How to Write a CV That Gets Interviews (UK)

Your CV competes with dozens of other applications. Recruiters don’t have time to read every CV in detail – they shortlist only those that clearly meet their criteria. So, how to write a CV that gives you a real advantage? This guide explains how to make a good CV for the UK job market, step by step.

This CV writing guide will show you: 

• A CV template better than 9 out of 10 other CVs.
• How to write a good CV that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to write a CV that highlights your skills and achievements.
• How to make a CV work experience section to get any job you want.

If you’d rather not start from a blank page, you can follow this guide using our CV builder. It walks you through each step and includes 20+ CV templates you can customise as you write your CV.

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Sample CV made with our builder—See more templates and create your CV here.

1. Outline the sections you need to create a CV

You should make your CV easy to read. Include clearly marked sections for your contact information, personal introduction, education, work experience, and key skills.

Contact information

Employers must know how to contact you. Put your contact details at the top or on one side of your CV. Include your name, phone number, email address, LinkedIn profile URL, or a portfolio website.

Personal introduction

Present your qualifications for the job in a few lines. Summarise your achievements and best qualities, so employers know you’re the right fit for the position.

Education

If you’re applying for your first job or you don’t have much experience in your field, put education after your introduction. If you’re an experienced candidate, show work experience before education. Include names of your qualifications or degrees, the names of the school or organisation, and dates of attendance.

Work experience

Start with the most recent experience and include the company name, your job title, work period, and 2–5 lines about your responsibilities. You can also include volunteer activities and freelance work in this section.

Key skills

Choose up to 10 hard and soft skills that match the job requirements. 

💡 Pro tip: You can save time creating your CV using pre-formatted templates with placeholders for your information. 

2. Make a good CV layout

The CV layout covers how your CV looks and how easy it is to read. A strong layout helps employers quickly find the information they need.

Recruiters spend around seven seconds scanning a CV before accepting or rejecting it. That’s why the CV design can’t be cluttered.

📝 Here’s how to get your CV layout right:

• Select good CV fonts: Modern, readable CV fonts work well on screen. 
• Keep body text at 10–12 points, and make section headings slightly larger to create a clear visual hierarchy.
• Usestandard CV margins to balance content and white space. This improves readability and helps separate sections.
• Apply consistent line spacing and leave extra space between sections and headings. 
• Left-align the text throughout your CV. This is the most readable and professional option for formal documents.
• Stick to the optimal CV length: For most candidates, a one-page CV is ideal; two pages are acceptable for those with extensive experience.
• Save your CV as a PDF. This ensures your CV layout remains consistent across devices.
• Use a clear filename that includes your name, such as Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf. 

Those are the basic rules for CV layout. Let’s move on to the CV format.

💡 Pro Tip: Keep formatting consistent throughout your CV. For example, always follow the same conventions when putting dates in your work experience section. That’s one of the best CV tips out there.

3. Use the CV format that’s best for you

A CV format describes the framework of your CV. Various formats can present your employment history, qualifications, and education differently.

📝There are two common CV formats in the UK: 

• The chronological CV is the most popular format and the best choice for most candidates. This format focuses on your employment history and experience. 
• The skills-based CV format focuses on core abilities rather than employment history. This format can work for people with gaps in their experience and career changers. You can also use it to write a curriculum vitae for a job with no experience, such as a student CV.

Mind you, the skills-based CV is a risky format. My experience shows that recruiters tend to be suspicious of functional CVs – they dislike them because they’re used to seeing detailed work experience records. That’s why I’ll focus this guide on reverse-chronological format CVs.

💡 Pro Tip: Chronological CV format is easily readable by the ATS software that most larger employers use to filter job applications. ATS automates the first step in rejecting unsuitable applicants. You could be an excellent candidate, but if the ATS can’t read your CV, you’re finished before you’ve even started.

4. Put contact information in the right spot

A CV header is the section at the top that contains your name and contact details. It’s the first part of the page that gets read, so you have to get it right.

📝Here’s how to create a CV header:

• Make your name prominent: Use a larger font size and bold formatting to make it immediately noticeable.
• Include a job title: If you are currently working or targeting a specific role, adding a job title under your name can help position your profile instantly.
• Add essential contact details only: Include your phone number and a clickable email address. Use a professional email based on your name – avoid informal email handles, which can negatively affect first impressions.
• Use links selectively to add value: You may include a clickable link to your LinkedIn profile or an online portfolio.
• Keep it simple if unsure: If you are not certain a detail adds value, leave it out. A clean header with plain contact details is always better than one that feels cluttered or unnecessary.

💡 Pro Tip: It’s perfectly okay not to include your residential address, as it’s not one of the essential things to include in a CV. It just takes up space, and the hiring manager might hold it against you if you’ve got a long commute.

5. Write a strong CV personal statement

A personal statement functions as the introduction to your CV. It’s a short paragraph designed to grab the recruiter’s attention and keep them reading.

CV profiles come in two forms:

• CV summary: perfect for experienced candidates
• CV objective: ideal for those just entering the market or career changers

A strong CV personal statement is a great way to make a first impression – but so is a cover letter. Most candidates focus only on their CV and don’t bother writing one, which is exactly why a short, well-targeted cover letter can give you an immediate advantage. It adds context, shows motivation, and helps recruiters see you as a serious candidate.

Before writing, read the job description. Your CV profile must be specifically tailored to each job advert. Don’t even think of copy-pasting the same personal statement for every CV you send.

