If you’re searching for a job in the UK, it’s important that you write your CV in UK format.
Although CVs are largely the same across the globe, every region has style preferences that you need to adapt to if you want to get shortlisted for jobs.
This guide, along with 6 example CVs will show you the preferred CV format for the UK and provide you with some helpful notes on how to write your own interview-winning CV for the UK job market.
UK format Admin CV
Tips on creating a strong admin/office CV…
Head with an eye-catching CV profile
Ensure that UK recruiters and hiring managers are instantly impressed, by heading your CV with an introductory profile which summarises your skills and experience, like the sample CV above.
For best results, tailor this short paragraph to include key words from the job adverts you are applying for – this will make an instant first impression and encourage people to continue reading your CV.
Add a well-tailored core skills section
If you really want to ensure that busy recruiters and managers can quickly see your suitability, add a bullet pointed core skills section which reflects your most valuable skills and knowledge. This will create a snapshot that can be quickly seen from even a brief glance at the CV – ensuring the points aren’t missed.
Write powerful role descriptions
So that readers can understand your previous jobs and the value you added, make sure the roles are well structured and written.
Start with an outline sentence to give an overview of the job and the business of the employer.
List your office/admin responsibilities, being sure to detail who you interact with in the office, the skills you use, and how your work feeds into the business.
Finish each role with some quantified key achievements, to give employers an exact impression of how you have impacted the business positively.
UK customer service CV
Tips on creating a strong customer service CV…
Head with an eye-catching CV profile
Ensure your customer service CV catches the attention of UK recruiters and hiring managers by writing an introductory paragraph which explains why you are suitable for the roles you are applying for.
Tailor it to match the candidate requirements of the job you are applying to – and keep it brief as recruiters see hundreds of CVs every day and don’t want to spend too much time on each one.
Add a well-tailored core skills section
To ensure that your most in-demand skills are not missed – add a bullet pointed core skills section. The points will jump off the page and ensure that they are seen as soon as the CV is opened.
Pack this section full of essential customer service skills and qualifications.
Quick tip: If you worry that your spelling and grammar might not be correct, try using our quick-and-easy CV Builder to eliminate the risk of making mistakes.
Write powerful role descriptions
Head each role with an introduction to build some quick context for readers, outlining the role and who you work/worked for.
Bullet point your responsibilities to detail your interactions with customer and duties you perform within each job.
Add some achievements to give examples of impressive results you’ve achieved in sales or service. Add numbers to give them scale if you can.
CV UK format – Teaching roles
Tips on creating a strong teaching CV…
Head with an eye-catching CV profile
To catch the attention of recruiters and head-teachers, add a punchy profile to the top of your CV, which summarises your teaching skills and experience. It should be heavily tailored towards your target jobs so that recruiters can quickly see you are a suitable candidate.
Add a well-tailored core skills section
Make your most valuable skills stand out from the page by adding them to bullet pointed core skills section underneath your profile. This will help more UK recruiters stick to your CV as they browse through the hundreds of applications in their inbox.
Write powerful role descriptions
Your role descriptions give you a great chance to prove the impact you make in the workplace.
Start each role with an intro that describes the institution you work for and overview of what/who you teach there.
Bullet point your responsibilities to show the skills you use and how you provide education over the long-term
Add achievements to prove impact such as improved standards or impressive exam results.
UK Finance CV
Tips on creating a strong finance CV…
Head with an eye-catching CV profile
Hold the attention of recruiters and hiring managers by adding a powerful profile to the top of your CV. This is a short paragraph which summarises your skill set and quickly shows readers a high level overview of your suitability for the jobs you are applying to.
Add a well-tailored core skills section
Find out what the most important candidate requirements are for your target jobs, and add your matching skills and knowledge to a bullet pointed core skills section. This will highlight your most valuable skills to UK recruiters and help you get noticed as soon as the CV is opened.
Write powerful role descriptions
Start your roles with an intro to show readers who you work/worked for, and what the overall goal of each role is.
List your responsibilities in easy-to-read bullet points, so they can be easily skim-read by recruiters and hiring managers.
Round off each role with some impressive achievements that have had an impact on your employers or clients. Add figures to them if you really want to prove how valuable you are as an employee.
UK Graduate CV
Tips on creating a strong graduate CV…
Head with an eye-catching CV profile
To create an impact whenever your CV is opened, write an elevator-pitch style opening profile, or personal statement. This is the place to make a big first impression by explaining why you are a suitable candidate for the roles you are applying for by giving a summary of your studies, skills and even experience if you have any.
Add a well-tailored core skills section
Ensure that your most important skills and knowledge aren’t missed by adding a core skills section under your profile. Research your target jobs thoroughly, and add as many of the most frequently appearing candidate requirements as you can.
Write powerful role descriptions
If you have any work experience then add it into your career summary – if not, you can also add voluntary work or school/university work placements.
Provide an intro outline for every role to show who you worked for and what the overall function of the job was.
Bullet point your responsibilities to showcase the skills you applied, and how they affected your employer.
If you made any impressive achievements in those jobs, add them to the bottom of your CV to show how you made a positive impact in the role.
UK format IT CV
Tips on creating a strong IT CV…
Head with an eye-catching CV profile
Lead with a punchy paragraph at the top of your CV which summarises all of your tech and non-tech skills to create a solid first impression.
Be sure to tailor this profile to the jobs you are applying for so that recruiters can instantly see how suitable you are.
Quick tip: If you worry that your spelling and grammar might not be correct, try using our quick-and-easy CV Builder to eliminate the risk of making mistakes.
Add a well-tailored core skills section
Adding a bullet pointed list of core skills near the top the CV, ensure that recruiters can’t miss your most valuable skills.
Write powerful role descriptions
Head every role with an intro line to build context for readers, by outlining the company and role function.
List role responsibilities in concise bullet points to show how your technical skills are used to solve business problems.
Finish each role by listing some achievements that have had a positive effect on your employer
Writing a CV in UK format
The above examples should give you a good steer on how to create your own CV in UK format.
Here are a few final tips to help…
Think before including a photo of yourself – UK employers don’t need them to make hiring decisions, but they can add some personality to the document – especially if you work in a creative industry.
Keep it simple – UK recruiters tend to be very busy, so make your CV easy to read by keeping the font and layout simple. And keep the CV to around 2 pages in length, unlike an American-style resume which is often only one page long.
Do your research – Find out what skills and experience UK recruiters are looking for, so you can tailor your CV accordingly.
Good luck with your job search!