A professional CV is your ticket to landing interviews. This comprehensive guide shows you exactly how to create a CV that impresses recruiters, passes ATS systems, and showcases your value to employers.
What Makes a CV "Professional"?
A professional CV is more than just a well-formatted document. It's a strategic marketing tool that presents your skills, experience, and achievements in a way that resonates with employers and demonstrates your professionalism.
Key Characteristics of a Professional CV:
- Clean, consistent formatting with clear hierarchy
- Tailored content matching the job requirements
- Quantified achievements with measurable results
- ATS-optimized with relevant keywords
- Error-free - no typos or grammatical mistakes
- Appropriate length (2 pages for most UK professionals)
Professional CV Structure
1. Contact Information
What to Include:
- Full name (larger font, bold)
- Phone number (UK mobile format: 07XXX XXXXXX)
- Professional email address (firstname.lastname@email.com)
- Location (City, UK - no full address needed)
- LinkedIn profile URL (optional but recommended)
- Portfolio/website (if relevant to your field)
What NOT to Include:
- Date of birth or age
- Photo (unless applying for acting/modeling)
- Marital status or children
- National Insurance number
2. Professional Summary
A 3-5 sentence paragraph at the top of your CV that summarizes:
- Your job title and years of experience
- Key skills and areas of expertise
- 1-2 major achievements with numbers
- What you're looking for (optional)
✅ Example:
"Results-driven Marketing Manager with 7+ years of experience leading digital campaigns for B2B SaaS companies. Proven track record of increasing lead generation by 250% and reducing customer acquisition costs by 40% through data-driven strategies. Seeking to leverage expertise in marketing automation and team leadership to drive growth for an innovative tech company."
3. Work Experience
Format for Each Role:
Job Title | Company Name | Dates (Month Year - Present/Month Year)
- Achievement-focused bullet point with quantified result
- Another achievement showing impact with numbers
- Responsibility demonstrating key skills
- 3-5 bullets per role (most recent roles get more detail)
💡 Pro Tips:
- • Start each bullet with action verbs (Led, Managed, Achieved, Implemented)
- • Use numbers wherever possible (%, £, team sizes, timeframes)
- • Focus on achievements, not just responsibilities
- • Tailor bullet points to match job description keywords
- • Most recent role should have 5-6 bullets, older roles 2-3
4. Education
Format:
Degree Classification | Degree Name | University Name | Year
Example: First Class BA (Hons) Business Management | University of Manchester | 2018
What to Include:
- Degree classification (First, 2:1, 2:2)
- A-Levels with grades (if graduate/recent grad)
- GCSEs summary (e.g., "9 GCSEs including Maths & English (A*-B)")
- Relevant modules or dissertation (only if recent graduate)
Note: If you have 5+ years experience, keep education brief - just degree, institution, and grade.
