CV examples

To get started creating a UK CV use our CV Essentials Pathway. The following examples are provided to give you some inspiration.

Two page chronological CV examples

The following example CVs have been created using our ‌ to show how experience gained while at University can be tailored to different roles. To effectively tailor your CV we recommend using the job description provided for the role, or if applying speculatively, finding a similar job description advertised to help ensure you represent the right skills.

  • Personal statements have been used on some of these CVs to give you some examples, however, this is optional if a cover letter is being used.
  • Key points are included for each CV that show how it has been tailored towards a particular industry, so take note while you read through them.

Charity sector CV

  • Volunteering experience is valued when seeking roles within the charity sector, so the student has gone into detail about volunteering opportunities that they have taken part in and the positive impacts that they have made.
  • This student has given evidence of the transferable skills that they have gained during their studies, and how these can be applied to the charity sector, with a clear understanding of the deeper complexities of the sector.
  • This CV evidences a passion and commitment towards helping others, which will be highly valued in the charity sector.

Cultural and heritage sector CV

  • Historical knowledge is important in these roles; therefore, a large amount of this students CV is based on the knowledge and skills they built up during their studies, and how this has been developed.
  • Customer and client facing roles are also common in this industry, therefore showing experience of this, particularly when communicating your own knowledge to employers is important.
  • CV contains several examples of creativity and innovation to improve existing processes as this is welcomed within the cultural sector.

Education sector CV

  • Showing any experience working with younger people is important to prioritise as this is transferable within educational roles.
  • This CV details any times where this student was able to demonstrate leading groups, offering guidance and supporting others and active language for these is used clearly.
  • Important to showcase language proficiency and explain how this improved and when it has been used in practice.

Business / consulting role CV

  • This student has shown clearly when they have taken the theoretical learning from their management degree and applied this into assignments with realistic case studies, which employers will value as it evidenced the transferable skills gained from their degree.
  • Managing relationships with stakeholders is also an important aspect of management consulting, therefore any experience that has had involved communicating with internal and external stakeholders is beneficial.
  • This CV also evidences opportunities for the student to show they have developed commercial acumen through both retail experience and their summer internship.

Sustainability role CV

  • Interest in, and knowledge of sustainability is clear throughout this CV. They have explained how they have pursued sustainability aspects of their Geography degree and made the decision to focus their assignments on the subject area.
  • This student has also evidenced how they have incorporated sustainability into experience that may not usually have a completely direct correlation with the area, such as being a Student Careers Intern. This is an example of tailoring experience to industries.
  • The CV also details a few examples of the implementation of new initiatives that have led to a positive impact on the environment, this shows a desire to find ways to improve practices, which is the basis of sustainability work.

Chemistry/Physics CV

  • This person's relevant experience from undertaking internships helps to demonstrate how they have applied their technical knowledge, gained from university, into industry.
  • The strong focus on lab-based skills in this CV, particularly health and safety within the laboratory, specific lab techniques and equipment used, is useful to mention if they are interested in pursuing scientific work. This is further illustrated by an 'Interests and Activities' section with more examples of passion for the scientific field.
  • The non-science experiences and positions of responsibility display additional transferable skills that may not be as easy to demonstrate in a lab environment, eg. leadership, customer service.

FBT- Fashion Buying CV

  • Some employers in creative industries, such as fashion, value a visually appealing and potentially more creative CV, so more thought could be attributed to this to make an impact.
  • The inclusion of the volunteering experience helps show a focus on sustainability, which is a relevant issue in the fashion industry.
  • 'Other' work experience, such as retail or hospitality positions demonstrate a focus on customers' needs and experience, which is essential for roles within the fashion industry.‌‌

Maths CV

  • Whilst it's important to mention the different mathematical elements mastered within this person's degree, it's also helpful to mention transferable skills that have been developed, such as groupwork and communication skills, which all employers value.
  • Mathematicians can apply their maths in a variety of industries and sectors, from consulting and finance to media and education. It's therefore more crucial than ever to tailor the cv to the role being applied to. This may mean focusing less on the technical specifics of different branches of mathematics and more on the skills relevant to that particular role/company, for example, adding experience of working with customers within the 'positions of responsibility' and 'other work experience' sections.
  • The 'activities' section can further demonstrate passion and motivation to work in a particular sector.‌

Engineering CV

  • This CV has a strong focus on research, project planning and design experiences, particularly with the use of computer aided design, demonstrated in the education and experience sections.
  • An engineer will generally have to be able to communicate with clients, contractors and designers, so communication and presentation skills are key for a good engineering CV.
  • There is always a customer within engineering companies - whether that is internal or an end customer. It's therefore important to include any hospitality or retail work experience, as well as any volunteering, where you can demonstrate that you understand customer needs.

Psychology CV

  • As a Psychology student you can explore a variety of different pathways - this CV is a good example of demonstrating the relevance of the degree and other experience in relation to psychological professions roles. Remember, this same experience can be tailored to a huge number of opportunities - consider how to articulate the transferable skills you gained.
  • This person has clearly demonstrated relevant specialist knowledge gained from a variety of modules, for example evidencing experience of relevant software and research techniques.
  • Other relevant experience for these roles might include demonstrating research skills, working with clients in a support capacity and highlighting the importance of confidentiality. This CV has demonstrated this experience through their part-time work, volunteering, internship and roles in the University.

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Creative industries including advertising

The term "creative CV" often refers to CVs that use unusual formats, design or materials to highlight certain skills. It may seem appropriate to take this approach in the creative, media and arts sectors, but your skillset can be lost within these designs and the organisation may not welcome the quirky designs. Unless instructed otherwise, we advise using a more standard template and then adding a link to a portfolio, to show your creative abilities.

The academic CV

Used for applying for an academic job, e.g. a lecturing or research led role normally at a University or research institute.
This CV will be focussed on the job description (as always) but is likely to also include a list of research papers, conferences and funding. This means the CV will usually be more than 2 pages long. To get started use the following resources:

NOTE: An academic CV should not be confused with a CV used to apply for a Masters or PhD course which will normally be 2 pages in length. It will focus on the requirements of the course and so may have a section on research interests. More about applications for postgraduate study