A CV (curriculum vitae) is the document that gets you the interview. In the UK it is usually two pages, in reverse date order, with no photograph and no date of birth. Below are two templates you can copy into a word processor, followed by a guide to what goes in each section and how to adapt the CV for every job you apply for.
Template 1: the standard UK CV
[YOUR NAME] [Town or city] | [Phone number] | [Email address] | [LinkedIn or portfolio, if relevant] PROFILE [Two or three sentences: what you do, your strongest relevant experience, and what you are looking for. Written for this job.] KEY SKILLS [Six to eight short items that match the advert, for example: customer service, rota management, Excel, first aid, full driving licence.] EXPERIENCE [Job title], [Employer], [Town] [Month Year] to [Month Year or Present] - [Responsibility or achievement, starting with a verb, with a number where possible] - [Second point] - [Third point] [Previous job title], [Employer], [Town] [Month Year] to [Month Year] - [Point] - [Point] EDUCATION [Qualification], [Institution] [Year] [Qualification], [Institution] [Year] ADDITIONAL [Training courses, certificates, languages, volunteering, memberships] References available on request.
Template 2: the skills-led CV
Use this layout when you are changing career, returning to work after a break, or have gaps you would rather explain through what you can do than when you did it.
[YOUR NAME] [Town or city] | [Phone number] | [Email address] PROFILE [Two or three sentences on the direction you are taking and the strengths you bring to it.] SKILLS AND EVIDENCE [Skill 1, named as the advert names it] - [Where you used it and what happened] - [A second example] [Skill 2] - [Example] [Skill 3] - [Example] CAREER SUMMARY [Job title], [Employer] [Year] to [Year] [Job title], [Employer] [Year] to [Year] EDUCATION AND TRAINING [Qualification], [Institution] [Year] References available on request.
Section by section
Contact details
Name, town, phone number and a sensible email address on one or two lines at the top. The full postal address is no longer expected and takes space. Do not include your date of birth, marital status, nationality or a photograph; UK employers do not need them and most prefer not to see them. Make sure the email address is one you check daily and that it is your name, not a nickname.
Profile
Three sentences at most, rewritten for each application. Say what you are (a care assistant with four years in dementia care; a newly qualified electrician), the one thing that most qualifies you for this role, and what you want next. Avoid adjectives you cannot prove.
Key skills
A short list that mirrors the language of the advert. If the advert says “stock control” and you have done it, write “stock control”. Recruiters and application systems both search for the words in the job description.
Experience
Most recent job first. For each: title, employer, town and dates to the month. Then three to five bullet points that start with a verb and show results, not duties. “Handled around 40 customer calls a day and resolved 90 per cent at first contact” says more than “responsible for customer calls”. Give older or less relevant jobs one line each. Explain any gap longer than a few months in one honest phrase (caring for a relative, travel, study, redundancy).
Education
Reverse date order. Give the highest qualification in full. Summarise the rest: “9 GCSEs including English and Maths” is enough once you have a degree or several years of work. List a subject grade only when it matters for the role, such as an IT GCSE for an IT job.
Additional
Training, certificates, languages, a driving licence, volunteering and professional memberships. Interests are optional; include them only if they show something relevant or make a good conversation starter at interview, and leave out politics and religion.
References
“References available on request” is all that is needed. Do not put referees’ names and contact details on the CV; have two ready, usually your current or last manager and one other, and ask their permission before you give their names.
Making it fit the job
Keep a master CV with everything in it, then make a copy for each application and cut it to two pages by removing what that employer does not need. Reorder bullet points so the ones that match the advert come first. Check the profile and key skills against the advert every time. Save the result as a PDF named with your name and the job, and send it with a cover letter written for the same advert (see Cover Letters and the Cover Letter Template).
Layout and checking
- One plain font, 10.5 to 12 point, with clear headings and consistent dates.
- Two pages for most people; one page early in a career; three only in academia or senior technical roles.
- No tables, columns, graphics or text boxes that an applicant-tracking system might not read.
- Read it aloud, then have someone else read it. Spelling errors on a CV are a common reason for rejection. See the spelling guide.