What makes a UK CV different
If you are applying for jobs in Britain and have previously worked or studied elsewhere, your existing CV almost certainly needs updating before you submit it. UK employers have conventions around length, layout and personal information that differ significantly from US, European and many international formats.
The word "CV" stands for curriculum vitae — Latin for "course of life." In the UK, CV and résumé are sometimes used interchangeably, but the standard document for most job applications is a two-page CV. A one-page document is generally considered too brief for experienced candidates; three pages is occasionally acceptable for senior or academic roles.
UK CVs are typically two pages. A one-page résumé is standard in the US but can appear underprepared to a British employer reviewing experienced candidates. Do not try to compress everything onto one page unless you are a recent graduate with limited experience.
UK CV vs US résumé — the main differences
If you are relocating from the United States, the differences between a UK CV and a US résumé are significant enough that starting from scratch is often easier than adapting what you have.
| Feature | UK CV | US Résumé |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 2 pages standard | 1 page preferred |
| Photo | ✗ Not included | ✗ Not included |
| Date of birth | ✗ Never include | ✗ Never include |
| Personal statement | ✓ Usually included (3–5 lines) | Optional summary |
| Spelling | British English (colour, organise) | American English (color, organize) |
| Objective statement | ✗ Not used — use a personal profile instead | Sometimes used |
| References | "References available on request" — do not list on the CV | Similar convention |
| Reverse chronology | ✓ Most recent role first | ✓ Most recent role first |
| GPA / grade equivalents | Degree classification instead (First, 2:1, 2:2) | GPA if high |
The standard UK CV structure
A well-structured UK CV follows a predictable order. While some variation exists across industries, deviating significantly from this structure may make your application harder to skim-read — and most hiring managers spend less than thirty seconds on an initial review.
1. Contact details
Your name, city (not full address), professional email address and phone number. Include your LinkedIn URL if your profile is up to date and relevant. Do not include your date of birth, nationality, marital status, or a photograph — these are not expected and can expose employers to unconscious bias claims.
- Date of birth or age
- Marital status
- Nationality or immigration status
- A photograph
- Your National Insurance number
- Full home address (city and region is sufficient)
- Your gender or religion
2. Personal profile (professional summary)
This is the first thing most UK employers read after your name. Three to five sentences at the top of your CV, in the first or third person, summarising who you are professionally, your key strengths, and the type of role you are looking for.
This section should be tailored for each application — a generic profile is immediately noticeable. Avoid vague phrases like "hardworking self-starter" or "excellent communicator" without backing them up. Aim for specific, credible claims that reflect what is in the rest of your CV.
"Financial analyst with seven years of experience in the energy sector, specialising in regulatory reporting and IFRS compliance. Relocating to the UK from Toronto with existing right to work. Track record of reducing month-end close time by 30% through process automation. Seeking a senior analyst role in a regulated UK business."
3. Work experience
Listed in reverse chronological order — most recent role first. For each position include: job title, employer name, location, and employment dates (month and year). Under each role, use short bullet points to describe your responsibilities and, more importantly, your achievements.
UK employers respond well to achievement-focused bullet points — what you actually delivered, not just what your job was. Use numbers and outcomes wherever possible.
✓ Achievement-focused (do this)
- Reduced customer complaint resolution time from 5 days to 48 hours
- Led a team of 8 in delivering a £2.4m infrastructure project on time
- Grew organic social media following by 140% in twelve months
- Introduced a new onboarding process reducing 3-month staff turnover by 25%
✗ Duty-focused (avoid this)
- Responsible for dealing with customer complaints
- Managed a team of employees on a project
- In charge of the company's social media channels
- Helped to improve the onboarding process for new starters
For roles more than fifteen years ago, a single-line entry (job title, employer, years) is usually sufficient unless that experience is directly relevant to the application.
4. Education
Listed in reverse chronological order. Include the name of the institution, your qualification, and the year you graduated. Include the grade if it is strong — a First or 2:1 at a British university is worth mentioning. If you studied overseas, include the equivalent UK classification if you have a UK ENIC statement of comparability.
For graduates applying for their first professional role, education often moves above work experience. For everyone else with meaningful work history, it belongs below.
If your degree was awarded outside the UK, consider obtaining a Statement of Comparability from UK ENIC (formerly NARIC). This maps your qualification to the equivalent UK level and can reassure employers who are unfamiliar with overseas educational systems. See our guide to getting your qualifications recognised.
5. Skills
A short section listing hard skills — software, tools, languages, professional certifications. Do not list soft skills like "communication" or "teamwork" here; these should be demonstrated through your experience bullet points rather than stated baldly. Language skills are worth including if they are genuinely at a professional level — indicate your proficiency clearly (fluent, working proficiency, conversational).
6. Interests (optional)
This section is optional and increasingly less common. If you include it, make it specific and genuine — it should either add something to your application or give an interviewer a conversation starter. "Travelling and socialising" tells an employer nothing. "Playing competitive chess at club level" or "long-distance cycling — completed the 1,000km Transcontinental Race qualifier in 2025" is memorable and credible.
