United Kingdom CV advice & formatting requirements

Applying for a job in the United Kingdom? This guide contains advice, examples, and formatting requirements to help you write the perfect CV for the UK.

Language differences between a UK CV and a US resume

UK English (or British English) and US English do have some differences. This section covers the main ones.

Do they call it a Resume or CV in the United Kingdom?

They prefer to call it a CV. While most people understand what is meant by resume, it will make you sound American.

Note: If you're converting your US resume to a UK CV, remember to rename the file e.g. change "matthew-resume.pdf" to "matthew-cv.pdf".

Curriculum vitae is also understood but rarely used.

Make sure to use British English, not American English

Most people are used to reading American English, given it's the dominant language on the internet.

However, British people still prefer to see British English used on a resume for a job in the United Kingdom. Most spell checkers will have an option to switch between English (USA) and English (GB).

Note: The United Kingdom is often called Great Britain as well. So the abbreviation for the country can be both UK and GB. This is a little confusing, even for people who live in the UK!

Common spelling differences between the UK and USA:

• "Labour" not "Labor"

• "Colour" not "Color"

• "Optimise" not "Optimize"

How long should a UK CV be?

Your UK CV should be 1-2 A4 pages. Most hiring managers and recruiters won't read anything longer as they're reviewing so many applications.

The only exceptions are:

• You have significant experience (more than 15 years)

• The job application asks for more information than you can fit on 2 pages

Note: Use the A4 page size for your UK CV. Do not use US Letter size.

What sections should I include on my UK CV?

The UK government recommends including the following sections on your CV:

1. Contact information (name, email, phone number)

2. Personal statement (optional)

3. Professional Experience

4. Education

5. References (optional)

You can also add other sections such as key skills or languages but it's recommended that at a minimum, you include your contact details, career history, and education.

Contact Information

You should include:

• Name

• Email

• Phone number

Make sure to use a professional sounding email address e.g. "firstname.lastname@gmail.com".

Adding your home address can help with some job applications who are looking for local candidates. If you're worried about sharing this information, you can include a shortened address e.g. "London, UK" instead of "123 Holloway Road, London, UK".

Should I include a photo on my UK CV?

Do not include a photo on your UK CV unless the job application specifically asks for one.

It is not common practice to include a photo on your CV in the United Kingdom. Many hiring managers will assume you're applying from outside the UK if you include one.

In extreme cases, some HR departments will automatically reject CVs which have a photo as they're worried about appearing biased.

Should I include my date of birth on my UK CV?

The UK's National Careers Service states that you should not include your date of birth on your UK CV.

It's illegal to discriminate based on age in the UK. Therefore employers should be judging your job application without considering your age as a factor.

Personal Statement

Your CV should begin with a brief summary of your experience. This should be 1-3 lines of text (anything longer and the hiring manager will probably skip to the next section). Highlight your key experience and any skills which are listed on the job description that you possess.

Example for an experienced professional:

Delivery Driver with 5 years' experience operating heavy goods vehicles. Hold the full Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). Strong knowledge of major roads.

Example for a recent graduate:

Economics graduate from the University of Nottingham. 3 months of marketing internship experience with Capital One.

Professional Experience (career history)

Display your current and previous jobs in reverse chronological order. This means your current or most recent job should be at the top of this section, followed by your second most recent job etc.

Use this section to showcase your achievements in each role and to highlight any skills you developed during that job that are relevant to this job application. If you can quantify those achievements with numbers, you definitely should do so.

Example:

Summer Intern (Accounting Firm)

• Intensive residential training course covering the basics of bookkeeping, tax, audit, and client interview skills

• 5 weeks audit experience at a variety of Public Limited Companies involving responsibility for several areas of the balance sheet and tackling investigative work

• 1 week spent in Corporate Financial Services division as part of the liquidations team

• Considerable client contact which ranged from meeting finance directors to interviewing junior clerks

Education

Education should also be listed in reverse chronological order (most recent first). Include all relevant degrees, certifications. Make sure to include the names of the institutions which awarded those degrees, certifications, or exams. You should also include the dates.

The Education section should come after the Professional Experience section unless you're a recent graduate or you're applying for an academic job.

Example:

University of Nottingham

BA (Hons) Economics - 2:1

• Dissertation: An evaluation of development zones in India

What font and font size should be used on a UK CV?

Use a traditional font like Times New Roman, Arial, Roboto, or Inter.

If you want a guide on font sizes, use size 14 for your name and section titles (e.g. Professional Experience, Education) and size 11 for your content.

You can increase or decrease these font sizes a little to make your content fill or fit onto 1-2 pages. However, it's advised not to use a font smaller than size 10 as some people will have difficulty reading such a small font.

Summary of how to write a CV for the United Kingdom

Here's a checklist for your UK CV to make sure your job application looks professional.

1. It's called a CV, not a resume

2. Use UK English, not American English

3. The correct length is usually 1-2 sides of A4 paper

4. Include your contact information (name, email, phone number), career history, and education as a minimum

5. Do not include your photo or date of birth (unless the job application asks for them)

That's all folks. Good luck with your job applications in the United Kingdom!