Looking for ideas for your CV layout? To get started, here’s how to write a professional CV with a standard layout in the UK:
- CV header with your contact information
- Personal statement
- Work experience
- Education
- Skills
- Additional sections (hobbies & interests, languages, etc.)
Here, our resident CV expert can tell you a little bit more about these sections and how you can organise them on your application:
And here’s how that CV outline should look on paper:
Best CV Layout Template (Copy & Paste)
1. CV Title
First and Last Name
Email: youremail@gmail.com | Phone: 07123 456 789 | Address: 123 Your Street, Town, Postcode | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yourprofile
2. CV Personal Statement
Knowledgeable [industry] professional with [number] years of experience. Aiming to use my [relevant skills] to fill your [position name] role. Skilled worker looking to contribute positively and achieve [Company’s Name]’s goals.
3. Work History
Most Recent Job Title
Employer Name / Location / Start Year–End Year (or ‘Present’ if still employed there)
- Explain your job responsibilities in 3–5 bullet points
- Include numbers and examples to provide context
Earlier Job Title
Employer Name / Location / Start Year–End Year
- ‘Initiate’ the bullet points in your work experience section with action verbs to make more of an impact
- To be concise and avoid repetition, don’t use pronouns
4. Education
Degree Name, Degree classification (if 2:2 or above)
University, Location | Start Date–End Date (add ‘Expected’ to the end date if you’re still studying)
5. Key Skills
- Write a bulleted list of your job-related skills
- Quantify your skills with hard numbers and details
- Provide context by being as specific as possible (e.g., mention the names of software you’ve used)
6. Additional Experience
Add other relevant sections such as your hobbies and interests, languages, volunteer experience, or publications
Keep scrolling to see more good examples of CV formatting and get into the details of how to lay out your CV — including tips for setting out each CV section.
The best CV layout examples for 2023
Here are examples of good CV layouts to use when you apply for a job in the UK, including a:
- simple CV layout for any job applicant
- professional CV layout for experienced workers
- good CV layout for students
- creative CV layout for artists and designers
Simple CV layout for any job applicant
Below is an example of a basic CV layout that works for any type of job application. The example uses a simple header and then lists the standard CV sections:
Download Simple CV Layout Example
Simple CV Layout Example (Text Version)
FIRST AND LAST NAME
Phone: 07234 567 890 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/your.profile Email: your.name@gmail.com Address: 41 Hilt Road, London, NW4 1AB
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Energetic and client-focused barista with 4+ years of experience delivering memorable service to customers. Versed in creating over 40 different beverages to meet varying customer demands. Able to drive sales through excellent customer service and developing relationships with repeat customers.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Coffee Mug, London
Barista, August 2022 – Present
- Greet customers, provide recommendations, take beverage orders, and prepare hot and cold beverages in line with customer specifications
- Process payments and give out correct change using a Point of Sale (POS) system
- Exceeded sales goals by over 32% in 2023 by consistently upselling to customers
- Establish solid relationships with customers based on excellent service and maintain a 98% customer service feedback rating
- Recognised by management on 5 separate occasions for providing consistently excellent service
123 Café, London
Assistant Barista, February 2019 – August 2022
- Prepared a variety of coffee beverages to meet unique customer preferences
- Drove up sales by maintaining a high standard of service and customer care at all times
- Maintained a clean workspace and adhered to all hygiene standards
- Kept sandwich and pastry displays fully stocked and arranged items to increase visual appeal
- Worked with the team to transform the establishment into a top performing branch in 2022
EDUCATION
London South Bank University (Expected graduation: 2024)
Higher National Diploma in Hospitality Management
Homerton Comprehensive School & Sixth Form, London, 2016–2021
A-levels: Maths (A), French (A), English Literature (A)
GCSEs: 10 Grades 9–4, including Maths, English, and ICT
KEY SKILLS
- Coffee & tea knowledge
- Skilled with Point of Sale software (TokenWorks Magnetic Card Reader, Plexis Software Plexis POS)
