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Graduate CV template and format for the UK

This graduate CV template follows the UK format: one or two pages of A4, a short personal statement, education with your degree classification (or predicted grade), then placements, part-time jobs, volunteering and societies, each with a result. No photo or date of birth.

Build my CVCheck my ATS scoreUpdated 4 October 2026

By Rajesh Kumar · How these pages are made

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Graduate CV at a glance

Length
One or two pages of A4; one is enough if you have little experience, two if you have a placement year or substantial work.
Education first
Degree, university, classification or predicted grade (First, 2:1), relevant modules and dissertation.
A-levels
Include them (or equivalents) while they're recent, and check each scheme's entry criteria in case it asks for grades.
Experience
Placement year, internships, part-time and seasonal jobs, volunteering, society roles.
Leave out
Photo, date of birth, marital status, GCSE-by-GCSE lists (a summary line is enough).
Graduate schemes
Warwick's careers service lists psychometric tests, video interviews and assessment centres after the application; keep your CV consistent with your form.
Where to look
Prospects, your university careers service, Bright Network, Indeed, LinkedIn and scheme portals.

CV sample for the UK

A made-up person, in the layout described on this page. Build yours with any CVEmber template and download it as a PDF.

UK graduate CV example (economics)

Oliver Bennett

Economics graduate

Bristol · 07700 xxxxxx · oliver.bennett@example.com

Full right to work in the UK

Personal statement

  • Economics graduate (First) with a year-long placement in a public-sector analytics team, looking to join a graduate scheme in data or consulting.

Education

  • BSc Economics, University of Bristol · 2022–2026 · First Class Honours
  • Dissertation: regional effects of the minimum wage on hospitality employment (78%)
  • A-levels: Mathematics (A*), Economics (A), Geography (A) · 2022

Experience

  • Placement Student, Data and Insight Team, a regional NHS trust, Bristol · 2024–2025
  • • Automated a weekly waiting-list report in Python, saving the team about 6 hours a week.
  • Sales Assistant (part-time), Harbourside Books, Bristol · 2022–2024

Skills

  • Python (pandas), SQL, Stata, Excel, Tableau

A graduate personal statement

Two or three sentences: your degree and result, one piece of experience, and the kind of role you want. See CV personal statement examples.

Part-time and hospitality work

Bar, retail and care jobs show reliability, customer service and working under pressure. Give one bullet with a result instead of a list of duties.

Graduate schemes

Warwick's careers service says schemes are usually run by larger recruiters, often start the autumn after you graduate, and are advertised about a year before they begin, so final-year students should start looking from the September before their course ends. Most schemes don't name a required degree subject; they look for a good degree, work experience and soft skills you can explain. Keep your CV consistent with the form and check it with the free ATS checker.

Getting through screening software

Prospects notes that applicant tracking systems are common with high-volume recruiters, and cites an Institute of Student Employers survey in which nearly a third of employers used AI in hiring. Its advice: take keywords from the job description and person specification, name every qualification in full, use text only (no images, logos or graphics), and send the file type the advert asks for, since not every system reads PDFs.

Layout and file

Let your name be the title rather than “Curriculum vitae”. Prospects suggests body text of 10 to 12 point, bold headings of 14 or 16 point, margins of about 2.5cm, and a file name such as Joe-Smith-CV.

Grades and gaps

Write your classification exactly as awarded. Prospects warns that changing a 2:2 to a 2:1 is degree fraud. If you have a gap year or time out for health or caring, give one line with dates and the skills it built.

Graduate CV mistakes

  • A three-page CV listing every module.
  • A photo or date of birth.
  • “Hard-working team player” with no evidence.
  • Leaving out part-time work because it seems unrelated.

Sources

Checked on 4 October 2026. Employers and portals change what they ask for, so always follow the job advert first.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

How long should a graduate CV be?

One or two pages of A4. Prospects recommends no more than two; one is enough if you have little experience.

Should I put my A-levels on my CV?

Yes while they're recent, and check the scheme's entry criteria in case it lists grades.

Should I include a predicted grade?

Yes if you haven't graduated yet: "Predicted 2:1".

Do I need a cover letter for graduate jobs?

Prospects says to always include one unless the employer states otherwise. Schemes with their own application questions may not want one.

Still unsure? Send us a message — a real person replies.

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