UK CV Sections: What to Include in Every Heading (2026)

If you're applying for jobs in the UK with an American-style resume, you're making a mistake that could cost you interviews.

UK CVs aren't just American resumes with British spelling. The structure, expected sections, and cultural conventions differ in ways that matter to British employers. Get them wrong, and you'll signal that you don't understand the local job market.

This guide breaks down every section British employers expect to see, in the right order, with the right content.

The 7 Essential UK CV Sections

Every UK CV should include these sections in this order:

1. Personal Details (Contact information)
2. Personal Statement/Profile (3-4 sentence summary)
3. Key Skills (Relevant abilities)
4. Work Experience (Employment history)
5. Education (Qualifications)
6. Additional Sections (Certifications, languages, interests)
7. References (Usually "Available upon request")

Let's examine each in detail.

Section 1: Personal Details

A UK CV should include a personal statement, not an objective statement. This is one of the most important distinctions from American resumes.

What to Include

• Full name (first and surname)
• Phone number (include country code if applying internationally: +44)
• Email address (professional, not novelty)
• Location (city and county, not full address)
• LinkedIn profile (optional but recommended)
• Portfolio/website (if relevant to your field)

What NOT to Include

Never include a photo on a UK CV unless applying for acting or modeling roles. UK employers actively avoid photos to prevent discrimination claims. Also omit:

• Date of birth or age
• Marital status
• National Insurance number
• Nationality (unless relevant to visa/work authorization)
• Gender
• Religion

Example Format

SARAH WILLIAMS
London, Greater London
+44 7700 900123
sarah.williams@email.com
linkedin.com/in/sarahwilliams

Section 2: Personal Statement (Profile)

The personal statement is a 3-4 sentence overview at the top of your CV. Unlike American objective statements that focus on what you want, UK personal statements emphasize what you offer.

Structure

1. Who you are (professional identity + years of experience)
2. What you're known for (key achievement or expertise)
3. What you're seeking (optional, brief mention of goal)

Writing Style

First-person is optional in UK CVs. Both approaches are acceptable:

First-person:

I am a digital marketing manager with 7 years of experience driving B2B campaigns across EMEA markets. I specialise in content strategy and marketing automation, having increased qualified leads by 156% at my current role.

Third-person:

Digital marketing manager with 7 years of experience driving B2B campaigns across EMEA markets. Specialises in content strategy and marketing automation, having increased qualified leads by 156%.

Common Mistakes

• Being too vague ("passionate professional seeking opportunities")
• Writing more than 4-5 lines
• Copying directly from job descriptions
• Using American spelling ("specialized" instead of "specialised")

Section 3: Key Skills

A dedicated skills section helps recruiters quickly assess your fit. Format as bullet points or a clean list.

Format Options

Bullet points:

• Digital Marketing Strategy
• Google Analytics & Data Studio
• HubSpot Marketing Automation
• Team Leadership (8 direct reports)
• Budget Management (up to 500K)

Grouped by category:

Technical: Google Analytics, HubSpot, Salesforce, SQL Leadership: Team management, Stakeholder engagement, Budget oversight Languages: English (native), French (professional working)

Tips

• Keep to 6-10 key skills
• Match skills to the job description
• Be specific (not "IT skills" but "Advanced Excel, including pivot tables and macros")
• Include both hard and soft skills

Section 4: Work Experience

British employers expect dates in DD/MM/YYYY format, not American MM/DD/YYYY. This is a detail that immediately signals whether you understand UK conventions.

Format

COMPANY NAME, Location
Job Title
MM/YYYY - MM/YYYY (or Present)

- Achievement-focused bullet point with quantified result
- Another accomplishment demonstrating impact
- Third point showing relevant skill application

What to Include

For each role:

• Company name and location (city)
• Your job title
• Dates (month/year format)
• 3-5 bullet points focusing on achievements, not duties

Achievement vs. Duty

Duty (weak):

Responsible for managing social media accounts

Achievement (strong):

Grew LinkedIn following from 5,000 to 45,000 in 18 months, generating 200+ qualified leads monthly through targeted content strategy

Date Formatting

British employers expect dates in DD/MM/YYYY format. For CVs, month/year is standard:

January 2022 - Present   or   01/2022 - Present
June 2019 - December 2021   or   06/2019 - 12/2021

How Far Back?

• Include last 10-15 years of relevant experience
• Older roles can be summarised briefly
• Recent graduates should include part-time and volunteer work

Section 5: Education

Order by recency. Include grades for recent graduates (within 5 years of graduation), but established professionals can omit them.

Format

UNIVERSITY/INSTITUTION NAME
Degree Title, Subject
Graduation Year (or Expected Year)
Grade: 2:1 (or First Class, etc.) - if recent graduate

Relevant modules: List if applicable to the role
Dissertation: Title if relevant

UK Grading System

For those unfamiliar with British university grades:

• First Class (1st): 70%+ - Top tier
• Upper Second (2:1): 60-69% - Good standard
• Lower Second (2:2): 50-59% - Acceptable
• Third Class: 40-49% - Pass

What to Include

For recent graduates:

• Degree classification
• Relevant modules
• Dissertation title (if relevant)
• Academic achievements

For experienced professionals:

• Degree title and institution
• Graduation year
• Professional qualifications (more prominent than academic)

A-Levels and GCSEs

Include A-Levels if you're a recent graduate or they're highly relevant. GCSEs are rarely needed unless you're in an entry-level role and don't have higher qualifications.

