UK CV Format in 2026: Length, Layout and What to Leave Out

By Pritom Dash · Published November 4, 2026

Uk cv format?

How long a UK CV should be, the section order recruiters expect, and what to leave out (photo, date of birth, full address). With a free CV builder.

Try it free — build a UK CVOpen the UK CV builder →

I moved countries for university and my first CV was the format from home: photo, date of birth, a whole page of “personal details”. In the UK that CV looked wrong before anyone read it. Here is the format that works here.

How long should a UK CV be?

Two A4 pages once you have some experience; one full page if you are a student or recent graduate. Recruiters skim, so the first half of page one does most of the work.

The usual section order

Name and contact details — phone, email, town or city, LinkedIn. That’s all.
Personal statement — three to five lines: who you are, your strongest skills, and the kind of role you want.
Experience — most recent first; job title, employer, dates, then 3–5 bullet points that start with a verb and show a result.
Education — most recent first; for graduates this can come before experience.
Skills — the ones the job advert asks for, honestly.
References — “available on request” is fine, or leave it out.

What to leave out

Photo — not expected in the UK (acting and modelling are the usual exceptions).
Date of birth and marital status — age is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010; employers don’t need it.
Full home address — town or city is enough.
“Curriculum Vitae” as a title — your name is the title.

Writing bullet points that work

“Responsible for social media” says nothing. “Grew the society’s Instagram from 300 to 1,200 followers in one term” says a lot. If you don’t have a number, describe the outcome: what changed because you were there? Never invent figures — an interviewer will ask.

Make it readable by software too

Many employers use an applicant tracking system that reads the text of your CV. Use a simple one- or two-column layout with real text (not an image), standard headings and no tables for key information. The UK CV builder on ParaFree has 54 templates built that way; the PDF has selectable text and clickable email and LinkedIn links, it downloads free with no watermark, and you don’t need an account.

— Pritom Dash

Build a UK CV — free, no signup.

Open the UK CV builder →