details on your CV.

What should you leave off a UK CV?

Less is safer. The National Careers Service lists four things not to include: your age, your date of birth, whether you are married and your nationality. Prospects adds that you do not need a photograph unless you are applying for acting or modelling work.

There is a good reason. Under the Equality Act 2010, age is a protected characteristic, and Acas confirms that job applicants are protected from discrimination. Leaving those details off keeps the decision on your experience.

How do applicant-tracking systems read your CV?

Many large employers use an applicant-tracking system, or ATS. According to the University of Chester careers team, quoted by Prospects, these systems screen CVs for keywords from the job description and sort them into a priority shortlist before a person reads them.

To get through one:

• Use words from the ad. If the ad says “stakeholder management”, use that phrase, not a synonym.
• Name qualifications in full, as well as by any abbreviation.
• Use text only. An ATS cannot read images, logos or graphics, so skip skill bars, icons and photos.
• Keep to standard headings such as Work history and Education, so the system knows where each section starts.
• Send the file type the ad asks for. Not every ATS handles PDFs.

A plain one-column layout in a clear font is easiest for both the software and the recruiter. The National Careers Service recommends Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri at size 11 or bigger, headings and bullet points, and the same style throughout.

How do you tailor your CV to a job ad?

Keep one master CV with everything on it, then cut and reorder a copy for each application. The National Careers Service says tailoring can improve your chances of an interview, and Prospects calls the one-size-fits-all CV a mistake.

1. 1
   Read the ad twice

   Mark the essential criteria, the skills it repeats and the exact job title.

2. 2
   Match your statement

   Rewrite the personal statement so its first line answers what this employer most needs.

3. 3
   Reorder your bullet points

   Put the achievements that prove the essential criteria at the top of each role.

4. 4
   Mirror the keywords

   Use the ad's own words for skills and tools you really have, so an ATS can find them.

5. 5
   Cut what does not help

   Remove or shorten anything irrelevant until you are back within two pages.

6. 6
   Check and save

   Ask someone to proofread, then save as Firstname-Surname-CV in the format the ad asks for.

A CV layout you can copy

Copy the outline below into a blank document and replace the brackets. It follows the order above and keeps to plain text, so it is safe for an ATS.

[FIRST NAME SURNAME]
[Town or city] | [Mobile] | [Email] | [LinkedIn or portfolio link]

PERSONAL STATEMENT
[3 to 5 lines: who you are, your strongest relevant skills or results,
and the kind of role you want next.]

WORK HISTORY
[Job title] – [Employer], [Town]                     [Month Year] – [Month Year]
- [Achievement: what you did and the result, ideally with a number]
- [Achievement linked to a requirement in the ad]
- [Responsibility that shows a skill the ad asks for]

[Previous job title] – [Employer], [Town]            [Month Year] – [Month Year]
- [2 to 3 lines in the same style]

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS
[Qualification and grade] – [School, college or university]  [Year] – [Year]
[Professional certification, named in full]                  [Year]

SKILLS
- Languages: [language and level]
- Software: [tools you use confidently]
- Other: [driving licence or other job-relevant skills]

INTERESTS (optional)
[One line, only if it shows a skill relevant to the job]

REFERENCES
Available on request.

Gaps are normal, and the National Careers Service says so too. If you have one, Prospects suggests a brief, honest mention in the right section, with the dates and the reason, such as illness, caring for a relative or redundancy.

From a good CV to the right jobs

A tailored CV only pays off if you send it to ads that fit. Finding them is the slow part of a job search.

ARSIO’s agent reads the new job ads every morning, picks the ones that match your CV and prepares the application, so your time goes on tailoring and interviews.

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Common questions

Sources

1. How to write a CV, National Careers Service, read 10 November 2026
2. The STAR method, National Careers Service, read 10 November 2026
3. How to write a CV, Prospects, read 10 November 2026
4. Example CVs, Prospects, read 10 November 2026
5. Age discrimination: what the law says, Acas, read 10 November 2026