What Should I Include in a UK CV? The Ultimate Checklist

08th Jan 2026


If you have ever Googled "how to write a CV," you have likely been bombarded with conflicting advice. Some articles tell you to include a photo (standard in France and Germany, but a mistake in the UK). Others suggest a catchy "Objective" statement (a relic from the 1990s).

The truth is, the UK job market has its own distinct set of unwritten rules. In a competitive landscape—whether you are looking for work in London’s financial district or a remote role based in Manchester—your Curriculum Vitae needs to be a precision tool, not a blunt instrument.

Recruiters and hiring managers are currently spending an average of just six to eight seconds scanning a CV before deciding whether to read on or hit delete. To survive that initial scan, your document needs to contain specific ingredients arranged in a specific way.

Here is the ultimate checklist of what you must include in a UK CV to get noticed, pass the software robots, and secure the interview.

1. The "Clean" Header (Contact Details)

Your header is the very first thing a recruiter sees. In the past, this section was cluttered with unnecessary personal data. Today, it should be minimalist and functional.

What to Include:

  • Name: This is your headline. Make it bold and slightly larger than the rest of the text.
  • Professional Title: Immediately under your name, add a title that matches the job you are applying for (e.g., "Senior Data Analyst" or "Retail Manager"). This frames how the reader perceives you instantly.
  • Mobile Number: Ensure it is a number you have constant access to.
  • Email Address: Use a provider that looks current (Gmail or Outlook are preferred over Hotmail or Yahoo).
  • Location: You do not need your full street address. Due to GDPR and privacy concerns, listing your town and county (e.g., "Bristol, UK") is sufficient. It shows you are in a commutable range without giving away your doorstep.
  • LinkedIn URL: This is now non-negotiable for office-based roles. Customise your LinkedIn URL so it doesn't end in a string of random numbers.

The "Red Flag" Exclusions: To ensure your CV complies with UK anti-discrimination laws, never include:

  • Your date of birth or age.
  • Your marital status.
  • A photograph (unless you are an actor or model).
  • Your full home address (identity theft is a real risk; keep it private until the offer stage).

2. The Personal Profile (The Trailer)

Think of your CV as a movie. The Personal Profile (or Professional Summary) is the movie trailer. It sits right at the top, and its only job is to convince the recruiter that the rest of the document is worth reading.

Avoid the "buzzword soup." Phrases like "Hardworking, enthusiastic individual who works well alone or in a team" are used on thousands of CVs every day. They are white noise.

The Winning Formula: Write 3–5 lines answering these three questions:

  1. Who are you? (Current status/years of experience).
  2. What is your key value? (A specific skill or achievement).
  3. What is your goal? (How you help the company).
  • Weak: "I am looking for a marketing job to gain experience."
  • Strong: "CIM-qualified Digital Marketer with 4 years of experience managing six-figure ad budgets in the retail sector. Specialist in SEO and content strategy, now looking to drive growth for a dynamic agency in Leeds."

3. Work Experience (The Evidence)

This is the engine room of your CV. It should take up roughly 60-70% of the total space. You must list your roles in reverse chronological order, starting with your current or most recent job.

The Structure:

  • Job Title (Bold)
  • Company Name & Location
  • Dates (Month/Year – Month/Year)

The Content Strategy: Achievements Over Duties Most candidates make the mistake of simply pasting their job description into their CV. A recruiter knows what a Sales Assistant does; they don't need a list of duties like "stocking shelves." They need to know how well you did it.

Focus on Impact. Use bullet points to describe what you achieved. Wherever possible, quantify your success with numbers, percentages, or currency (£).

  • Duty: "Responsible for customer service."
  • Achievement: "maintained a 98% customer satisfaction score over 12 months, the highest in the regional team."
  • Duty: "Managed the company budget."
  • Achievement: "Reduced departmental overheads by 15% (£20k) annually by renegotiating supplier contracts."

If you cannot use numbers, use Action Verbs. Start every bullet point with a power word like Spearheaded, Created, Delivered, Resolved, or Transformed. Avoid passive language like "Helped with" or "Was responsible for."

4. Education and Qualifications

The placement of this section depends entirely on your career stage.

  • School Leavers/Graduates: Place this above your work experience. Your education is your biggest asset right now.
  • Experienced Professionals: Place this below your work experience. Your last 5 years of work are more relevant than the degree you did 15 years ago.

