UK CV format
By Muhammad Ali, Founder of InstantCV · Last updated: September 11, 2026 · 7 min read
A UK CV is two pages, with no photo, no date of birth and no marital status. It opens with your name, city, phone and email, then a personal statement, work experience in reverse chronological order, education, skills, and nothing else unless the role calls for it.
What is the correct UK CV format?
Two pages of A4, single column, in reverse chronological order, with a short personal statement at the top. UK recruiters treat two pages as the norm rather than a limit to fight for, and a one-page CV is common only for students and career starters.
The distinguishing feature of the UK format is what it leaves out. No photograph, no date of birth, no nationality, no marital status and no full postal address. UK employers avoid collecting those details for equality-law reasons, and including them signals unfamiliarity with the market.
| Section | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name and contact | 2-3 lines | Name, city, phone, email, LinkedIn — no street address |
| Personal statement | 3-4 lines | Role, years of experience, two quantified results |
| Work experience | Most of page one and two | Job title, employer, city, dates, 3-5 bullets |
| Education | 3-6 lines | Degree, institution, years; A-levels for early career |
| Skills | 2-3 lines | 8-14 terms taken from the advertisement |
| Certifications | Optional | Chartership, licences, memberships |
| Interests | Optional, 1 line | Only if genuinely relevant to the role |
| References | Omit | Supplied later; "available on request" wastes space |
What should a UK personal statement say?
It should name the role you are applying for, your years of experience, and two results with numbers in them — in three or four lines and without pronouns. "Operations manager with 8 years in FMCG logistics, reducing distribution cost per pallet by 14% and leading a 30-person warehouse team" tells a recruiter more than a paragraph about being passionate and hard-working.
Rewrite it for each application. Changing the job title to match the advertisement, and swapping in the two achievements closest to its main requirements, is a five-minute edit with a larger effect than any other change you can make.
How far back should a UK CV go?
Cover the last ten to fifteen years in detail and compress anything older into a single line listing job titles, employers and years. Nobody hiring today needs three bullets about a role you left in 2005, and the space is better spent on recent, relevant results.
Explain employment gaps briefly and factually on the CV itself — "Career break, 2023-2024: full-time caring responsibilities" — rather than leaving a hole a reader has to guess about. UK recruiters are used to career breaks and treat an unexplained gap far more suspiciously than an explained one.
Common UK-specific details to get right
- Dates as "Mar 2021 - Present" or "03/2021 - Present", consistently throughout.
- British spelling: organised, programme, specialise, centre.
- Grades as "2:1 BSc", "First-class honours", or A-level grades for early careers.
- Right to work stated only if it is not obvious and the advert asks for it.
- Salary expectations left off the CV entirely.
Do UK employers use applicant tracking systems?
Most large ones do, including the NHS, the civil service, retail and hospitality groups, banks and any employer hiring through a major job board. That means the same rules apply as anywhere else: single column, conventional headings, no text boxes, no content in the page header, and a text-based PDF you can select text in.
Public-sector applications add a second stage. Many NHS and civil service roles are scored against published essential and desirable criteria, so your CV and supporting statement should use the criteria's own wording and give one piece of evidence per criterion.
Should a UK CV include a cover letter?
Include one whenever there is a field for it or an email to send to. A UK cover letter is one page, addressed to a named person where possible, and structured as: the role you are applying for, why you fit it with two pieces of evidence, why this employer specifically, and a closing line about availability.
Do not restate the CV. The letter's job is to connect your evidence to the advertisement's priorities and to explain anything the CV cannot — a relocation, a career change, or a gap.
How does a UK CV differ from a US resume?
Length and vocabulary mostly. A US resume is usually one page under ten years of experience and is called a resume, not a CV; in the UK two pages is standard and "CV" is the everyday word. Both drop the photo and personal details, so a UK CV converts to a US resume by trimming to one page and switching to American spelling.
The bigger differences are in tone. US resumes lean harder on scale and superlatives; UK CVs read as understated, with the evidence carrying the claim. Keep the numbers and drop the adjectives.
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Open the free resume builderResume examples for this guide
- Marketing manager CV example in a UK two-page format
- Registered nurse CV example for NHS-style applications
- Business analyst CV example with quantified results
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Frequently asked questions
How long should a UK CV be?
Two pages of A4 is the norm, and one page is expected only for students and career starters. Cover the last 10-15 years in detail and compress older roles into a single line.
Should a UK CV include a photo?
No. UK employers avoid collecting photographs, dates of birth, nationality and marital status for equality-law reasons, and including them signals unfamiliarity with the market.
Do I need my full address on a UK CV?
No — city and region is enough, alongside your phone, email and LinkedIn. A full postal address takes space and is no longer expected.
Should I list references on a UK CV?
No. References are supplied later in the process, and "references available on request" is treated as filler that costs you a line you could spend on an achievement.
How do I explain an employment gap on a UK CV?
State it briefly and factually on the CV, for example "Career break, 2023-2024: full-time caring responsibilities". An explained gap is read far more favourably than an unexplained one.
How is a UK CV different from a US resume?
Length and tone: two pages rather than one, British spelling, and understated phrasing with the numbers carrying the claim. Both omit the photo and personal details.