CV examples and what a UK CV contains
A UK CV usually has contact details, a short introduction, work history and education, with the most recent first. The National Careers Service gives no page limit, and a university careers service says two sides of A4 is standard. Use an example to see the layout, then fill it with your own facts and adapt it to each job ad.
Before you copy a finished CV, look at what one is made of. Here are the sections, the order and the length that public UK sources describe, with short illustrations.
In this article
A CV example is useful for the layout, not for the words. This post sets out what two public UK sources say a CV contains, in what order and at what length, and gives a short illustration for each section. The illustrations show a pattern and are not taken from real people.
What does a UK CV contain?
A UK CV has contact details, a short introduction, work history and education, and optionally references. That is the list on the National Careers Service page. The page describes a CV as a summary of your skills, achievements and experience.
For contact details it says to give your name, phone number, email address and, if you have one, a link to a work network profile. It says to leave out your age, date of birth, marital status and nationality.
How do I order the sections?
Put work history before education if you have plenty of work experience, and education first if you are early in your career. The National Careers Service gives both options, and in both cases the introduction comes first, under your name and contact details. Within each section the most recent item goes first.
The University of Nottingham careers service calls this the chronological format and says most positions require it. It describes narrative CVs as mainly for grant applications and skills-based CVs as rarely used, though a skills-based CV may suit someone whose only work experience is a PhD.
How long should a CV be?
Two sides of A4 is the standard in most cases, according to the University of Nottingham careers service. The National Careers Service gives no page limit. It asks for a CV that is clear, to the point and easy to scan, because employers decide quickly whom to interview.
For layout, the National Careers Service suggests a clear font such as Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri at size 11 or larger, one consistent style, headings and bullet points. It also suggests asking someone else to proofread.
What does each section look like in an example?
Each section holds a small, specific set of facts. The lines below are illustrations of the pattern, not a finished CV and not a real person.
Introduction. A few short lines under your name that say who you are and what you hope to do. An illustration of the pattern: "Customer service assistant with two years in retail, applying for a support role in a housing association." If you want to go deeper, the guide How to write a CV summary covers this section.
Work history. For each role the National Careers Service asks for the employer name, job title, dates and what you did, in about two to three lines using the STAR method. An illustration: "Sales assistant, Example Store, 03/2023 to present. Handled returns at a busy till and trained two new starters on the stock system."
Education. The qualification, the school, college or university, and the dates you attended.
Achievements. The University of Nottingham page gives a before-and-after example of descriptive writing. A vague line about running a fundraising event and social media becomes a specific, quantified achievement, for instance a fundraising event that raised over £5,000. Use a figure only when you have a real one.
How do I adapt an example to a job?
Take the layout from the example, then rebuild the content from the job ad. The National Careers Service says to use the advert's description, the essential criteria and the company details, and to highlight the skills the employer asks for. The guide How to tailor your CV to a job description walks through that step by step.
What to do next
- Choose the layout: chronological, with the most recent first.
- Write your contact details and a short introduction.
- List your work history and education, using only facts you can explain at interview.
- Read the job ad and move the matching skills and results towards the top.
- Cut anything that does not help with this job, then check spelling.
Is my CV close to the job ad?
CVTailor reads the job ad and shows in the fit report which of its keywords your CV is missing. You can edit the CV before you download it.
Frequently asked questions
Should I copy a CV example word for word?
No. An example shows a layout and the kind of detail each section holds. The words, dates and results have to be yours, because the employer will ask about them at interview.
Do I put a photo or my date of birth on a UK CV?
The National Careers Service says to leave out your age, date of birth, marital status and nationality. The University of Nottingham careers service says a photo, date of birth and marital status are not standard in the UK and could disadvantage your application.
What if I have little work history?
The National Careers Service says to focus on skills gained through projects, work experience or volunteering, and that hobbies can help, for example captaining a sports team to show leadership. Put education before work history if you are early in your career.
Do I need references on the CV?
No. The National Careers Service calls references optional and says not to list their contact details. You can write that references are available on request.
Sources
- The National Careers Service lists the sections of a CV (contact details, introduction, education, work history, optional references), says to put the most recent first, to use a clear font at size 11 or larger, and to adapt the CV to each job using the advert. It gives no page limit. National Careers Service
- The University of Nottingham careers service says the chronological format, with the most recent experience at the top, is the one most positions require. It says to leave out a photo, date of birth and marital status, that two sides of A4 is standard in most cases, and it links example CVs. The page is written for postgraduate researchers. University of Nottingham Careers and Employability Service