The British CV: close to the English-speaking model, with its own nuances
The United Kingdom shares the broad English-speaking principles (no photo, a focus on results), but keeps a few specifics of its own. Good news compared with the United States: the term *CV* is standard there, and two pages are accepted.
No photo, no personal details
As in the United States, Canada, and Australia, a photo is off-limits in the UK, as are your date of birth, age, nationality, and marital status, for anti-discrimination reasons (*Equality Act*). Keep your name, email, phone number, city, and LinkedIn. Country-by-country details in our guide should you put a photo on your CV.
The personal statement up top
A British CV often opens with a *personal statement* (or *personal profile*): 3 to 4 lines summarising your profile, your value, and your goal, tailored to the target job. It is the first thing the recruiter reads, so it has to be punchy and custom-written.
Standard structure
1. Personal statement: a short, job-focused summary.
2. Work experience: reverse chronological, each role with quantified achievements and action verbs, as in the American CV.
3. Education: degrees and qualifications (state the UK equivalents of French degrees).
4. Skills: technical skills, languages, tools, reusing the keywords from the job posting.
5. Sometimes References: "References available on request" is enough.
Language and details that matter
- British English: UK spelling (*organise* rather than *organise*, *CV* rather than *CV*).
- Length: two pages at most.
- Dates in the English-speaking format.
- An image-based or multi-column CV stays invisible to ATS, in the UK just as in France: see why Canva CVs are invisible.
Mistakes to avoid
- Keeping a photo or a date of birth.
- Using American spelling in a British application.
- Leaving out the personal statement, which recruiters expect.
- Translating French degrees without a clear equivalent.
- Going over two pages.
Adapt your CV for the UK with CVpass
On CVpass, choose "United Kingdom" as your target country. The tool translates your CV into British English, removes the photo and personal details, adopts the expected structure (personal statement, results-driven work experience), and aims for two pages. Your ATS score is recalculated against British expectations.
Further reading
- Applying abroad: the country-by-country CV guide
- American CV: the guide to applying in the United States
- CV in English: adapting your CV to apply abroad
- German CV (Lebenslauf): the rules for applying in Germany
Apply in the UK with a CV that meets local standards. Adapt my CV for the UK on CVpass