Section 6: Additional Sections

Add these based on relevance to the role:

Professional Certifications

List certifications prominently if they're industry requirements:

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
ACCA Qualified (2021)
Google Analytics Certified
Prince2 Practitioner

Languages

Important for international roles or companies:

LANGUAGES
English: Native
German: Professional working proficiency (B2)
Spanish: Conversational (A2)

Interests (When Appropriate)

Only include if they:

• Demonstrate relevant skills
• Show leadership or commitment
• Provide conversation starters

Good:

Captain of local football team, organising fixtures and managing 20+ players

Skip:

Reading, watching films, socialising

Volunteer Work

Increasingly valued by UK employers:

VOLUNTARY EXPERIENCE
Mentor, Prince's Trust (2021 - Present)
Support young people aged 16-25 with employment skills and CV writing

Section 7: References

Standard practice in the UK is:

References available upon request

Don't include actual referee details unless specifically requested. Employers will ask for references later in the hiring process.

What NOT to Include on a UK CV

These items should never appear:

UK CV Length: One Page or Two?

Unlike American one-page resume convention, UK CVs are typically two pages for experienced professionals. Here's the guidance:

• Graduates/early career (0-3 years): One page preferred
• Mid-career (3-10 years): Two pages acceptable
• Senior/executive: Two pages, possibly three for academic CVs

The key is relevance, not length. A focused one-page CV beats a padded two-page CV every time.

Complete UK CV Example

Here's how all sections come together:

JAMES THOMPSON
Manchester, Greater Manchester
+44 7700 123456 | james.thompson@email.com
linkedin.com/in/jamesthompson

PERSONAL STATEMENT

Senior software engineer with 8 years of experience building scalable
applications for fintech companies. Led development of payment processing
system handling 2M+ daily transactions. Seeking to bring technical
leadership and architecture expertise to a growing engineering team.

KEY SKILLS

Technical: Python, Java, AWS, Kubernetes, PostgreSQL, REST APIs
Leadership: Team mentoring, Technical interviews, Sprint planning
Methodologies: Agile, Scrum, CI/CD, Test-driven development

WORK EXPERIENCE

FINTECH SOLUTIONS LTD, Manchester
Senior Software Engineer
03/2020 - Present

- Architected payment processing system handling 2M+ daily transactions
  with 99.99% uptime
- Led team of 5 engineers, conducting code reviews and mentoring
  junior developers
- Reduced deployment time by 70% through CI/CD pipeline improvements
- Collaborated with product team to define technical requirements for
  new features

TECH STARTUP LTD, London
Software Engineer
06/2016 - 02/2020

- Developed core API serving 500K monthly active users
- Implemented automated testing framework, increasing code coverage
  from 40% to 85%
- Migrated legacy monolith to microservices architecture

EDUCATION

University of Manchester
BSc Computer Science
2016
Grade: First Class Honours

CERTIFICATIONS

AWS Solutions Architect Professional (2023)
Certified Kubernetes Administrator (2022)

References available upon request

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I include references on a UK CV?

No. Write "References available upon request" or omit the section entirely. Employers will ask for references at the appropriate stage.

One page or two for a UK CV?

Two pages are acceptable and common for experienced professionals. Graduates should aim for one page. The rule is relevance: don't pad to reach two pages, but don't cram if you have substantive experience.

Do I need to include my photo?

No. In fact, including a photo may hurt your application. UK employers avoid photos to prevent discrimination claims, and including one suggests you don't understand local practices.

What's the difference between a CV and a resume?

In the UK, "CV" (curriculum vitae) is the standard term for what Americans call a resume. Academic CVs are longer documents detailing research, publications, and teaching history. For most UK job applications, "CV" means a 1-2 page career document.

Should I include my nationality?

Only if work authorisation might be questioned. EU nationals post-Brexit, for example, might note their settled or pre-settled status. Otherwise, omit it.

How do I handle employment gaps?

Address them briefly and positively. If you took time for caregiving, education, or travel, note it: "Career break for family responsibilities (2020-2021)." Don't leave unexplained gaps. For more detail, see our guide to explaining resume gaps.

Final Checklist

Before sending your UK CV:

• Contact info includes UK phone format (+44) and city location
• Personal statement is 3-4 sentences about what you offer
• Dates use British format (DD/MM/YYYY or Month YYYY)
• No photo, age, marital status, or NI number
• British spelling throughout (specialise, organise, colour)
• Two pages maximum for most roles
• References section says "Available upon request"
• Education includes grades if you're a recent graduate

Moving to the UK job market? Check out our guide to converting a US resume to UK CV for a step-by-step transformation process, or explore our complete UK CV guide for more context on British job search expectations.