For most experienced roles in the United Kingdom, employers expect an A4 CV of up to two pages. Page one should establish your current role, a concise personal profile and your most relevant recent achievements; page two should complete your earlier career history, qualifications, professional memberships and technical skills. Start from the job advert and person specification before choosing what belongs on page one.
| Section | Where to place it | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Header & personal profile | Top of page one | Contact details work; no photo, date of birth or NI number |
| Recent relevant roles | Page one into top of page two | Exact titles, dates and measurable contributions matching the person specification |
| Earlier roles, education & memberships | Page two | Official qualification titles, awarding bodies and registration status |
Keep the header and personal profile factual
Include your full name, UK town or city, phone number, email address and relevant portfolio or profile links. Standard UK recruitment practice omits photographs, date of birth, marital status and National Insurance numbers.
If you include a personal profile beneath your header, keep it to three or four lines that name your discipline, years or scope of relevant work, and the specific evidence that matches the employer's person specification. Avoid generic self-praise that could apply to any applicant.
Order work history and qualifications for a British reader
List employment in reverse-chronological order with exact job titles, employer names, locations and month-and-year dates. Under each role, write concise bullet points showing what you delivered, the methods or tools you used, and verifiable outcomes.
State British or international qualifications accurately, including degree classifications (First-Class Honours, 2:1, 2:2), vocational levels (NVQ, BTEC, HND) or professional body memberships (such as ACCA, CIPD, GMC, NMC or BCS) only when you hold them.
Control the page break between page one and page two
Inspect where page one ends in your A4 preview before exporting. Avoid leaving a lone section heading at the foot of page one or splitting a short two-line role awkwardly across the page boundary.
After exporting your PDF or Word file, run the browser PDF text check and review every field in the employer's online application portal.