How to write a student CV for United Kingdom

British CVs sit between the American and continental styles: two pages are normal, photos are off the table, and your degree classification carries more weight than in the US. This is the rule set applied when you pick United Kingdom.

Photo on a United Kingdom CV

Leave it off.

No photo. UK employers follow the same anti-discrimination convention as the US.

How long should it be?

Up to 2 pages.

Two pages are perfectly acceptable, but one well-filled page still beats two thin ones.

How Classification are read

State your classification.

Give your degree classification — First, 2:1, 2:2 — and predicted grade if you haven't graduated.

Personal details

Leave personal details off.

No date of birth, marital status, or nationality. Employers don't want them — including them marks the CV as unfamiliar with local practice, and opens discrimination questions they'd rather avoid.

Worth knowing

  • A skills section carries more weight here than in the US.
  • A-levels or equivalent are worth listing while you're still an undergraduate.
  • Spell it 'CV', not 'resume'.

Build it without memorising any of this

Pick United Kingdom in Fairhand and these conventions apply themselves — the photo field, the length target, the grade label, the paper size. Free, no account needed.

Start my United Kingdom CV