- Food Hygiene Certificate
- Customer service
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Sales & upselling
- Inventory management
- Communication skills
HOBBIES & INTERESTS
- Cycling
- Cooking
- Yoga
- Coffee culture
Professional CV Layout for Experienced Workers
Professional CV layouts are clean and easily readable to highlight your skills and years of experience, like this example:
Download Professional CV Layout Example
Professional CV Layout Example (Text Version)
FIRST AND LAST NAME
Phone: 07123 456 789 Email: your.name@gmail.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/your.profile Address: 78 Queen Charlotte’s Square, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE3 2LA
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Accomplished Digital Marketing Specialist with 5+ years of experience creating compelling written and visual content. Wrote 100+ SEO-ready blog articles that accounted for 69% of our website’s traffic. Can write for diverse audiences with my BA in English with Creative Writing and experience matching tone and content requirements for 8 clients. Looking to bring established writing and SEO talents to your company as Digital Marketing Editor.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Nissan, Sunderland
Digital Marketing Specialist, January 2022–present
- Produce ~7+ fully researched website articles on new and existing Nissan products per month
- Use 10+ SEO tools to discover where consumer interest lies
- Increased CTR on pages I wrote or optimised by 7% on average, helping solidify company’s 17% profit increase
- Collaborate with diverse, knowledgeable team of 47 through group tasks, weekly team meetings, and daily updates
TopStrategy Digital Strategy Agency, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Digital Marketing Assistant, August 2020–January 2022
- Provided Google-optimised content for agency serving 7 major clients
- Devised strategy that led to 3-minute increase in average time customers spent on clients’ websites
- Worked on outreach campaign for a major client that led to 47 new backlinks within 1 year and fuelled 37% website growth
- Propelled clients’ websites on an upward trajectory by implementing guidance from 10+ reliable SEO sources, including Search Engine Journal, Ahrefs, and SEO Book
Waitrose, London
Customer Assistant, October 2018–June 2020
- Checked out upwards of 200 customers daily, ensuring they each had a seamless, pleasant experience
- Helped train 7 new customer assistants
- Balanced till at the end of the day, maintaining 100% accuracy
- Provided support to 50+ customers each day, helping them find products and answering queries about items
EDUCATION
Queen Mary University Of London, 2017–2020
BA (Hons) English with Creative Writing (2.1)
Relevant Modules: Guillotines, Ghosts, and Laughing Gas: Literature in the 1790s; Writing Muslims; Chaucer: Telling Medieval Tales; Satire, Scandal, and Society; Black and Asian Writing in Britain
Dissertation Topic: The Great Vowel Shift and Its Appearance in Early English Literature
Outer Wessex Secondary School & Sixth Form, Toneborough (2010–2017)
A-Levels: English Literature (A), English Language (A), Philosophy & Ethics (B)
GCSEs: 11 A*–C including Maths, English, and ICT
KEY SKILLS
- Content creation, search engine optimisation, outreach campaign planning
- WordPress, Ahrefs, SEMrush, Google Analytics & Google Search Console
- Communication skills, people skills, organisational skills
- Google Docs, Microsoft Work, Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel
- Bilingual, fluent in English and Spanish
INTERESTS
- Blogging about SEO
- Playing in community sports leagues
- Growing flowers and vegetables
- Flower arrangement
- Graphic design
- Portrait sketching
Good CV Layout for Students
If you’re a student applying for a graduate job or internship, your CV layout should emphasise your education to show employers what relevant skills you’re currently developing. Here’s an example student CV layout that you can follow when you make your CV:
Download Student CV Layout Example
Student CV Layout Example (Text Version)
FIRST AND LAST NAME
Phone: 07911 135 476 Email: your.name@gmail.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/your.profile Address: 95 Dunstans St, Canterbury, CT2 8AA
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Dedicated Business student at University of Kent with extensive copywriting experience and a passion for corporate innovation. Awarded multiple merit-based awards, and currently on track for upper-second class honours. Seeking to leverage my strong work ethic and drive for creative marketing solutions to obtain a marketing internship.
