The British CV format, section by section
Keep this order. UK recruiters scan in this sequence and skipping or reordering sections costs you the first screen.
1. Header and contact details
Full name, target job title, city, phone with +44 or your international code, professional email and LinkedIn URL. Add one line on right to work if you hold a visa or need sponsorship. Leave out your full home address, photo, date of birth, nationality, marital status and National Insurance number.
2. Personal profile (3 to 4 lines)
Years of relevant experience, your sector, two concrete achievements and the role you are targeting. This is the only block most recruiters read in full, so write it as a pitch, not a personality description.
3. Key skills block
Six to eight grouped lines covering tools, methods and domains. This is where ATS keyword matching happens, so mirror the exact wording of the job advert wherever it is genuinely true of you. Drop skill rating bars.
4. Work experience
Reverse chronological. Job title, company, city, dates, one short context line (team size, revenue, market), then three to five bullets. Each bullet: action, method, result. Numbers beat adjectives every time.
5. Education and qualifications
Degree, institution, classification (2:1, first class honours) and year. Professional qualifications such as ACCA, CIPD, PRINCE2, CIMA or chartered status belong here, or in the header when they are central to the role.
6. Additional information
Languages with levels, right to work and notice period, plus volunteering or publications when they support the application. Keep it to four lines.
UK CV format at a glance
The formatting rules that make the difference between a parsed CV and a rejected one.
| Element | British standard |
|---|---|
| Length | 2 A4 pages (1 page under 3 years of experience) |
| Order | Reverse chronological |
| File type | PDF to employers, .docx master for agencies |
| File name | Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf |
| Font | Calibri, Arial, Helvetica or Georgia, 10 to 11.5pt |
| Margins | 1.5cm to 2cm, single column |
| Photo | No |
| Personal details | No date of birth, nationality, marital status or NI number |
| Degree | Include classification (2:1, first class); convert foreign grades |
| Spelling | UK English: organised, programme, analyse |
| Referees | Not listed. "References available on request" is optional and usually omitted |
The same format works for Ireland with minor wording changes: work authorisation instead of right to work, and an Irish phone number if you have one.
What breaks a UK CV
Every item here is something we see weekly on CVs that were not getting replies.
- ·Two column layouts, sidebars and text boxes, which applicant tracking systems read out of order or skip entirely.
- ·A US style one page resume with an objective statement instead of an achievement led profile.
- ·A photo, date of birth or marital status, which UK employers do not want and many legally strip.
- ·Duties written as job descriptions rather than achievements with numbers.
- ·No mention of right to work, which leaves recruiters guessing and quietly rejecting.
- ·American spelling and American date formats on a document targeting British employers.
- ·A file named cv-final-v3.pdf, which reads as careless before the document is even opened.
UK CV format in PDF and Word
Both formats matter, and for different reasons.
Use it for direct applications and company careers sites. It preserves layout exactly, and every modern ATS parses text-based PDFs. Never export as an image.
Word (.docx)
Keep a master copy. UK recruitment agencies routinely reformat CVs onto their own template, and a few older portals still parse .docx more reliably than PDF.
ATS check
Before sending, copy your CV text into a plain text file. If the order scrambles or sections vanish, the ATS sees the same mess. Our free analysis does this automatically.
Next steps
Three ATS-safe templates built to the UK and Irish format, no email required.
Applying in Ireland too? The format is nearly identical, with a few wording differences worth knowing.
Sponsorship rules, salary thresholds and which roles qualify in 2026.
One-to-one help with positioning, applications and interviews in the London market.
Upload your CV and get an instant score against the criteria UK employers screen on.
What clients say about working with us
“My experience with HULA Career exceeded my expectations. They provided exceptional guidance throughout every step of my dream job search. I am incredibly grateful to Hugo and Laura for their unwavering support.”
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“If you're looking for any career related help or advice in Ireland, HULA is the one for you. Hugo and Laura are two of the sweetest and kind hearted people who go above and beyond to support you.”
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“They are excellent professionals and exceed expectations. They helped me in a practical way, but also in a psychological way so that I could position myself in the labour market in another country. Thank you so much, you're amazing.”
Want a second opinion before you send it?
Run your CV through the free ATS analysis, or book a free consultation and we will tell you honestly how it reads to a British recruiter.
Written by
Hugo Faria
Career coach and co-founder of HULA. He works every week with international professionals hiring into Ireland, the UK and Portugal, and coaches them through CV, LinkedIn, applications and interviews. More about Hugo.
Frequently asked questions
What is the standard CV format in the UK?+
Two A4 pages, reverse chronological, in this order: name and contact details, a three to four line personal profile, a key skills block, work experience with measurable achievements, education and qualifications, then a short additional information section. No photo, no date of birth, no marital status, no National Insurance number. International candidates add one line stating right to work status.
Is a British CV different from an American resume?+
Yes. A British CV is normally two pages and achievement led, while an American resume is often one page. The word resume itself signals you have not adapted to the UK market. Convert a US resume to the two page British CV format before applying.
Should a UK CV be a PDF or a Word document?+
Send a PDF for direct applications because it preserves layout. Keep a Word (.docx) master copy, because UK recruitment agencies frequently reformat CVs onto their own template and some older application portals parse .docx more reliably. Never send a scanned image.
How long should a UK CV be?+
Two pages for most professionals. One page works below three years of experience. Three pages only for academic or very senior careers, and even then page one must carry the whole story.
Should I include a photo on a UK CV?+
No. UK employers do not expect one and many remove photos for fairness reasons under equality legislation. Images also break applicant tracking system parsing. Keep your photo on LinkedIn.
What font and layout should a UK CV use?+
A single column layout, a standard font such as Calibri, Arial, Helvetica or Georgia at 10 to 11.5pt, 1.5cm to 2cm margins, clear bold section headings and consistent dates. Avoid sidebars, tables, text boxes, icons and skill rating bars, which are the most common causes of a mis-parsed CV.
How do I mention my visa or right to work status?+
One line in the header or at the end of the profile, for example "British/Irish citizen, full right to work" or "Skilled Worker visa eligible, occupation on the Immigration Salary List". Saying it early removes the biggest silent rejection reason for international applications in the UK.
Should I include my degree classification?+
Yes. UK employers read classifications, so write 2:1, first class honours and so on. If your degree is from outside the UK, add the UK equivalent in brackets, for example a Brazilian or Portuguese grade converted to its UK classification.