The right CV template for a UK job is a clean A4 layout of one or two pages that suits your experience and sector.
Resume.io’s CV templates cover every career stage, including designs built for applicant tracking systems (ATS), the software employers use to screen CVs.
Choose a style below, then use this guide to tailor it.
Which CV template should I use?
The right CV template depends on your experience, your sector, and how the employer receives applications.
A good CV template puts your most recent role and strongest results where a recruiter looks first.
Use the table below to match a layout to your situation, along with the Resume.io templates in each style.
A CV template works when a recruiter can see your fit for the role within seconds.
Match the layout to your experience level first, because that decides how much space you need, then match it to your sector.
| CV template style | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| One-column | Most UK applicants, especially anyone applying through an employer’s online application system | Can look plain for creative roles, so add one accent colour |
| One page | Students, school leavers, and first or part-time jobs | Runs out of room after a few years of experience |
| Two-column | Creative, marketing, design, and tech roles | Some applicant tracking systems read columns out of order |
| Classic | Traditional employers and senior candidates who want a timeless layout | Can feel dated for tech or creative roles |
| Professional | Law, finance, accountancy, healthcare, and education | Keep the header simple so your name and job title lead |
| Corporate | Mid-career and senior roles in business, consultancy, and sales | Large headers can push your experience onto page two |
| Modern | IT, engineering, marketing, HR, and administration | Keep design accents subtle for conservative employers |
| Minimalist | Career changers and anyone with a varied work history | Use clear section headings so the page does not read as one block |
| Simple | Hospitality, retail, transport, and early careers | Add results with numbers so the page does not look sparse |
| Creative | Artists, designers, photographers, and other creative roles | Send a simpler version through online application systems |
| ATS | Applications to large employers that screen CVs with software | The plain design is deliberate, so let your results carry the page |
| Photo | Acting, modelling, and presenting roles where a headshot is expected | Leave the photo out for most UK jobs |
| Word | Anyone who needs to send or edit their CV as a Word file | Word downloads are available on selected templates with a premium plan |
| Google Docs | Anyone who needs to edit and share their CV in Google Docs | You paste your CV text into Google Docs and format it there |
For example, a school leaver applying for a first retail job has one or two roles to show, so a one page CV template keeps the page full and focused.
A project manager with ten years of experience needs room for several roles and their results, so a corporate or single-column template suits them better.
Can I download a CV template for free?
You can build your CV on a Resume.io CV template for free, with no card details needed, and download the text as a plain TXT file to format in Word or Google Docs.
Downloading the finished design as a PDF or Word file needs a premium plan.
The free route suits anyone comfortable formatting a document themselves.
Your wording, section order, and spellchecked text all come with you, and only the design stays behind.
A premium plan unlocks the designed version, ready to send.
| Plan | What you can download | How it is billed |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Your CV as a plain TXT file | Free, with no card needed |
| 7-day trial | Unlimited PDFs in any template, plus Word files on selected templates | Renews as a subscription unless you cancel within 7 days |
| 6-month or 1-year plan | The same downloads for a fixed period | A one-off payment that does not renew |
Whichever plan you choose, use PDF as your file format unless the advert or application system asks for Word.
A PDF keeps your layout identical on every screen, while a Word file lets an employer or agency edit it.
What does a UK CV template need to include?
A UK CV template needs room for your contact details, a short personal statement, your work history, your education, and your skills, all on one or two A4 pages.
It should leave out a photo, your date of birth, your age, your marital status, and your nationality, because UK employers do not expect them.
- Contact details: Your name, phone number, email address, and LinkedIn link. Your town or city is enough, so leave out your street address.
- Personal statement: Two to four lines under your name that sum up who you are and the role you want
- Work history: Your most recent role first, with the employer, job title, dates, and what you achieved
- Education: Your qualifications, where you studied, and the dates. Move this section above your work history if you are early in your career.
- Skills: The hard skills and soft skills the advert asks for, written as a short list
- References: One line saying references are available on request.
The National Careers Service advises against including your age, date of birth, marital status, or nationality, and suggests writing “references are available on request” in place of a referee’s contact details.
The University of Nottingham Careers and Employability Service sets two pages as the maximum and advises against a photo on UK applications.
One-page CV advice is common online, but it reflects the US market.
In the UK, two pages is standard once you have a few years of experience, and one page suits students and school leavers.
“Keeping the design simple, with an easy-to-read font and a two-page limit, will ensure your CV looks professional and easy to digest.” - Amanda Augustine, CPRW, CPCC, resident career expert at Resume.io
What makes a CV template ATS-friendly?
A CV template is ATS-friendly when applicant tracking systems, the software many employers use to filter applications, can read it in the right order.