EDUCATION
University of Kent, Canterbury (2020–present)
BSc (Hons) Business and Management
Relevant Modules: Business Analysis In Practice, The International Business Environment, The Management of Operations, Marketing Analytics, Economics for Business
Hove Park Upper School, Hove (2013–2020)
A-levels: Maths (A), English (A), IT (A), French (A)
GCSEs: 12 A*–C including English, Maths, and ICT
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
University of Kent, Canterbury
Independent Research Project, December 2022–February 2023
- Dissertation proposal for a research project on corporate responsibility titled ‘Corporate Responsibility and The Workplace’
- Interviewed 10 different successful UK-based CEOs and CMOs
- Conducted scientifically significant polling among company employees
- Organised the results and presented my research to the Kent Business School
Clifton High School, Bristol
English Tutor, January 2022–May 2022
- Worked with the English department to design and execute individualised lesson plans
- Improved pupil writing scores by 20% on average through group lessons as well as supplementary one-on-one tutoring
- Received a cumulative score of 9/10 through anonymous tutor reviews given to pupils at the end of each term
KEY SKILLS
- Microsoft Office Suite
- French (fluent)
- Strong attention to detail
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Organisation and prioritisation
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Time management
- Finance and accounting
HOBBIES & INTERESTS
- Avid member of the University of Kent Rowing Society
- Hiking and camping
- Member of University of Kent Debate Society
Creative CV Layout for Artists and Designers
Here’s a creative layout that’s perfect for anyone writing a visual arts or interior design CV:
Download Creative CV Layout Example
Creative CV Layout Example (Text Version)
FIRST AND LAST NAME
Phone: 07259 599 745 Address: 124 Grassington Rd, Nottingham, NG8 3PE Email: youremail@email.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/your.profile
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Graphic Design Specialist with over 4 years of experience developing excellent design assets for businesses. Possess a B.A. in Graphic Design from Nottingham Trent University. Skilled at guiding challenging projects from conception to completion. Seeking to leverage my strong creative expertise and design intuition to help develop innovative branding materials for your company.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Crashcourse Designs, Nottingham
Graphic Design Specialist, May 2022 – Present
- Lead in the design, development and execution of communication materials while helping clients cut their costs by an average of 10%
- Delegate tasks to 3 freelance designers and provide counsel on all aspects of certain projects
- Supervise the assessment of graphic materials to ensure the quality of the designs
- Produced modern, eye-catching illustrations for clients using Adobe Illustrator and Figma
Soto Advertising, Islington, London
Graphic Design Intern, May 2021 – September 2021
- Helped develop numerous marketing programmes (logos, brochures, newsletters, infographics, presentations, and advertisements) and guaranteed that they exceeded the expectations of our clients
- Assisted with 3 different major design projects while under pressure to meet weekly deadlines
- Recommended and consulted with clients on the most appropriate graphic design options based on their marketing goals and branding specifications
- Put together design presentations and proposals for clients and account managers
EDUCATION
Nottingham Trent University (2019 – 2022)
BA in Graphic Design (upper second-class honours)
Relevant Modules: The Theories and Practice of Visual Communication, Articulation of Graphic Design, Advertising Design, Media and Meaning in Graphic Design
The City of Leicester College, Leicester (2012 – 2019)
A-levels: Arts (A), English Literature (A), French (A), Geography (A)
GCSEs: 8 A*–C including English Literature, Maths, and ICT
KEY SKILLS
- Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop)
- Knowledge of Figma
- Working knowledge of HTML and CSS
- Bilingual in English and French
- Website design
- Printed materials design
HOBBIES & INTERESTS
- Still life
- Salsa dancing
- Taxidermy
- Socialising with friends
How to lay out a CV in 8 steps
To make a job-winning CV layout, follow these 8 steps:
1. Choose a good CV font
The best font for your CV is:
- easy to read
- appropriate for the job you want
- 10–12 points (although it can be larger for headers)
If you’re worried the font you’re using on your CV is hard to read or too informal, switch to one of these professional CV fonts that work for any industry:
The Best Fonts for a CV
- Times New Roman
- Arial
- Calibri
- Garamond
- Helvetica
- Georgia
- Cambria
- Inter
- Lato
Use the same font type, size, and colour for each section (you can use a different font for section headers if you like). Consistent text formatting makes your CV look clean and professional — and it’ll be easier to skim for important details.
2. Set your margins and spacing appropriately
For a professional look, CV margins should be set between 1.27–2.5cm.
The standard margin size for UK CVs is 2.5 cm. But if you’re trying to fit more of your professional details onto the pages, you can reduce the margins to 1.27 cm on all sides. Just don’t shrink them any more than that, or your CV will appear crowded.
Your line spacing should be set to between 1–1.5, which will neatly space information without making your CV feel too tight or spread out.
3. Head your CV with your job title and contact information
Start your CV with an eye-catching header that includes your key personal information, including your:
- name
- job title
- email address
- mobile phone number
Depending on your background and industry, adding extra information can make you more hirable. Some details that employers often find useful include your:
- LinkedIn profile
- professional website or portfolio
- postal address (just listing just your town is also fine)
This is an example of how your CV header should look:
4. Write a powerful personal statement
Your CV’s personal statement (also called a personal profile) is a 3–5 sentence paragraph you put under your personal details. Your statement should grab the reader’s attention by summarising your:
- professional experience
- skills
- achievements
- main career goal
Here’s an example of a properly set out personal statement:
5. Order your work experience correctly
Regardless of how you’re structuring your CV, you should order your relevant jobs from most recent to oldest. This approach gives the employer a quick overview of your professional history, allowing them to see how you’ve developed your skills over time.
For each job you add to your work experience section, include:
- the job title
- the company name and location
- the dates you worked there
- bullet points detailing your duties and achievements in the position
This is an example of how to set out a CV work experience entry:
Use bullet points in your CV work experience section layout to make it easy to read.
