If you are searching for how to layout a CV UK employers will actually read, the short answer is this: use a single-column layout, put your name and contact details at the top, follow with a short personal summary, then your experience, education and skills. Keep the font simple, keep the spacing consistent, and save it as a PDF unless the advert asks for something else. That structure works for most UK roles and is easy for both people and software to read.
The short answer
A UK CV is usually one to two pages. The order that works well is: name, contact details, personal summary, work experience, education, skills, and then anything else that is relevant, such as volunteering, certificates or languages. Dates should run from the most recent backwards. Use clear headings and leave white space between sections so the page does not look crowded.
The layout is not about decoration. It is about making it easy for someone who is skimming to find your job titles, dates and key skills in a few seconds. If a reader has to hunt for basic facts, the layout is working against you.
Step-by-step walkthrough
1. Set up the page
Use A4 size with margins of about 1.5 to 2 cm. Choose a plain font such as Arial, Calibri or Helvetica at 10 to 12 point for body text. Headings can be slightly larger and bold. Keep to one font family and use bold or capitals for headings rather than lots of colours.
2. Put your name and contact details at the top
Your name should be the largest text on the page. Underneath, add a phone number, a professional email address and your town or city. You can add a LinkedIn profile if it is up to date. You do not need your full street address, date of birth or a photo for most UK applications.
3. Write a short personal summary
Three or four lines that say who you are, what you have done and what you are looking for next. This is your chance to give the reader a reason to keep going. Keep it specific to the role you are applying for, and avoid empty phrases like "hard-working team player" on their own.
4. Lay out your work experience
List jobs with the most recent first. For each one, give the job title, employer, location and dates. Then add three to five bullet points describing what you did and what changed as a result. Start each bullet with a strong verb and, where you can, include a number. Our guide to accomplishments that carry weight explains how to choose the right details.
- Illustrative example: Reorganised the weekend rota for a team of eight, cutting missed shifts from around five a month to one.
- Illustrative example: Handled an average of 30 customer complaints a week, resolving most at the first point of contact.
- Illustrative example: Reconciled daily takings for a store taking around £18,000 a week, flagging discrepancies to the manager the same day.
- Illustrative example: Trained four new starters on the till and returns process, reducing their first-month errors.
- Illustrative example: Managed delivery checks and stock rotation for a chilled section, reducing waste on short-life items.
If you are unsure how much detail to give about duties versus results, our article on writing responsibilities clearly can help you strike the right balance.
5. Add education and qualifications
List your most recent qualification first. Include the institution, the qualification and the dates. If you have several years of work experience, you can keep this section short. If you are early in your career, you can put education above experience and include relevant modules or projects.
6. Create a skills section
Use a simple list or a short two-column list. Choose skills that appear in the job advert and that you can genuinely demonstrate. A skills section is not a place to pad. Here is an illustrative list for a retail team leader role:
- Rota planning and shift cover
- Complaint handling and service recovery
- Till reconciliation and cash handling
- Stock rotation and delivery checking
- Till and stock system reporting
7. Add any extra sections
Volunteering, languages, certificates or a driving licence can go near the end if they are relevant. Keep the same heading style and spacing as the rest of the page. If a section does not add anything for this role, leave it out.
8. Check the final layout
Read it on screen and print it if you can. Check that dates line up, headings are consistent and there are no orphan lines. Save as a PDF and open it again to make sure nothing has shifted. If you want a structure that is already set up, you can start from a template.
Practical tip: read your CV out loud. If you stumble over a sentence, a busy recruiter will too.
Worked example
Here is an illustrative layout for a retail team leader applying for a similar role. It is not a real person's CV, but it shows how the sections fit together on the page.
Name and contact: Jordan Miller, Bristol, 07xxx xxx xxx, [email protected]. Personal summary: "Illustrative example: Customer service team leader with six years in high-street retail, including two years supervising a team of eight. Skilled in rota planning, complaint resolution and till reconciliation. Looking for a team leader role in Bristol."
Experience: Team Leader, high-street retailer, Bristol, March 2022 to present. The bullet points are the five examples above. Previous role: Sales Assistant, same employer, June 2019 to March 2022, with two or three bullets about serving customers, replenishing stock and learning the returns process.
Education: Level 3 Diploma in Retail Management, local college, 2018 to 2019. Skills: the five skills listed above. Extra: full UK driving licence.
Notice how the page flows from who you are, to what you have done, to what you can do. The reader can find the job title, dates and key skills without reading every word.
Common mistakes
- Cramming everything onto one page by shrinking the font or removing white space.
- Using tables, text boxes or columns that break when the file is opened elsewhere.
- Mixing date formats, such as "Jan 2022" in one place and "03/2022" in another.
- Putting a photo, date of birth or full address when the employer has not asked for them.
- Writing long paragraphs instead of short bullet points that a reader can scan.
- Leaving gaps unexplained when a short, honest note would answer the question.
- Sending a Word file when the advert asks for a PDF, or the other way round.
- Using a decorative font or colour scheme that makes the text harder to read.
If you are applying through an online system, an ATS-friendly CV builder can help you keep the layout clean while you focus on the content.
Frequently asked questions
Should I put my address on a UK CV? You do not need your full street address. A town or city is usually enough, and many employers only need to know whether you can get to the workplace. If you are relocating, say so briefly in your personal details or summary. If you are applying through a recruiter, a town or region is generally fine.
How long should a UK CV be? One to two pages is the usual expectation. If you have under about five years of experience, aim for one page. If you have a longer career, two pages is normally enough. The aim is to make the most relevant information easy to find, not to list everything you have ever done.
Can I use a two-column CV layout in the UK? You can, but keep it simple. A narrow sidebar for contact details and skills, with the main column for your summary and experience, often works well. Avoid complex tables, text boxes and graphics that may not read properly when a document is opened in a different program or scanned by an applicant tracking system.
What file format should I send? PDF is usually the safest choice because it keeps your layout as you designed it. Send a Word version only if the employer or agency asks for one, for example so they can add their own formatting. Always follow the instructions in the job advert if they specify a format.
If you would like a head start, use this template and fill in your own details. You can also use our AI job application assistant to help you tailor the content to a specific advert without changing the layout you have built.
Frequently asked questions
Should I put my address on a UK CV?
You do not need your full street address. A town or city is usually enough, and many employers only need to know whether you can get to the workplace. If you are relocating, say so briefly in your personal details or summary. If you are applying through a recruiter, a town or region is generally fine.
How long should a UK CV be?
One to two pages is the usual expectation. If you have under about five years of experience, aim for one page. If you have a longer career, two pages is normally enough. The aim is to make the most relevant information easy to find, not to list everything you have ever done.
Can I use a two-column CV layout in the UK?
You can, but keep it simple. A narrow sidebar for contact details and skills, with the main column for your summary and experience, often works well. Avoid complex tables, text boxes and graphics that may not read properly when a document is opened in a different program or scanned by an applicant tracking system.
What file format should I send?
PDF is usually the safest choice because it keeps your layout as you designed it. Send a Word version only if the employer or agency asks for one, for example so they can add their own formatting. Always follow the instructions in the job advert if they specify a format.
accomplishments that carry weight