When making a CV in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional CV template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s CV builder will score your CV and tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Describe relevant work experience 

I’ve covered the starter section; it’s time for the main course.

📝 Here’s how to make a CV work experience section:

• Begin with your job title: This should be the header for each entry; put it in bold or a larger font for emphasis.
• Add the company’s name & city: My layout tip here is to use italics for contrast.
• Specify the dates of employment: The month and year will suffice. No need to put exact dates.
• Present your responsibilities: 2–6 bullet points for each position.
• Pick the right CV keywords: Use keywords from the job description in your experience section for a tailored curriculum vitae.

💡Pop your CV into different templates to see how it looks. Read more here: 20+ Free CV Templates to Download Now

7. Include education in your CV

The stage of the career will dictate how the education section should be structured. If you’ve got little or no professional experience, then change the order of your CV and put your education section before your work experience section. Otherwise, put your education section after your work history.

📝These are the essentials:

• Name of a degree, certificate, or qualification
• Name of the school, university, or organisation
• Study period
• Academic honours

Applicants with little or no experience can also include these details:

• Relevant classes
• Name of your thesis
• Extracurricular activities
• Scholarships

💡You can strengthen your descriptions in this section using action words. For example, instead of saying “member of student council,” write: “Demonstrated leadership and problem-solving skills while presiding over the student council.”

8. Create a CV skills section 

Skills sit at the core of your ability to do the job, which is why a well-written CV skills section is essential. This section helps employers quickly assess whether you have the capabilities they are looking for.

On a CV, skills usually fall into two categories:

• Hard skills: role-specific or technical skills
• Soft skills: transferable or interpersonal skills
  
  

📝Here’s how you create a strong skills section when writing a CV:

• Stay directly relevant to the job: Base your skills on the job description. Don’t list every skill you have.
• Include both hard and soft skills: Technical skills show you can do the job, while soft skills show how you work with others. A good CV balances both.
• Avoid a simple list of skills: Add a short description or context to show how you have used each skill in practice.
• Support your skills with evidence: Brief examples or references to your experience make your skills more credible.

Here are a few skills commonly included in CVs:

• Teamwork and interpersonal skills
• Leadership skills
• Decision-making skills
• Customer service skills
• Communication skills
• Active listening skills
• Analytical skills
• Computer skills

💡 Pro Tip: Proofreading is a skill you may not need in your job, but do use it once you’re done with CV writing. You'll thank me later. Use Grammarly or ask a friend to check your CV for typos. You wouldn’t like to miss out on a job because the hiring manager spots a typo.

9. Choose additional CV sections 

Your choice of additional sections depends on your career stage and the job. Use these extra CV sections to show you have skills, knowledge, or experience that will make you the solution to the hiring manager’s problems.

📝Here are some extra sections you can consider when making your CV:

• Hobbies and interests: for example, team sports clearly demonstrate teamwork, but chess is also a strong choice because it requires strategic thinking and analysis.
• Conferences: they show keen interest and expert knowledge in your field. In my opinion, it’s a great way of adding some flair to your CV that wouldn’t fit in other sections.
• Awards: recognition of your talents is a valuable addition to your CV. Simply say what the award was for, the year received, and who awarded it.
• Professional certifications: if you have any, create a separate CV section specifically for them. You can name the section “Certification,” “Professional Qualification,” or “Professional Memberships.” 
• Volunteering: contributing your time without compensation demonstrates motivation and a desire to contribute to society.
• Foreign languages: language skills are needed at all levels in the workforce. Simply state the language, followed by your proficiency. If you want, you can follow the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

The extra CV sections that we discussed above are some of the most popular ones, but you can also add value to your CV by including things like:

• Publications
• Extracurricular activities
• Associations
• Projects

💡Pro Tip: If a specific certification is one of the job requirements, then don’t hesitate to mention it also in your CV personal statement. This way, the recruiter will immediately know you’re the right person for the job.

Expert curated video content

If you prefer watching, our Certified Professional CV Writer, Caio, will explain in detail how to write a professional CV!

How to write a CV: example

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your CV will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key takeaway

Thank you for reading my guide on how to write a CV for a job application. Here’s a quick summary of how to create a CV:

• Use the right CV layout. Fonts, white space, margins and spacing all contribute to readability. Keep the recruiter reading, and you’ve passed the first hurdle.
• Use a template with clear sections and the right length. Dividing up your CV clearly and keeping it brief focuses attention on your job-winning qualities.
• Choose the right CV format. In most cases, reverse-chronological is best.
• Write an attention-grabbing CV personal statement. Get the hiring manager hooked from the start.
• Serve up a stunning main course of experience, skills and education. This is the meat and potatoes of your CV that plays the biggest part in selling you as a candidate.
• Land the knockout punch with additional CV sections. Go above and beyond with bonus information to seal the deal and land that interview.
• Attach a cover letter to your CV. Show how the company will benefit from hiring you.

With expert CV writing tips, the entire process gets much easier and pleasant. If you need more help writing a CV, then head over to our blog for actionable articles to guide you through your job search process!

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Sources

• The Ladders, "Eye-Tracking Study"
• Nielsen Norman Group, "F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content (Original Study)"
• M. Van Toorenburg, J. K. Oostrom, T. V. Pollet, "What a Difference Your E-Mail Makes: Effects of Informal E-Mail Addresses in Online Résumé Screening"
• Council of Europe, "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages"