7 UK CV Template Examples for Every Career Stage in 2025

Finding the right format can make all the difference in your job search. A great layout helps your skills and experience stand out, while the wrong one can get your application dismissed before a human sees it. This guide provides a curated collection of the best UK CV template examples designed for today's job market. We'll help you select a structure that looks professional and is optimised to pass through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

1. CV Anywhere: The All-in-One Smart Template

CV Anywhere positions itself not just as a source for UK CV template examples, but as a comprehensive, AI-driven job search workspace. It moves beyond static templates to offer a full lifecycle solution designed to take a candidate from initial CV creation to a successful job offer. This integrated approach, which combines building, tailoring, tracking, and interview preparation, is what sets it apart as a standout choice for the modern UK job seeker.

The platform is engineered to tackle the most time-consuming aspects of job hunting. Its Smart CV Builder creates polished, ATS-friendly documents with AI-enhanced summaries and skill alignment, ensuring your application gets past initial automated screening. The process is seamless, guiding users through each section to produce a professional and effective CV.

Strategic Advantage: The All-in-One Workflow

The core strength of CV Anywhere lies in its interconnected toolkit, which eliminates the need for scattered spreadsheets and multiple disjointed applications.

• JD Fit Checker: This tool scores your CV against any job description, highlighting keywords and skills you're missing. It provides actionable feedback, allowing you to tailor your CV for each application in minutes, not hours.
• Application Tracker: A centralised dashboard replaces manual tracking. You can manage roles, statuses, reminders, and notes in one organised space.
• Interview Coach: Practice makes perfect. The platform simulates realistic interview questions and provides instant, personalised feedback to help you refine your answers and build confidence.
• AI Career Coach (Ava): Beyond the application, Ava assists with generating follow-up messages, crafting negotiation scripts, and comparing job offers.

User Experience and Pricing

The user interface is clean and intuitive, designed to reduce complexity. The platform offers a transparent pricing structure that makes its powerful tools accessible.

The free tier is generous enough to build a high-quality CV and test the core features. For those actively job hunting, the affordable monthly plan unlocks the full suite of tools designed to accelerate the process. While AI suggestions may require a final human touch for highly niche roles, the platform provides a robust foundation trusted by thousands of UK professionals.

Website: Access the CV Anywhere platform

2. National Careers Service (GOV.UK)

Before diving into visual designs, it's crucial to understand the foundational structure and content that UK employers expect. The National Careers Service, part of the official GOV.UK website, serves as the definitive authority on this. While not a CV builder in the traditional sense, it provides the essential blueprint for creating a compliant and effective CV, making it an indispensable first stop for anyone seeking UK CV template examples.

This resource excels at explaining the why behind each CV section, from crafting a compelling personal statement to detailing your work history with achievement-orientated language. It's an entirely free service with no sign-up required, offering unparalleled access to official, up-to-date guidance.

Strategic Analysis: The 'Content-First' Approach

The National Careers Service champions a content-first strategy. It forces you to focus on the substance of your CV before getting distracted by fonts and colours. This approach is highly effective because it ensures your CV is optimised for both human readers and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which prioritise clear, well-structured text over complex designs.

Key Takeaway: Use the GOV.UK guidance to write the core text of your CV first. This ensures you meet UK-specific conventions. Once your content is solid, you can then apply it to a visually appealing template from a dedicated CV builder.

How to Use This Resource Effectively

Think of the National Careers Service as your pre-flight checklist. Before you start designing your CV, review their section-by-section advice to ensure your content is robust.

• Benchmark Your Content: Compare your existing CV against their recommendations for each section. Are you missing key information? Is your language impactful enough?
• Understand UK Nuances: The guidance clarifies subtle but important UK conventions, such as the preference for a personal profile over an objective statement. For a comprehensive overview, you can learn more about how to write a UK version of a CV.
• Address Complex Situations: It offers specific advice for handling career gaps, changing careers, or writing a CV with limited experience.

Website: Read the official CV guidance from the National Careers Service

3. Prospects.ac.uk

For students, recent graduates, and those in academia, Prospects.ac.uk is a cornerstone resource. It provides a rich library of UK CV template examples tailored specifically for the early-career market, making it an essential platform for building a strong foundational CV. Trusted by university careers services across the country, it offers practical, sector-specific advice that goes beyond generic templates.

Unlike generic CV builders, Prospects excels by providing context. It doesn't just show you a template; it explains why a certain format works for a specific role, such as teaching or an IT graduate scheme. This educational approach ensures you understand the strategic choices behind your CV layout. Access to all examples and guidance is completely free.

Strategic Analysis: The 'Format-to-Function' Approach

Prospects champions a 'format-to-function' strategy, demonstrating how different CV layouts (chronological, skills-based, academic) serve different career goals. This is particularly valuable for applicants who don't fit the standard chronological work history mould, such as career changers or those with limited professional experience but extensive academic or voluntary work.

Key Takeaway: Choose your CV format based on what you need to emphasise. If your relevant skills are stronger than your work history, a skills-based or combination CV, as detailed on Prospects, will serve you better than a standard chronological one.

How to Use This Resource Effectively

Use Prospects to find a structural blueprint that best highlights your unique strengths, especially if you are early in your career.

• Explore Different Formats: Review their examples of chronological, skills-based, and academic CVs to see which one best tells your career story.
• Find Sector-Specific Language: Look at the CVs for your target industry (e.g., law, engineering) to borrow keywords and phrases that resonate with recruiters in that field.
• Bridge the Experience Gap: Their advice for students and school-leavers is excellent for learning how to frame academic projects, volunteering, and part-time work as relevant professional experience.

Website: Explore CVs and cover letter advice from Prospects

4. Reed.co.uk

As one of the UK's largest job boards, Reed.co.uk has a direct line to what recruiters are looking for. They leverage this insight to offer a suite of free, downloadable Word templates and practical writing guides. This resource is particularly valuable for those seeking UK CV template examples tailored to specific career situations, from graduate-level to career-change scenarios.

Reed's templates are designed for utility and ATS compatibility. While they may not be the most visually creative, their structure is recruiter-approved and straightforward. The real value lies in the accompanying advice, which covers numerous complex situations like explaining a career break or writing a skills-based CV, making it a highly practical tool for job seekers.

Strategic Analysis: The 'Recruiter-Informed' Approach

Reed's strategy is grounded in its role as a job market intermediary. Their templates reflect the preferences of the thousands of recruiters using their platform daily. This results in clean, professional, and easily scannable layouts that prioritise clarity over flair. They are built to pass the crucial "six-second test" where a recruiter makes an initial judgement.

Key Takeaway: Use Reed's templates when you need a reliable, no-fuss format that is guaranteed to be familiar and acceptable to UK hiring managers. Their advice on handling tricky career situations is especially useful.

How to Use This Resource Effectively

Think of Reed.co.uk as your source for tried-and-tested, industry-standard layouts. Their downloadable Word format makes customisation simple.

• Find Your Scenario: Browse their template collection to find the one that best matches your situation (e.g., graduate, career changer, skills-based).
• Adapt the Content: Use their specific writing tips to tailor your bullet points and personal statement. For instance, their guide on career breaks provides exact phrasing you can adapt.
• Customise Lightly: While the Word format allows for heavy customisation, stick to minor changes like adjusting font size or line spacing to maintain the template's professional integrity.

Website: Download free CV templates from Reed.co.uk

5. Zety (UK)

Zety is an online CV builder designed to streamline the writing process with a strong focus on professional, recruiter-friendly designs. It excels at guiding users through each section with prompts, pre-written content suggestions, and real-time formatting. For those seeking UK CV template examples that blend modern aesthetics with ATS compatibility, Zety offers a fast and structured solution to create a polished document.

The platform provides over 20 matching CV and cover letter templates, ensuring a consistent brand for your application. Its key strength lies in its guided writing process, which helps you articulate your skills and achievements effectively, making it a powerful tool for professionals who want a high-quality CV without starting from scratch. However, be aware that downloading your final CV in high-quality formats requires a paid subscription.

Strategic Analysis: The 'Guided-Building' Approach

Zety's strategy is built around guided assistance. Instead of just providing a blank template, its interface walks you through each section, offering expert tips and customisable, pre-written bullet points tailored to various roles. This approach is highly effective for overcoming writer's block and ensuring all essential information is included in a logical, impactful order. The templates are designed to be clean and scannable, prioritising readability for both recruiters and ATS software.

Key Takeaway: Zety is ideal for creating a professional CV quickly. Use its prompts and content suggestions as a starting point, but always customise them to reflect your unique achievements and quantify your results.

How to Use This Resource Effectively

Leverage Zety to build a strong structural and visual foundation for your CV. It's one of the best online resume builder options for combining speed with quality.

• Customise Suggestions: Use the pre-written content for inspiration, not as a final copy. Rephrase suggestions to match your tone and add specific metrics (e.g., percentages, figures) to your accomplishments.
• Match CV and Cover Letter: Choose one of the matching template sets to present a cohesive and professional application package to employers.
• Manage Your Subscription: The platform operates on a subscription model. Remember to cancel it if you only need to create a CV for a short-term job search to avoid recurring charges.

Website: Build your CV with Zety UK

6. Canva

For job seekers who want creative control without wrestling with clunky word processors, Canva is a game-changer. It's a powerful, browser-based design tool with a vast library of UK CV template examples that are as easy to customise as they are visually striking. Its drag-and-drop interface allows you to change colours, fonts, and layouts in seconds, making it ideal for roles in creative industries, marketing, or start-ups where a bit of personality can make a big difference.

While many templates are free, some premium designs and graphical elements are part of the Canva Pro subscription. However, the free offering is extensive and more than sufficient for creating a professional and polished CV. Its strength lies in democratising design, allowing anyone to produce a document that looks like it was made by a graphic designer.

Strategic Analysis: The 'Visual-First' Approach

Canva's strategic advantage is its visual-first approach. It lets you quickly find a design that reflects your personal brand and then populate it with your carefully crafted content. This is particularly effective for roles where visual presentation matters, helping your CV stand out in a pile of standard black-and-white documents. However, this freedom requires careful judgement to ensure the final design remains professional and ATS-friendly.

