UK CV Requirements 2026: Complete Checklist

Why UK CV Requirements Matter

UK employers and recruiters expect CVs that comply with local norms and anti-discrimination practice. Including the right sections and leaving out the wrong ones helps your CV pass ATS filters and makes a professional impression. Below is a clear breakdown of mandatory, optional, and forbidden elements.

Mandatory Sections

These sections are expected on every UK CV. Order and wording matter: use "Personal Profile" (not "Professional Summary") and "Work Experience" in reverse chronological order.

• Full name and contact details — Phone (UK format preferred), professional email, and location as "City, UK" only. No full street address. LinkedIn is optional but recommended.
• Personal Profile — 3–4 lines only. A concise positioning statement that summarises your experience and relevance. UK recruiters dislike long summaries.
• Work Experience — Reverse chronological order. Job title, company, location, dates (Month Year – Month Year). Use achievement-focused bullets with quantified results where possible.
• Education — Degree, institution, location, year. Grades optional unless strong (e.g. First-class honours).
• Skills — Best split into subsections: Technical Skills, Tools, Languages. Avoid long lists of soft skills; focus on hard skills and technologies.

Optional Sections

Include these only if they add value for the role. Do not pad your CV with irrelevant content.

• Certifications — Professional qualifications (e.g. PRINCE2, CIPD, AWS) with issuing body and date.
• References — Either omit entirely or add one line: "References available upon request." Do not list referees' contact details unless specifically asked.
• Courses / training — Short courses or CPD relevant to the job.
• Projects, publications, voluntary work — Only if they strengthen your application.

Not Allowed / Not Recommended

Including these can harm your application or breach good practice. UK employers expect a level playing field and may reject CVs that include personal or discriminatory information.

• Photo or headshot — Not standard on UK CVs and can introduce bias.
• Age, date of birth, gender, marital status — Not required and can lead to discrimination concerns.
• Nationality or place of birth — Not expected unless relevant to the role (e.g. language skills).
• Full street address — Use "City, UK" only.
• Signature — Not used on UK CVs.
• Long paragraphs or blocks of text — Use bullets and short, scannable content.