Free UK CV Templates
A UK CV is two pages, single-column, no photo, no date of birth, no nationality — and it's always called a CV, never a resume. Qarera's free British CV templates parse cleanly through Reed, Totaljobs, LinkedIn, and the ATS platforms UK employers actually use (Workday at NHS and Lloyds, Greenhouse at Monzo and Wise, SuccessFactors at Tesco and Rolls-Royce). Edit online with AI bullet rewrites, British spelling locked in, and export unlimited PDFs.
British English spelling · GBP £ metrics · ILR / Skilled Worker / Graduate route supported
UK CV templates by role
Each template is a two-page UK format. Pick by industry and career stage.
UK Graduate CV
Best for: Recent graduates, milkround applicants, grad scheme candidates (Big 4, Magic Circle, IBD, Civil Service Fast Stream)
Structure: Contact → Personal Statement → Education → Work Experience / Placements → Skills → Achievements & Interests → References
Education leads because grad scheme recruiters screen on 2:1 minimum and target schools first. Add A-level grades if you graduated under three years ago — UK firms still ask.
UK Professional Services
Best for: Big 4 (Deloitte / KPMG / EY / PwC), Magic Circle and Silver Circle law, consulting, banking
Structure: Contact → Personal Statement → Key Skills → Work Experience → Education & Qualifications → Professional Memberships → References
Mention ACA, ACCA, CIMA, SRA, or BPP / ULaw qualifications by their UK acronyms. Recruiters scan for them. Two pages, no photo, no DOB.
NHS / Healthcare CV
Best for: NHS doctors, nurses, AHPs, healthcare scientists, locum and bank roles
Structure: Contact → GMC / NMC Registration → Personal Statement → Clinical Experience → Education & Training → Audits, Teaching, Publications → Mandatory Training → References
GMC or NMC number near the top — recruiters screen for it before reading anything else. Clinical experience listed by Trust, with grade (FY2, ST3, Band 6, etc.) and rotation length.
Trades & Construction (UK)
Best for: Site managers, gas engineers, electricians, plumbers, CSCS-carded trades
Structure: Contact → Summary → CSCS / Licences & Tickets → Work Experience → Technical Skills → References
CSCS card colour, Gas Safe number, NICEIC, IPAF, PASMA, SMSTS / SSSTS tickets sit at the top. UK site managers will not interview without these listed and in date.
UK Tech CV
Best for: Software, data, platform, DevOps, product roles at UK tech, fintech, and FAANG London
Structure: Contact → Personal Statement → Technical Skills → Work Experience → Side Projects / Open Source → Education → References
Technical skills near the top for keyword matching. UK tech recruiters at Monzo, Revolut, Wise, Octopus, and Deliveroo are aggressive on stack-match — list languages, frameworks, and cloud explicitly.
UK Executive CV
Best for: C-suite, board appointments, FTSE 100 / 250 directors, non-exec roles
Structure: Contact → Executive Summary → Core Competencies → Career History → Board & Advisory → Education & MBA → Professional Memberships → References
Two to three pages is acceptable at this level. P&L scale, EBITDA, headcount, and FTSE listing of past employers are the metrics that move the needle. INED experience listed separately.
UK CV vs US resume: what's different
If you're applying in the UK with a US resume, these are the differences that will get you screened out.
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States |
|---|---|
| Two pages is the norm, even for mid-career | One page unless you have 10+ years |
| Called a CV, not a resume — for every job, not just academic | Resume for corporate, CV reserved for academia |
| No photo, ever, for corporate roles | Never include a photo |
| No date of birth, no marital status, no nationality unless asked | Same — protected characteristics omitted |
| "References available on request" or two named referees at the end | References omitted entirely |
| Use postcode and city; full address optional | City and state only, no street |
| Date format: "March 2024" or "Mar 2024 — Present" | "March 2024" or "03/2024" |
| British spelling: "organise", "specialise", "analyse", "centre", "colour", "programme" | American spelling: "organize", "specialize", "analyze" |
| Right to work status if non-British / non-ILR (Skilled Worker, Graduate route, etc.) | Work authorisation rarely stated unless asked |
| File saved as "Firstname Lastname CV.pdf" | "Firstname Lastname Resume.pdf" |
Skip the formatting, write the content
Qarera locks in two-page UK format, British spelling, and right-to-work field. You write the bullets, AI sharpens them.
Open the UK CV BuilderHow to state your right to work
Goes in the contact block at the very top, right under your phone and email. UK recruiters screen on this within seconds.
British Citizen
List plainly: "British Citizen". No restrictions, no sponsorship needed.
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
Treated equivalently to citizens. State as "ILR — no sponsorship required". This is the phrase recruiters scan for.
Skilled Worker Visa
Employer-sponsored. Many firms (especially SME, public sector, NHS Trust roles) will not sponsor. State clearly: "Skilled Worker Visa — current sponsor: [Employer]" or "Requires Skilled Worker sponsorship".
Graduate route (post-study visa)
Two years (three for PhD), unsponsored. State: "Graduate route until [Month Year]". Strong card for grad schemes that don't sponsor.
Student Visa
20 hours per week during term, full-time in vacations. Note course end date so recruiters can plan around it.
Youth Mobility / Ukraine / BN(O) schemes
Each has its own duration and conditions. State the scheme name plainly — recruiters Google the rest.
Writing tips for UK CVs
Drop the photo — and the DOB, and the marital status
UK recruiters treat photos and personal data as a bias-risk flag, not a plus. Equality Act 2010 makes age, marital status, and nationality protected characteristics during screening. Leave them off. The exceptions (acting, modelling, front-of-house hospitality) are narrow and obvious.
Name UK qualifications by their UK acronym
ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPD, ICAEW, SRA, GMC, NMC, MRCP, CSCS, NEBOSH, PRINCE2, CIPS, RICS. UK recruiters and ATS keyword filters screen on these exact letters. Don't translate or expand them — write "ACA, ICAEW (2022)" not "Chartered Accountant (UK)".
Use British spelling and UK English in Word
Organise, specialise, analyse, centre, colour, labour, programme, licence (noun) / license (verb), defence, judgement. Set Word to English (United Kingdom) before spellcheck. An "Americanised" CV signals you used a generic template and didn't bother localising — UK recruiters notice.
Lead with the Personal Statement, not a US-style summary
Three or four lines, present tense, naming your discipline, total years of experience, one or two headline credentials, and the role you're targeting. "Qualified ACA with five years' Big 4 audit experience across FTSE 100 retail and consumer goods clients, now seeking a senior manager role in financial services." That's the shape.
Quantify in GBP and UK context
£ for financial metrics. Reference FTSE 100 / 250, AIM-listed, PLC, Ltd, NHS Trust, Big 4, Magic Circle, Russell Group, Civil Service grade (G7, SCS), or local-authority context — these carry specific weight with British recruiters. A US applicant writing "managed $2M portfolio" should clarify whether that's USD or GBP.
Format dates as Month Year, never US-style
"Mar 2024 — Present" or "March 2024 — Present", consistent throughout. Avoid "03/2024" — UK readers parse that as 3 April (DD/MM) and get confused, while the rest of the CV reads as American. Same applies to dates of birth (which you're leaving off anyway).
Frequently asked questions
Related tools and reading
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