That means a single column, standard section headings such as “Work experience”, and plain text, with no tables, text boxes, or graphics holding key details.
The University of Nottingham Careers and Employability Service recommends a clean, simple layout without graphics, with clear headings so the system reads your skills and experience accurately.
| Feature | Safer for ATS | Riskier for ATS |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | A single column | Two columns or a sidebar |
| Section headings | Work experience, Education, Skills | Creative labels such as “My journey” |
| Contact details | In the main body of the page | Inside an image or a page footer |
| Skills | A plain text list | Skill bars or star ratings |
In the CV builder, you can switch skill level bars off in the skills section, and Resume.io’s collection includes templates designed specifically for applicant tracking systems.
A two-column CV template still has a place.
Use it when you email a hiring manager directly or apply to a small business.
Switch to a single-column template for large employers that take applications through their own website.
Your content carries over when you change template, so keeping both versions is quick.
How can I customise a CV template to fit my industry?
Customise a CV template for your industry by keeping the layout and changing what fills it: your personal statement, the skills you list, the order of your sections, and the keywords you take from the job advert.
The CV template sets the structure, and the content shows a recruiter you understand the work.
- Law, finance, and education: Lead with qualifications, such as the SQE for a lawyer, ACA or ACCA for an accountant, or Qualified Teacher Status in education. A professional CV template with minimal colour suits these fields and most finance roles.
- Business and sales: Lead with targets you hit and processes you improved. A corporate or single-column layout works for business, sales, and administration roles, and for estate agents.
- Technology and engineering: Lead with technical skills, tools, and projects, plus a GitHub or portfolio link. A modern CV template suits IT and engineering roles.
- Creative and marketing: Lead with a portfolio link and campaign results. A creative CV template can use more colour for artists, graphic designers, photographers, and marketing roles. Actors are an exception to the no-photo rule, so a CV template with a photo suits them.
- Healthcare: Lead with your NMC, HCPC, or GMC registration and clinical settings. Keep to a single column and a plain design.
- Trades and logistics: Lead with your CSCS card, City & Guilds qualifications, and driving licence. Put certifications near the top of page one, especially for transport and logistics roles.
- Hospitality and retail: Lead with customer service results and availability. A simple CV template suits hospitality and retail roles.
- Students and graduates: Lead with education, placements, and part-time work. One page works well for a student, graduate, or internship CV.
- Academia and research: Lead with publications, grants, and teaching. An academic CV can run beyond two pages.
Take your keywords straight from the advert, and back each one with the work where you used it.
The National Careers Service advises tailoring your CV to each job by highlighting the skills the employer has asked for.
In Resume.io, you can reorder and rename any section, so moving your qualifications above your work history takes a few clicks.
How do I make my CV stand out with a template?
Your CV stands out when a recruiter can see your fit for the role in the first few lines of page one.
Put your name, target job title, and a short personal statement there.
Keep the CV template to one accent colour, and write results with numbers in place of a list of duties.
Competition makes that opening count.
Job adverts in London attract an average of 11.01 applicants per day (Resume.io, Most Competitive Job Markets in the UK, 2024).
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| Responsible for the shop floor | Led a team of six on the shop floor and cut weekend queue times by a third |
| Good communication skills | Presented monthly sales results to the regional manager |
| Helped with social media | Grew the café’s Instagram following from 800 to 2,500 in six months |
- Font: Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri in size 11 or bigger, as the National Careers Service recommends. In Resume.io, each template has its own font, so switch templates to change it.
- Consistency: One style for dates, headings, and bullet points throughout
- Space: Choose a simpler template when a sidebar squeezes your experience into small text or narrow margins.
Ask a friend to read your opening lines for ten seconds and name the job you want.
A wrong guess means your personal statement needs work.
Key tips
- Match your CV template to your experience first and your sector second.
- Keep a UK CV to two A4 pages at most, or one page if you are a student or school leaver.
- Leave out your photo, date of birth, marital status, and nationality.
- Use a single-column template when you apply through an employer’s online application system.
- Tailor your personal statement, skills, and keywords to each advert, and keep the design the same.
CV template FAQs
These answers cover common questions about using a CV template in the UK.
How many jobs should I list on my CV?
List the relevant roles from roughly the last 10 years. You can cut older or unrelated jobs, or sum them up in one line.
Students and school leavers can include part-time work, volunteering, and placements.
How many bullet points should each job have?
Aim for four to five bullet points for recent roles and two or three for older ones.
Each bullet should start with an action verb and include a result where possible.
Do employers mind CV templates?
No. Employers care whether a CV is easy to read and matches the job, and a good CV template helps with both.
What puts recruiters off is a generic CV that has not been tailored to the advert.