Key Takeaway: Choose a clean, single-column Canva template to balance visual appeal with ATS compatibility. Avoid overly complex graphics, tables, or multi-column layouts that can confuse scanning software.

How to Use This Resource Effectively

Use Canva to apply a final layer of design polish after you have finalised your CV content.

• Filter for Simplicity: Start by searching for "minimalist" or "professional" CV templates to find designs that are clean and easy for recruiters to scan.
• Customise with Purpose: Stick to a professional colour palette (e.g., blues, greys, or muted tones) and ensure your chosen font is highly legible, like Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica.
• Export Correctly: Always download your final CV as a 'PDF - Standard' file. This format preserves your layout and fonts perfectly, ensuring it looks the same on any device. For more ideas on design, you can find inspiration in a modern format of a resume.

Website: Create your CV with Canva's design tools

7. Etsy UK

For those seeking a unique design that stands out from standard corporate templates, Etsy is a vast marketplace of CVs created by independent designers. It offers thousands of instantly downloadable UK CV template examples, often bundled with matching cover letters, references pages, and even business card designs. This platform is ideal for finding a visually distinct template that reflects your personal brand, especially in creative or modern industries.

Etsy's strength lies in its sheer variety. You can find everything from minimalist and professional layouts to more artistic and colourful designs, all available for common software like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and Canva. Because these are sold by individual creators, prices are often very affordable, with many high-quality options available for just a few pounds.

Strategic Analysis: The 'Personal Branding' Approach

Etsy allows you to adopt a personal branding strategy for your job application. A well-chosen, professionally designed template can communicate personality, creativity, and attention to detail before a recruiter even reads the first word. This is particularly effective in fields like marketing, design, or media, where visual presentation matters.

Key Takeaway: Choose an Etsy template that aligns with the industry you're targeting. A clean, modern design works well for a tech startup, while a more traditional, elegant layout may be better for a corporate law firm.

How to Use This Resource Effectively

Navigating Etsy's huge selection requires a strategic approach to find the best templates that are both stylish and functional.

• Filter for UK-Specifics: Use search terms like "A4 CV template" or "UK CV" to find designs formatted for standard UK paper sizes, not US Letter.
• Check for ATS-Friendliness: Read seller descriptions and reviews carefully. Look for templates that use standard fonts and a single-column layout, as these are more likely to be parsed correctly by Applicant Tracking Systems.
• Review Seller Ratings: Prioritise templates from sellers with high ratings and positive reviews. This is the best indicator of design quality and customer support if you run into issues.

Website: Find CV templates on Etsy UK

7 UK CV Template Examples Compared

Choosing the Right Template to Get Hired

Selecting the right foundation for your professional story is the most critical step in your job search. Throughout this guide, we have explored a diverse range of UK CV template examples, from the highly customisable and AI-driven platform of CV Anywhere to the straightforward, government-endorsed formats from the National Careers Service. We've seen how specialist templates from Prospects.ac.uk cater to graduates, while platforms like Reed.co.uk and Zety offer recruiter-approved layouts that balance readability with professional flair.

The key takeaway is that there is no single "best" template; the optimal choice depends entirely on your industry, experience level, and the specific role you are targeting. A tech professional needs a template that highlights skills and projects succinctly, whereas a career changer requires a format that emphasises transferable skills and a powerful personal statement. Your chosen template must not only look professional but also navigate Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) effectively, ensuring your qualifications are seen by a human recruiter.

Your Actionable Next Steps

To move forward with confidence, follow this simple strategic process:

1. Re-evaluate Your Needs: Based on the examples, pinpoint your primary requirement. Is it speed, creative design, ATS compliance, or sector-specific formatting? A graduate's needs differ significantly from those of an experienced professional.
2. Shortlist Two or Three Templates: Don't commit to the first one you like. Choose a primary option and a backup. For instance, you might start with a sleek Zety template but keep a classic National Careers Service format ready for more traditional applications.
3. Tailor, Don't Just Fill In: Remember that a template is a starting point, not a final product. Use the insights provided for each example to customise the content relentlessly. Every bullet point should be an achievement-orientated statement tailored to the job description.
4. Proofread and Get Feedback: Once you've populated your chosen template, meticulously check for any spelling or grammatical errors. Ask a trusted colleague or mentor to review it for clarity and impact before you start sending it out.

Ultimately, the goal of using these UK CV template examples is to create a compelling document that secures interviews. The structure you choose serves as the framework, but the content you fill it with is what truly demonstrates your value. Once your new CV helps you land the job, your professional journey continues with the onboarding phase. Understanding how companies use tools like the onboarding plan templates used in HR processes can give you a valuable glimpse into the structured documentation that defines the next stage of your career. This insight highlights the importance of clear, purposeful documents at every professional milestone.

Ready to stop browsing templates and start building a CV that gets results? CV Anywhere offers a comprehensive suite of AI-powered tools designed to help you craft, tailor, and optimise your application in minutes. Move beyond static templates and create a dynamic, interview-winning CV with the CV Anywhere smart builder today.