UK CV format and cover letter: what employers expect

Short, factual and ordered newest first. Reed’s advice is that two sides of A4 will almost always suffice, and that one page often works for people with limited experience. Senior academic and medical CVs are the usual exception. If yours runs to four pages because it follows the European or Middle Eastern habit of listing every course and duty, the cut is where most of your improvement lies.

The National Careers Service suggests this order: contact details, a short introduction, education, work history and references. It adds that experienced candidates may put work history first. For most internationals with a few years of experience, that is the right call: a recruiter should see your most relevant role in the top third of page one.

• Header: name, phone, email and a LinkedIn link. A town is enough; skip the full address.
• Profile: three or four lines on your level, field, strongest proof and the role you want.
• Work history: job title, employer, location and dates, then 3–6 achievement bullets per recent role.
• Education and qualifications, including UK equivalents where you have them.
• Skills: tools, languages with a level, and certifications that appear in the job advert.

No. The National Careers Service says not to include your age, date of birth, marital status or nationality, and Reed tells candidates there is no need for a birthday or a photo. The reason is legal as much as cultural. Age, marriage or civil partnership, race (including nationality) and other protected characteristics are covered by the Equality Act 2010 at work, recruitment included. A UK recruiter who sees a photo or date of birth may also read it as a sign the CV was not adapted for the UK.

Leave out ID or passport numbers, religion, a signature and the names of your parents or children. Hobbies are optional. Keep one line only if it says something useful, such as a sport you coached or a community group you ran.

Since you leave nationality off, state your work status in one plain line under your contact details. Recruiters filter for it, and silence makes them guess. Be exact and honest: “Right to work: Graduate visa valid to June 2028”, “Settled status (EU Settlement Scheme)” or “Will require Skilled Worker visa sponsorship”. Every employer must check your right to work before you start, and it must not discriminate against anyone because of where they are from.

If you need sponsorship, target employers that hold a licence (check the Home Office register of licensed sponsors) and roles that pay at least the going rate for the occupation. Our UK work visa guide explains the thresholds. Never write that you have a right to work you don’t have; it will surface at the check and cost you the offer.

A UK recruiter will not know your former employer, your university’s standing or what your job title means locally. Solve each problem on the page.

• Add a one-line descriptor after an employer UK readers won’t know: sector, size and reach (“logistics group, 1,200 staff, 9 countries”).
• Translate job titles to the nearest UK equivalent, and keep the original in brackets if it helps a reference check.
• Convert figures into something a UK reader can compare: team size, number of customers or percentages rather than a local currency.
• Get a Statement of Comparability from UK ENIC if employers keep asking what your degree is worth. It shows how your qualification compares to the UK system and costs £69.60.
• Put your English level in concrete terms: an IELTS score, a CEFR level or “full professional proficiency; degree taught in English”.

For regulated professions such as medicine, nursing or teaching, recognition runs through the regulator, not the CV. See qualification recognition.

The National Careers Service calls the profile an introduction: a few short lines on who you are and what you hope to do, tailored to the role. Reed suggests three or four punchy sentences covering your most relevant experience, core skills and next step. Avoid adjectives nobody can check, like “hard-working” or “passionate”.

Each experience bullet should follow action, task and result: what you did, at what scale, with what outcome. UK hiring managers skim for numbers. Where you don’t have one, estimate honestly (“about 40 orders a day”) or describe scope (“sole analyst for a 3-country region”). Our recruiter reading guide shows where eyes land first.

Usually not. The National Careers Service advises writing “references available on request”, or leaving the line out, rather than listing names and phone numbers. Employers typically ask for referees near the offer stage. Prepare two now, ideally a recent manager and one other professional contact, and tell them to expect a call or email, possibly from a UK number. If your managers are abroad, check their English and email contact before you name them.

One page, three or four short paragraphs, addressed to a named person where you can find one. Open with the role and one concrete reason you fit it. Then give one or two proof stories matched to the job’s top requirements, explain why this employer in particular, and close by saying you would welcome an interview. Do not repeat the CV line by line; add the story behind it.

If you are relocating or need sponsorship, one calm sentence is enough. Say when you can start and, if you need it, that you will need a Skilled Worker visa, then move on to the value you bring. Our cover letter template for 2026 has a structure you can adapt.

Many large employers, the NHS and the Civil Service ask you to fill in an online application form rather than, or as well as, uploading a CV. When a form asks for a supporting statement or competency answers, treat it like a cover letter mapped point by point to the person specification. Use the same wording the specification uses, and give a short example for each criterion.

Where you upload a CV, it will often be parsed by an applicant tracking system before a person sees it. Use a single-column layout, standard headings, no text in images or tables, and save as .docx or PDF as the advert asks. Our ATS-friendly checklist covers the details.