A good CV does one job: it gets you an interview. It does not need to tell your whole story, and it does not need clever design. In the UK, most employers skim a CV in a minute or two before deciding whether to read on, so clarity beats creativity every time. Here is a straightforward structure that works for most roles, and how to make each part earn its place.
Keep it to two pages at most
For most roles, one to two pages is right. Early-career candidates can often say everything on one. If you have a long career, resist the urge to list every job in detail. Recent roles deserve the space, and anything older than ten or fifteen years can usually shrink to a line or two.
Use a plain, readable font at a sensible size, with clear headings and plenty of white space. If a recruiter has to hunt for your most recent job, you have made their life harder.
Start with the essentials
At the top, put your name, phone number, email address and the town or city where you live. You do not need your full address, your date of birth or a photo. UK employers do not expect them, and leaving them out helps keep early screening fair.
Below that, a short personal statement of two to four lines can help. Say who you are, what you are good at and the kind of role you want. Keep it specific. "Reliable retail supervisor with four years of experience leading small teams and a strong record on customer service" tells a recruiter far more than "hard-working team player seeking a new challenge".
Lead with your most relevant experience
List your work history in reverse chronological order, with the most recent role first. For each job, include the employer, your job title and the dates you were there. Then add three to five bullet points.
Those bullet points are where most CVs go wrong. They often describe duties, such as "responsible for handling customer queries". Better to show what you did and what happened as a result. Start each one with a strong verb and, where you honestly can, include something measurable.
- Weak: Responsible for stock control.
- Stronger: Reorganised the stockroom and introduced a weekly count, which cut missing items and saved the team time each Friday.
Only use numbers you can stand behind. An interviewer will ask about them, so choose figures you can explain.
Tailor it to each job
Sending the same CV to every employer is the quickest way to blend in. Before you apply, read the job post and note the three or four things the employer clearly cares about. Then check that your CV shows those things near the top.
This does not mean rewriting it from scratch. Reorder your bullet points so the most relevant come first, adjust your personal statement, and use the same language the advert uses where it genuinely describes your experience. If a post asks for someone who can manage a busy workload, your CV should make that obvious within seconds.
A tailored CV also helps with systems that rank applicants. Hier Intelligence, for example, scores applicants against the role to help recruiters start with the strongest matches. A CV that clearly reflects the job gives it, and the recruiter reading it, more to work with.
It also helps to think about who is reading. A recruiter in a small business may be dealing with dozens of applications alongside their day job. Make the first third of the first page count, because that is the part almost everyone reads. Put your strongest, most relevant points there and let the detail follow below.
Finally, be consistent. Use the same date format, the same style of bullet points and the same tense throughout, past tense for old roles and present tense for your current one. Small details like this make a CV look careful, and care is exactly what employers hope to see.
Deal with gaps and career changes honestly
Gaps are common and rarely a problem if you handle them plainly. If you took time out to care for family, travel, study or look for work, say so in a single line. You do not need to apologise or over-explain.
If you are changing career, put a skills section or a stronger personal statement near the top, so a reader sees your transferable strengths before they see an unfamiliar job title. Customer handling, organising people, managing budgets and learning quickly all travel well between sectors.
Finish with the small things
Add education and training after your experience, unless you are a recent graduate, in which case it can come first. Keep any hobbies or interests short, and only include them if they say something useful about you. You do not need to write "references available on request", as employers will ask if they want them.
Then check it carefully. Read it aloud, run a spell check, and ask someone you trust to look it over. Typos on a CV are small, but they are easy to avoid and they are noticed. Save it as a PDF unless the employer asks for something else, so the layout stays the same on every device.
The practical takeaway
Keep your CV clear, current and focused on the job in front of you. Lead with a short personal statement, show results rather than duties, tailor the top third for each application and proofread before you send it. If you would rather not start from a blank page, a CV builder takes care of the layout so you can concentrate on the content.