Here is the short version. A UK CV runs to a maximum of two sides of A4. It has no photo, no date of birth, no age and no marital status. It uses standard sections: contact details, a short personal statement, work history in reverse chronological order, education and skills. Get those things right and the CV looks normal to a UK client. Get them wrong and it stands out for the wrong reasons.
UK clients have a clear mental picture of what a CV should look like. When a candidate sends you a CV built for a US or European market, it often breaks that picture. It may carry a headshot, a date of birth or a full home address. It may run to four pages. It may use a layout the client has never seen. Your job as the agency is to fix all of that before the CV reaches the client.
This guide walks through the UK CV recipe and how to apply it to a candidate CV. The format is simple once you know the conventions. The hard part is doing it the same way every time, across every candidate, so your submissions always look like they came from one professional desk.
Key takeaways
- A UK CV is a maximum of two sides of A4, with no photo, no age and no date of birth.
- Use standard sections: contact details, a short personal statement, work history, education and skills.
- List work history in reverse chronological order, with the most recent role first.
- Leave off personal information like marital status, nationality and gender to reduce discrimination risk.
- Swap the candidate's contact details for your agency's before you send the CV to a client.
Why it matters
A CV that follows the UK format reads as familiar. The client can scan it fast, find the personal statement, the recent roles and the skills, and make a quick yes or no. A CV that breaks the format makes the client work harder, and a busy hiring manager may simply move on. The format is not about decoration. It is about giving the reader what they expect in the place they expect it.
There is also a fairness angle. UK guidance recommends leaving off details like age, date of birth, gender, race, religion, sexuality, marital status and disability, in case they lead to discrimination. The Equality Act 2010 lists nine protected characteristics, and age is one of them, which is the legal backdrop for why UK CVs leave off age and date of birth. Removing that information from every candidate CV protects the candidate and reduces risk for you and your client. This is general guidance, not legal advice, so check your own obligations where needed.
The UK CV conventions
Keep it to two sides of A4
A UK CV should be a maximum of two sides of A4. The aim is one or two full sides, not one and a half. If a candidate CV runs longer, trim it back. Cut old roles to a line, drop filler and tighten the personal statement until it fits.
No photo
UK CVs do not tend to include a photograph. If a candidate sends a CV with a headshot, remove it. A photo adds nothing the client needs and can introduce bias into the decision.
Leave off age, date of birth and personal details
A UK CV should not include age, date of birth, marital status or nationality. UK guidance also recommends leaving off gender, race, religion, sexuality and disability, in case of discrimination. The Equality Act 2010 lists nine protected characteristics, including age, which is why these details stay off the page. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
Use the standard section structure
UK clients expect a known set of sections: contact details, a short introduction or personal profile, work history, education and skills. The National Careers Service describes a UK CV in five sections: contact details, an introduction, education history, work history and references. Stick to these so the CV reads as familiar.
List work history in reverse chronological order
Put the most recent role first and work backwards. This is the order UK clients scan for, since the recent experience matters most. Each role should show the job title, the employer, the dates and a few lines on what the candidate did and achieved.
Open with a short personal statement
Start with a few short lines summing up who the candidate is and what they hope to do. The National Careers Service calls this the introduction. Keep it tight, three or four lines, focused on the role the candidate is applying for, not a generic life story.
Handle contact details for submission
The contact details on a UK CV are the name, phone number, email address and, if there is one, a link to a work network profile such as LinkedIn. When you submit a CV to a client, swap the candidate's direct contact details for your agency's so enquiries come to you. For references, it is fine to state that references are available on request.
Format a CV to UK norms in 6 steps
Step 1: Set the page length to two sides of A4
Decide on two pages as the hard limit before you start. As you format, keep checking the length. If the CV spills over, cut the oldest roles down to a single line and tighten every section until it fits one or two full sides of A4.
Step 2: Remove the photo and personal details
Strip out any headshot, date of birth, age, marital status and nationality. Also remove gender, race, religion, sexuality and disability if they appear. Keep only the contact details that belong: name, phone, email and a LinkedIn link if there is one.
Step 3: Build the standard sections in order
Lay the CV out as contact details, personal statement, work history, education and skills. Use the same section order and names on every candidate CV so your submissions look consistent. Add a line for references available on request if the client expects it.
Step 4: Order the work history newest first
Sort roles in reverse chronological order, most recent at the top. For each role show job title, employer, dates and a few bullet points on the work and results. Cut filler from older roles so the recent experience stands out.
Step 5: Write a short personal statement
Add three or four lines at the top summing up who the candidate is and what they are looking for. Aim it at the role the client is hiring for. Keep it specific and short.
Step 6: Swap in your agency's contact details and export
Replace the candidate's direct contact details with your agency's so the client comes back to you. Then export a clean, text-based PDF or DOCX so the file reads well and parses cleanly on the client's side.
Do this every time
- Keep every CV to a maximum of two sides of A4.
- Remove any photo, date of birth, age, marital status and nationality.
- Use the standard sections: contact details, personal statement, work history, education and skills.
- List work history with the most recent role first.
- Open with a short personal statement aimed at the target role.
- Swap the candidate's contact details for your agency's before submission.
- State that references are available on request rather than listing them in full.
- Export a clean, text-based PDF or DOCX so the file parses well.
Common mistakes to avoid
Sending a US or European format with a photo or DOB
CVs built for other markets often carry a headshot, a date of birth or a home address. UK CVs do not tend to include a photo, and they leave off age and date of birth. Strip these out before the CV goes to a UK client.
Going over two pages
A UK CV is a maximum of two sides of A4. A four-page CV signals the candidate has not edited it. Cut old roles to a line and tighten each section until it fits.
Missing a personal statement
Without a short introduction at the top, the client has to dig to work out who the candidate is. Add three or four lines summing up the candidate and what they are looking for.
Using a non-standard structure
Unusual layouts or section names make a UK client work harder to find what they need. Stick to the expected order: contact details, personal statement, work history, education and skills.
Leaving the candidate's contact details on for client submission
If you send the CV with the candidate's direct phone and email, the client can go around you. Swap in your agency's contact details so enquiries come to you.
Including personal details that invite bias
Marital status, nationality, gender, religion and similar details do not belong on a UK CV and can raise discrimination risk. Remove them from every candidate CV. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the standard UK CV format?
A UK CV runs to a maximum of two sides of A4 and uses a known set of sections. Those are contact details, a short personal statement or introduction, work history in reverse chronological order, education and skills. It does not include a photo, an age or a date of birth. This familiar structure lets a UK client scan the CV quickly and decide.
Should a UK CV have a photo?
No. UK CVs do not tend to include a photograph. A photo adds nothing the client needs and can introduce bias into the hiring decision. If a candidate sends you a CV with a headshot, remove it before you submit the CV to a UK client.
How long should a UK CV be?
A UK CV should be a maximum of two sides of A4. The aim is one or two full sides, not one and a half. If a candidate CV runs longer, cut the oldest roles down to a line and tighten every section until it fits. Anything over two pages signals the CV has not been edited.
Do you put your date of birth on a UK CV?
No. A UK CV should not include your date of birth or your age. UK guidance recommends leaving these off in case they lead to discrimination. Age is one of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, which is the legal backdrop for the convention. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
What sections should a UK CV include?
The National Careers Service describes a UK CV in five sections: contact details, an introduction summing up who you are and what you hope to do, education history, work history and references. References can simply state that they are available on request. Many UK CVs also add a separate skills section. Keep the order and names consistent across candidates.
What contact details go on a UK CV?
Include the name, phone number, email address and, if there is one, a link to a work network profile such as LinkedIn. Leave off the full home address and personal details like marital status or nationality. When you submit to a client, swap the candidate's direct contact details for your agency's so enquiries come to you.
The bottom line
The UK CV format is not complicated. Two sides of A4. No photo, no age, no date of birth, no marital status. Standard sections in the order clients expect: contact details, a short personal statement, work history newest first, education and skills. Swap in your agency's contact details before you send it. Do those things and the CV reads as normal to any UK client, which is exactly what you want.
The challenge is consistency. One CV done right is easy. Doing it the same way across every candidate, every week, is the real work. Build the recipe into your process so every submission leaves your desk in the same clean, UK-ready shape.
Applying the same UK recipe to every candidate is what RefineCV is built for. It reformats a CV into your branded house template with the standard UK sections, keeps it to two pages, removes a photo or personal details that do not belong, swaps in your agency contact block, and exports a clean text-based PDF or DOCX. See transparent pricing or compare it with other CV formatting tools. Try it free on 10 CVs, no card.
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Related reading: the recruitment CV template, how to format a candidate CV for client submission, and what to remove from a CV before sending to a client.
Sources
- National Careers Service (UK government), How to write a CV (Accessed 2026): A UK CV should not include age, date of birth, marital status or nationality. The contact details to include are name, phone number, email address and, if you have one, a link to a work network profile such as LinkedIn. The CV has five sections: contact details, an introduction, education history, work history and references (which can state references are available on request).
- University of Kent, Careers and Employability Service, Writing a CV (Accessed 2026): A UK CV should be a maximum of two sides of A4. UK CVs do not tend to include a photograph, and it is recommended not to include personal information such as age, date of birth, gender, race, religion, sexuality, marital status or disability, in case of discrimination. Typical sections are personal details, personal profile, education, experience and skills.
- Acas, Following discrimination law (Recruitment) (2024): Under the Equality Act 2010 there are nine protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.