5. Skills Section
Organize skills into categories:
Technical Skills:
Excel (Advanced), Salesforce, SQL, Python, Adobe Creative Suite, Sage 50
Professional Skills:
Project Management, Data Analysis, Team Leadership, Stakeholder Management
Languages:
English (Native), French (Fluent), Spanish (Conversational)
❌ Avoid:
- • Generic skills like "hard worker" or "team player"
- • Outdated software (Windows XP, Internet Explorer)
- • Rating skills with bars or percentages
- • Skills not relevant to the target role
6. Additional Sections (Optional)
Certifications
Include professional qualifications:
- • PMP, PRINCE2
- • ACCA, CIMA
- • AWS Certified, Microsoft Certified
- • CIPD, CIM
Interests
Only include if:
- • Relevant to the role
- • Shows leadership (captain of sports team)
- • Demonstrates unique skills
- • Provides conversation starters
Professional CV Formatting Guidelines
Typography & Layout:
Font Choices:
- • Professional: Arial, Calibri, Helvetica
- • Traditional: Times New Roman, Georgia
- • Modern: Lato, Roboto, Open Sans
- • Size: 10-12pt body, 14-16pt headings
Spacing & Margins:
- • Margins: 2-2.5cm all sides
- • Line spacing: 1.15 or 1.5
- • Section spacing: 12-18pt between sections
- • Bullet spacing: 6-8pt between bullets
🎨 Color Guidelines
Professional CVs can use subtle color accents, but keep it minimal:
- • Conservative industries: Black/grey only (finance, law)
- • Creative industries: One accent color (navy, teal, burgundy)
- • Tech/Startups: Modern color palette acceptable
- • Avoid: Bright colors, multiple colors, colored backgrounds
Professional CV Content Tips
Use the STAR Method
Structure achievements using Situation, Task, Action, Result:
Bad: "Responsible for managing social media"
Good: "Increased social media engagement by 180% in 6 months by implementing data-driven content strategy and A/B testing, resulting in 5,000+ new followers and 50 qualified leads per month"
Quantify Everything
Numbers make your achievements concrete and impressive:
- Revenue: "Generated £2.5M in new business"
- Percentages: "Reduced costs by 35%"
- Team sizes: "Managed team of 12 developers"
- Timeframes: "Delivered project 3 weeks ahead of schedule"
- Volume: "Processed 500+ customer inquiries daily"
Match Job Description Keywords
ATS systems scan for specific keywords. Mirror the language used in the job posting:
Job posting says: "Experience with stakeholder management"
Your CV should say: "Stakeholder management" (not "worked with clients")
Professional CV Checklist
Before Submitting, Check:
Content:
- Tailored to specific job
- Achievements quantified
- Keywords from job description
- No typos or errors
- Appropriate length (2 pages)
Formatting:
- Consistent font and sizing
- Clear section headings
- Adequate white space
- Professional appearance
- Saved as PDF
Common Professional CV Mistakes
❌ Using "I" or "My"
Bad: "I managed a team of 10 people"
Good: "Managed team of 10 marketing specialists"
❌ Listing Responsibilities Instead of Achievements
Bad: "Responsible for customer service"
Good: "Improved customer satisfaction scores from 72% to 91% through process optimization"
❌ Using Unprofessional Email Address
Bad: partygirl123@hotmail.com
Good: sarah.johnson@gmail.com
❌ Including Irrelevant Information
Remove: hobbies that don't add value, outdated skills, jobs from 15+ years ago (unless highly relevant)
Create Your Professional CV with AI
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Key Takeaways
- Use clean, consistent formatting with professional fonts
- Focus on achievements, not responsibilities
- Quantify everything with numbers and percentages
- Tailor your CV for each application with relevant keywords
- Keep it to 2 pages for most UK professionals
- Proofread multiple times - errors destroy professionalism
Free Professional CV Resources
Download our professional CV template and comprehensive writing checklist to create your perfect CV
Professional CV Template
Complete UK CV template with examples and instructions
CV Writing Checklist
100+ point checklist to ensure your CV is perfect
Want an AI-generated CV instead? Upload your CV and get a professional, tailored version in 2 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a CV professional?
A professional CV has clean formatting, quantified achievements, tailored content matching job requirements, ATS optimization with relevant keywords, and zero errors. It focuses on results rather than responsibilities and uses a consistent, easy-to-read layout.
How long should a professional CV be?
For most UK professionals, 2 pages is the standard. Graduates can use 1 page if they have limited experience. Senior executives with 15+ years may extend to 3 pages, but only if every line adds significant value.
Should I include a photo on my CV?
No, UK CVs should not include photos unless you're applying for acting, modeling, or similar roles where appearance is relevant. Photos can lead to unconscious bias and are not expected by UK employers.
What's the best font for a professional CV?
Professional fonts include Arial, Calibri, Helvetica (modern), Times New Roman, Georgia (traditional), or Lato, Roboto (contemporary). Use 10-12pt for body text and 14-16pt for headings. Stick to one font throughout for consistency.