Format for the UK Market:

  • University: List the University name, the Degree title, and your Classification (e.g., 1st, 2:1). If you have a 2:2 or lower, you can simply remove the grade and just list the degree.
  • A-Levels: List the subjects and grades.
  • GCSEs: You do not need a shopping list of every subject. Summarise them: "10 GCSEs at grades A-C (9-4), including Maths and English."*

Professional Development: In the UK, specific certifications can be as valuable as a degree. If you have Prince2 (Project Management), CIPD (HR), ACCA (Accounting), or Google Certifications, ensure these are clearly listed.

5. Key Skills (The ATS Beater)

This section is vital for the digital age. Before a human sees your CV, it is often parsed by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). This software scans for keywords.

Create a dedicated "Key Skills" or "Core Competencies" section, usually formatted as a side column or a matrix of bullet points.

Split this into two areas:

  1. Hard Skills (Technical): Python, Adobe Photoshop, Sage Payroll, Forklift Licence, SEO, Data Analysis.
  2. Soft Skills (Transferable): Stakeholder Management, Strategic Planning, Conflict Resolution, Mentoring.

Pro Tip: Look at the job description you are applying for. If they ask for "Client Relationship Management," make sure those exact three words appear in your skills section. Do not rely on the robot to know that "Customer Service" means the same thing.

6. Gaps and Explanations

The UK market is becoming more understanding of career breaks, but you must control the narrative. If you have a gap in employment of more than three months, briefly explain it.

You do not need to apologise. Simple one-liners work best:

  • "Sep 2023 – Jan 2024: Planned career break for international travel."
  • "Jan 2023 – Aug 2023: Full-time caregiving responsibilities."

Leaving a gap unexplained invites the recruiter to guess, and they will rarely guess in your favour.

7. Interests (The "Personality" Test)

Should you include hobbies? Only if they add value. Writing "Socialising with friends, cinema, and reading" is generic and wastes space.

However, unique interests can be a great icebreaker in an interview and demonstrate soft skills:

  • Team Sports: Shows teamwork and competitiveness.
  • Volunteering: Shows empathy and community spirit.
  • Captain/Chairperson roles: Shows leadership potential.

If your hobbies are not interesting or relevant, use the space to expand on your work experience instead.

8. What to Leave Out (The Space Savers)

To keep your UK CV to the standard two-page limit, you must be ruthless with cutting content.

  • References: Do not write "References available upon request." It is a cliché. Recruiters know they can ask for them. Save the two lines of space.
  • Jargon: Avoid internal company acronyms that no one outside your previous workplace will understand.
  • Lying: It sounds obvious, but many candidates embellish. Reference checking in the UK is thorough. If you say you are fluent in French, be prepared for the interviewer to switch languages mid-conversation.

Summary

A great UK CV is a marketing brochure, not a biography. It shouldn't be a list of everything you have ever done; it should be a curated selection of the skills and experiences that make you perfect for this specific job.

By following this checklist—keeping the layout clean, focusing on achievements, and optimising for keywords—you move yourself from the "Maybe" pile to the "Interview" pile.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How many pages should a UK CV be in 2026?For the vast majority of professionals, a UK CV should be strictly two A4 pages. If you are a recent school leaver or graduate with little experience, one page is sufficient. Academic or senior executive CVs can be longer, but recruiters generally prefer brevity and will rarely read beyond the second page.

2. How far back should my employment history go?You should focus on the last 10 to 15 years of your career. Experience older than this is usually less relevant to modern technologies and working practices. For roles held over 15 years ago, simply list the job title, company, and dates in a "Previous Experience" summary section without bullet points.

3. Do I need to put a photo on my CV for UK jobs?No, you should never include a photograph on a standard UK CV. Unlike in many European countries, UK employment law is strict regarding discrimination. Including a photo can cause issues for HR departments, and many Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) cannot process images, causing your application to be rejected.

4. Should I send my CV as a PDF or Word document?Unless the job description specifically asks for a Microsoft Word file (.docx), you should always send your CV as a PDF. A PDF ensures that your formatting, fonts, and layout stay exactly how you designed them, regardless of what device or software the recruiter is using to view it.

5. Do I need to include my full address?No. In the modern UK job market, your full home address is not required at the application stage due to GDPR and data privacy risks. Listing your Town and County (e.g., "Reading, Berkshire") is enough to show the recruiter that you live within a commutable distance.