How to write a CV for UK employers: a practical guide

Two UK sources set the standard: the National Careers Service, run by the government, and Prospects, the careers site used by universities. Between them they give you the rules for a British CV:

• Length: no more than two A4 pages (Prospects). Shorter if you are a student looking for part-time work, a little longer for academic CVs.
• Photo: not needed unless you are applying for acting or modelling work.
• Leave out: your age, date of birth, whether you are married, and your nationality (National Careers Service).
• Include: full name, home address, mobile number and email, plus a link to a professional profile such as LinkedIn.
• Order: reverse chronological, so the recruiter sees your latest work first.

1. 1Contact details at the top.
2. 2Personal profile: a few short lines under your name that sum up who you are and what you hope to do.
3. 3Work history: employer, job title, dates and what you did. Include placements, volunteering and paid jobs.
4. 4Education: qualifications, institution and dates. Straight after the profile if you are early in your career; after work history if you have more experience.
5. 5Skills and interests: brief and relevant.
6. 6References: “available on request”. Don't put other people's contact details on the CV.

The profile goes just under your name and contact details. It is a concise statement of your key attributes, and it should change with each application. Some employers think a graduate's profile risks being bland and generic, so be specific.

The National Careers Service suggests describing each role in two or three lines using STAR: the situation, the task, the action you took and the result. Starting each bullet with a verb and ending it with a result keeps it short.

You don't need a figure for every line, but add scale where you honestly can: how many clients, how often, how big.

If you have a gap in your work history, the National Careers Service has specific advice on how to explain it, rather than hiding it. If you have enough material for two pages, use them fully: Prospects points out that a recruiter will view a page and a half as inadequate and prefer a full second page to one that peters out halfway.

Check the job advert or the application instructions for the file format they want, or ask the recruiter, as Prospects advises. When in doubt, a PDF keeps your layout.

Tailor the CV to the role every time: the National Careers Service says to adjust it to the job or opportunity, highlighting the skills that match the description.

• Adding a photo, your date of birth or your marital status.
• Listing referees' contact details instead of “available on request”.
• A profile that could fit any job.
• Running to three pages, or stopping halfway down page two.
• Sending the same CV to every employer.

• Two pages at most, reverse chronological.
• No photo, age, marital status or nationality.
• A short profile tailored to the role.
• Two or three lines per job with results (STAR).
• “References available on request”.
• The file format the advert asks for.