6. Make your education section reflect your experience level
Where you should put your education section on your CV and how much information you should include depending on your current career goals and experience level.
In most cases, your education should follow your work experience section, especially if you already have relevant work experience or your qualifications don’t relate to the job you’re applying for.
However, if you’re writing an academic CV for a university role or leaving university and looking for your first graduate job, your education system should come before your work history.
So how much detail does your education section need?
If you’re an experienced worker, not much. For each qualification include:
- the learning centre’s name
- qualification title and grade or classification (if it’s noteworthy)
- the years you studied or were awarded the qualification
Adding additional information to your education section will give employers a broader understanding of your skills and expertise, making your CV more compelling if you don’t have much work experience yet. If relevant, consider adding your:
- dissertation or thesis topic
- relevant classes or modules
- research projects or experience
This example education section is well laid out:
7. Think about where you can highlight your skills (and do it)
Listing key skills on your CV quickly tells the employer what you know and whether you’re qualified to do the job. Where you should put your key skills depends on their importance to the role and how long you’ve been in your career.
In a standard layout, list your skills on your CV in bullets toward the bottom of the last page, like this:
However, if you’re applying for your first job or writing a CV for a career change, consider listing your skills under your personal statement — or emphasising them further by using a skills-based CV format.
8. Add any relevant extra sections as necessary
You can also include additional sections on your CV to highlight other professional information.
Just ensure where you place those sections in your CV’s layout is based on their relevance to the job you want (with the most relevant listed first). For instance, if you’re writing an academic CV, your publications should directly follow your education and experience sections.
Some details you can put in these additional sections include:
- professional certifications
- associations and memberships
- additional training and coursework
- conferences you’ve attended
- publications
- awards
- hobbies and interests
Tips to consider when setting out your CV sections
While laying out your CV correctly will make your application easier to read, correct CV formatting will show the employer that you’re a well-informed professional who pays attention to detail and can be trusted as their next hire.
Here are three formatting considerations to give your improved CV outline the best chance of success:
1. Make easy-to-skim section headers
Clearly label your CV sections with headers (and subheaders where applicable) so recruiters can quickly find the information they’re looking for. You can make your headings stand out with:
- bold and italic text
- all capital letters
- appropriate colours (like dark blue or green)
- design elements like lines, coloured bars, and CV icons
Here’s an example of a CV layout that features clear section headings:
2. Include an appropriate number of CV pages
The standard CV length is two pages, which is typically enough space for all of the necessary CV sections.
But if you’re writing a graduate CV or a student CV, employers will understand if you provide them with a one-page CV.
Writing a three-page CV or longer is appropriate if you’re:
- applying for executive or senior positions
- working in an academic or medical field
- addressing a specific skill set
- including previous projects and publications related to your target role
3. Choose a design that works for the employer and industry
While what you write on your CV is most important, choosing a visually appealing CV design can help you stand out from other applicants by making your stronger skills and experience jump off the page.
Even though experience is central to the success (or failure) of your CV, it’s important to be aware of your industry and target employer when deciding how your CV should look.
Creative CV templates with bold headers or distinctive elements can do a great job of highlighting your uniqueness and adaptability — but they’re only suitable for more laid-back or creatively oriented employers.
A graphic design business will appreciate an unconventional CV with lots of visual elements — but an investment banking firm? Not so much.
For more traditional employers, choose a simple CV layout that focuses on your key qualifications and practical experience.
Frequently asked questions about laying out a CV
Below are answers to three common questions about CV layouts:
1. How do you lay out a modern CV?
Here’s how you lay out a modern CV:
- Put your name and contact details in a header at the top of the first page
- Write a short personal statement as a CV introduction
- Set out your work experience in chronological order (starting from most recent and going backwards)
- Add your education details (university degree, high school, GCSEs, A-Levels, etc.)
- List your job-specific skills
- Add a hobbies and interests section that shows employers that you’re a well-rounded person
2. How far back should your CV go?
Generally speaking, you only need to include the last 15 years of your work experience. It’s perfectly acceptable to include jobs you did earlier in your career. However, you don’t need to include as much detail because your achievements happened a long time ago.
For work experience entries over 15 years old, all you need to include is:
- your job title
- dates of employment
- employer
- location
Here’s an example of what an old work experience entry should look like:
3. Which page size is best for CVs?
A4 (20.99 cm x 29.7 cm) is the best size for CVs because it’s the standard size used in the UK.
Only use another page size if the job advert specifically requests you do so, or if you’re applying to work in a country that uses a different size. For instance, if you’re applying for a job in the US, use a US letter–sized page (21.59 cm x 27.94 cm).
More CV layout FAQs
Here are answers to even more questions about laying out a CV:
