How to format a CV in the UK: layout tips and ideas.

Job hunting is never straightforward. And your CV format shouldn’t be either. Gone are the days of A4 printouts in Times New Roman. Today’s prospective employers expect a lot more from your CV. In a sea of applications, yours needs to grab their attention and keep it. And your CV layout is key to doing this.

Beyond listing your achievements and qualifications, an effective CV can convey hard and soft skills, your suitability for the role, and a glimpse of your personality. All this in an accessible, legible layout that’s much more interesting than chunks of text. You could even include a video CV, if you’re feeling brave. Read on to learn how to format a CV with Adobe Express.

What do we mean by CV format?

Your CV format is the layout and structure you use to display all the information and relevant experience for your job experience. It helps create an overall look and feel for your CV. If you’re designing your CV from scratch, these are the things you should consider when creating a CV format:

• Layout
• Structure
• Fonts
• Font size and spacing
• Colours
• Design elements.

Different ways to format your CV.

There are lots of different ways to format the layout of a CV. Some will work better than others depending on your level of experience, the industry you work in and the job you’re applying for. Here are some of the most popular CV formats:

Reverse chronological CV format.

As the name suggests, with this CV format you’ll lead with a summary of your most recent work experience and go backwards from there. This layout typically begins with a personal statement or summary before listing relevant work experience.

You should also include a section for education, or other qualifications and relevant skills, which usually goes after work experience.

This is a popular CV format because it’s easy for recruiters to scan and absorb the information. Leading with the most recent role and advanced skills can also help if you reach the interview stage, as these will probably be the ones you’ll talk about most.

Skills-based CV layout.

This is also known as a functional CV, where you format it with specific skills as headers and an explanation of the relevant experience beneath. This can work well when applying for positions that require specific skills.

If the job listing includes a list of requirements, you can format your skills-based CV layout to match this, demonstrating how your abilities align with the role.

This CV format can also be a good idea if you’re new to the workforce and have little or no prior work experience, if you’ve had a career break, or if you’re pursuing a new career. Listing skills that you’ve picked up in other areas can demonstrate why you’d be a good fit for the position.

One-page vs two-page CV format.

It can be difficult to know whether to use one page or two pages for your CV. The important thing is to strike a balance between providing enough detail to get across your suitability for the position without overdoing it.

If you write too much, the recruiter might miss important details on their first scan, meaning you don’t make the shortlist.

If you’re still in the early stages of your career, with some clever formatting you should be able to fit everything on a single page. Once you have a few past positions under your belt, it makes sense to expand your CV to two pages, so that the formatting isn’t too cramped.

You should aim to leave enough white space between job roles or skills, so the text isn’t too small, and the page doesn’t look too busy.

Check out the CV examples below to start building your own CV layout with Adobe Express.

8 tips to help you format your CV.

Ready to format your CV? Here are some tips to help you create a CV that will get you noticed by the right people.

Prioritise the most relevant information.

Research has shown that recruiters spend six to eight seconds looking at a CV before deciding whether the candidate is suitable for a vacancy. So, it’s important to ensure that the most relevant information comes first. Always pull out the key information to make sure your CV is easy to scan.

This doesn’t necessarily mean placing it right at the top of the page. You could also draw attention to key information by using bullet points, larger fonts, a different colour background or a design element. Just make sure it’s something the recruiter will see immediately when they look at your CV.

Pick a font that’s clear and easy to read.

Choosing the right font is important – not only could it affect how legible your CV is, but fonts can convey a lot of meaning. You could use several different fonts in your CV – one for headings, one for the main body of the text, and another for key information you want to highlight.

1. A font with lots of personality could help draw attention to your CV, so try something striking like Smoosh or Gyst for your name.
2. You’ll want something straightforward and easy to read for the body of your text. Let the words do the talking with something like DejaVu or Area.
3. Bold fonts work well to pull out key information. Try a font like Gibson or Josefin Sans to highlight your skills and achievements.

Tailor your CV format to the industry you’re applying for.

You should always tailor your CV to the specific sector you’re applying for. Creative or design-based CVs will need to showcase these skills through the CV layout itself. Similarly, if you’re applying for a media-based role, a video CV won’t go amiss.

You could even think about tailoring the look and feel of your CV for the specific brand you’re applying for. Emulating the company’s signature colours, font and style could signal to the recruiter that you understand the brand.

Make the most of bullet points for at-a-glance information.

Help recruiters scan your CV and assess if you’re right for the role by providing key information in bullet points. You can do this throughout your CV – highlight key achievements or responsibilities for each job role, pull your main hard and soft skills together into a list, and summarise what you’ll bring to the position.

Create a margin to highlight key skills.

Rather than having a single column of text, bring some visual interest to your CV with a margin. Make it stand out in a different colour or with a border and use it to highlight some of those bullet points mentioned above. It’s also a good place to drop your contact information, like your email and contact number, and helps to maximise the space on the page.

Use graphics to convey information in an engaging way.

Imagine being a hiring manager with a stack of CVs to review. Reading blocks and blocks of text is sure to become repetitive. Make your CV stand out with some fun design elements to convey important information.

You could use a sliding scale to show your expertise level on specific skills, icons to represent hobbies and interests, and even include a QR code linking to your website, portfolio or LinkedIn.

Use the entire page.

Whether you’re using one page or two, make the most of the limited space available to sell yourself. This doesn’t mean cramming as many words in as possible, but being thoughtful in how you use your layout, and smart with which information you highlight.

If you’re expanding into two pages for the first time, consider adding more detail to each job role, increasing the space between chunks of text, or adding in some new elements to bring your CV to life and make it stand out.

Be considerate with colour.

It can be tempting to opt for bright colours to make your CV visually eye-catching, but make sure you don’t overdo it. A muted background with a few pops of colour to highlight key information can be much more effective, and easy on the eye.

Work with complementary colours that resonate with the position you’re applying for. Children’s TV presenter? Go for bold colours or pastels. Employment lawyer? Maybe opt for more muted shades of grey, blue or brown.

Using Adobe Express to format your CV.

Adobe Express lets you design an engaging and unique CV easily. Open Adobe Express in your web browser and create a new project. The template library gives you numerous designs to choose from, and you can write a prompt with the Generative AI function that creates a template based on your description.

Whether you want a sleek CV for a corporate job, a fun and engaging CV for a creative role, or a CV that reflects your skills and abilities for a complete career change, you can create the perfect layout with Adobe Express. Choose different fonts, add effects and colours, or edit graphics and photos.

When you’re happy with your design, you can download and save it as a PDF, then print or share online with recruiters and employers.

Try Adobe Express for free now

Good to know.

What is the most successful CV format?

The most popular CV format is known as reverse chronological – where you list your most recent job role and responsibilities first, then work backwards from there. This helps recruiters see your most recent and relevant experience first.

Should I use a template for my CV layout?

A CV template can help you design an engaging and well-ordered CV that gets across all the important information in a scannable format. It’s also possible to customise and tailor CV layouts so they’re unique to you.

Is Adobe Express free?

Yes. The basic version of Adobe Express includes everything you need to start working creatively. Adobe Express offers thousands of design templates, images, videos and royalty-free photos, quick actions for processing images, as well as much more. You can build a CV layout from scratch or choose from a wide range of templates to make your CV stand out from the crowd.