Formatting and presentation
UK employers receive high volumes of CVs, particularly for popular roles. Clear formatting makes the difference between a document that gets read and one that gets skipped.
Length — the two-page rule
Two pages is the standard for most candidates with several years of experience. One page is appropriate for recent graduates or those with minimal work history. Three pages is very occasionally acceptable for senior executive or academic CVs, but as a general rule, if you are going to three pages, something needs cutting.
Fonts, spacing and layout
- Use a clean, professional font at 10–12pt for body text. Calibri, Garamond, Georgia and similar serif or neutral sans-serif fonts read well. Avoid ornate or decorative typefaces.
- Keep margins at approximately 1.5–2cm on all sides. Do not reduce margins to squeeze content onto fewer pages — it makes the document harder to read.
- Use consistent formatting throughout: the same heading style, the same bullet style, the same date format.
- Save and send as a PDF unless specifically asked for a Word document. PDFs preserve your formatting across devices.
- File name should include your name: Jane-Smith-CV.pdf, not CV-2025.pdf or my-cv-final-v3.pdf.
Use British English throughout
This is easy to overlook if you have lived and worked in the US or another English-speaking country. UK employers will notice Americanisms — "organize" instead of "organise", "center" instead of "centre", "labor" instead of "labour". Run your finished CV through a British English spell-checker before submitting.
- -ise not -ize: organise, recognise, specialise, analyse
- -our not -or: colour, behaviour, honour, labour
- -re not -er: centre, theatre, programme
- -ence not -ense: defence, licence (noun), offence
- Double L: travelling, fulfilling, modelling
Tailoring your CV for each application
A generic CV sent to every employer will almost always underperform a tailored one. UK employers, particularly those using Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), look for specific keywords from the job description. A CV that mirrors the language and priorities of the role it is applying for will progress further.
You do not need to rewrite your entire CV for every application. The sections that should change are your personal profile, the ordering of bullet points within each role (put the most relevant ones first), and possibly the skills section. The structure and core content can stay consistent.
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Most large UK employers and recruitment agencies now use ATS software to filter CVs before a human reads them. This software scans for keywords from the job description. Practical implications:
- Use the exact job title from the posting if it accurately describes what you do
- Mirror the language in the person specification — if they say "stakeholder management", use "stakeholder management" rather than a synonym
- Avoid putting key information in headers, footers, tables or text boxes — ATS systems often cannot read these
- Use standard section headings: "Work Experience", "Education", "Skills" — creative alternatives may not be parsed correctly
- Submit as PDF or Word as directed — some older ATS systems do not handle PDFs well, so follow the employer's instructions
The covering letter
A covering letter (the UK term — "cover letter" is the US equivalent) is expected for many UK job applications, particularly in professional and graduate roles. Even when listed as optional, a well-written covering letter is an opportunity most strong candidates take.
A UK covering letter should be one page, addressed to a named person where possible, and structured as: why you are interested in this specific role and company; what you bring that is relevant; and a brief, confident closing.
It is not a retelling of your CV. It is an argument for why you are the right person for this particular job at this particular organisation. Use it to explain anything that your CV cannot — a career change, a gap, a relocation, or a genuine connection to the organisation's mission.
If you are relocating to the UK
International candidates face a few specific challenges when applying for jobs in Britain. Addressing them clearly on your CV reduces uncertainty for the employer.
Right to work
UK employers have a legal obligation to check that anyone they hire has the right to work in the UK before they start. You are not required to state your immigration status on your CV, but if you have the right to work already — for example, through a Skilled Worker Visa, a Graduate Visa, or British citizenship — it is worth stating this clearly in your personal profile or covering letter. It removes a significant point of uncertainty for hiring managers.
Employers conduct right to work checks for all new starters — not just non-UK nationals. This is now typically done digitally through the UK Visas and Immigration online portal. You will be asked to share a code that allows your employer to view your immigration status. See our dedicated guide to right to work checks explained.
Address and location
If you are applying from overseas and have not yet moved, it is generally better to either omit your address entirely or list the UK city you are moving to (with a note such as "relocating to London, March 2026"). Many UK employers are cautious about candidates still abroad — not because of discrimination, but because of the practical risk that an international move falls through. A clear statement that your relocation is confirmed and imminent reduces this concern.
Overseas qualifications on a UK CV
Write out the full name of your degree and institution. Do not assume that a UK employer will recognise an overseas institution or understand how your educational system works. If your degree class is not obvious from the name alone, either explain it briefly ("equivalent to a UK First-class Honours") or obtain a UK ENIC Statement of Comparability and mention it.
Explaining overseas employers
For companies that are well known globally — KPMG, Google, McKinsey, major multinationals — no explanation is needed. For companies that are regional or less well known in the UK, add a brief descriptor in brackets. "Senior analyst at Infosys (India's largest IT services company, 300,000+ employees)" is more informative than "Senior analyst at Infosys" to a UK recruiter who may not recognise the name.