CV examples
Each example is a real CV, laid out with a Kandiq template and written for one situation in the UK job market. Read it, see why each line is there, then write yours in the editor with your own experience.
7 guides
Students and graduates
CV examples for students: a student CV for your first job, part-time work or an internship
A good student CV sells what you are doing now: your studies, a part-time job, volunteering, a society or a project. Below are CV examples for students at university, sixth form and school, then how to write each section of yours, even with no work experience.
Graduate CV examples: how to write a graduate CV that gets you onto a scheme
A graduate CV has one job: turn a degree, a placement and a few part-time jobs into proof you can do the role. Below are graduate CV examples for the UK, starting with a full CV for a 2:1 economics graduate with a placement year, then what to write in each section for graduate schemes and first jobs.
How to write a good CV with no work experience: example and step-by-step guide
Never had a paid job? You still have more to put on a CV than you think. Here is how to write a good CV with no work experience: a full example for a first job, what counts as experience, and how to write each section so an employer calls you back.
Care and education
Care assistant CV: examples for care homes, home care and the NHS
A care assistant CV has to reassure a manager before you even meet: you are kind and patient, you can be trusted with personal care and medication, and you know the basics of safe practice. Below is a full care assistant CV example, shorter versions for no experience, home care and senior roles, and what to write in each section.
Teacher CV: examples and a step-by-step guide for UK schools
A teacher CV has to show three things fast: that you are qualified to teach where you are applying, what and whom you teach, and the difference you make to pupils. Below is a full teacher CV example for a secondary school, shorter versions for an ECT, a primary teacher and a career changer, and what to write in each section.
Academic CV: example and template for lecturer, postdoc and PhD applications
An academic CV is not a longer version of an ordinary CV. It is a record of your research, publications, teaching and service, read by academics who know your field. Below is an academic CV example for an early-career researcher, the sections a UK panel expects, and how to adapt it for a PhD, a postdoc, a lectureship or a UKRI narrative CV.
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How to use these CV examples
Start with your situation, then your sector. A school leaver, a graduate and someone changing career don't write the same CV, even for the same job advert. Each of our CV examples shows what an employer in that field expects to read, in the order they expect to read it. Use it as a guide for writing your own, not as text to copy.
- First job or still at school: education and transferable skills come first. See the student CV example.
- Just finished university: your degree, dissertation, placements and part-time work carry the CV. See the graduate CV example.
- Experienced: work history moves above education, with results for each role.
- Changing career: open with a personal statement that explains the move, then the skills that carry over.
The figures in every example are made up: put in yours. Employers can ask about any line of your CV at interview.
What good CV examples in the UK have in common
The National Careers Service lists the sections a UK CV needs: contact details, an introduction, education, work history and references. Most CV examples UK recruiters see follow that order, with skills added where the job asks for them. Use a clear font such as Arial or Calibri in size 11 or above, the same style throughout, headings and bullet points.
- Contact details: name, mobile number, email, town or city (Leeds, Bristol) and your LinkedIn URL if you have one.
- A personal statement: three or four lines under your name on who you are and what you're aiming for. The personal statement guide has examples for every stage.
- Work history, most recent first: employer, job title, dates, and two or three lines per role using the STAR method (situation, task, action, result).
- Education: qualifications, school, college or university, and dates. Put it above work history if you're early in your career.
- Key skills: the ones the advert names, backed by a fact. See skills for a CV.
- References: a line saying they're available on request, rather than someone else's contact details.
CV examples by sector
A recruiter doesn't read a retail CV the way they read a nursing one. The table sums up what should stand out first in each sector.
| Sector | Jobs | What the recruiter looks for first |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare and care | Nurse, healthcare assistant, care worker | Registration, wards or settings, shift patterns, DBS check |
| Retail | Sales assistant, cashier, supervisor | Customer volume, tills, stock, weekend availability |
| Hospitality | Waiter, barista, bar staff, receptionist | Covers per shift, food hygiene certificate, busy periods |
| Warehouse and logistics | Warehouse operative, driver, picker | Licences, pick rates, health and safety |
| Education | Teacher, teaching assistant, tutor | QTS or training, key stages, results with pupils |
| Technology | Developer, IT support, data analyst | Languages and tools, projects delivered, measurable impact |
| Trades and construction | Electrician, plumber, labourer | Qualifications, CSCS card, apprenticeship, equipment |
CV examples of personal statements
The personal statement is the first thing a recruiter reads. Three versions (fictional):
Reliable Year 13 student with two years of Saturday work in a busy café. Calm with customers, quick on the till and available for evening and weekend shifts from June.
Business Management graduate (2:1, University of Leeds) with a 12-month placement in a logistics firm, where I rebuilt the weekly stock report in Excel. Looking for a graduate role in supply chain.
Retail supervisor with six years of team leadership, now retraining as a payroll administrator through an evening course. Used to deadlines, accuracy and confidential information.
Work history lines that recruiters remember
Each line follows the same rule: an action, a context, a result. The employers and figures below are fictional.
Supported 8 patients per shift on a 24-bed elderly care ward and trained three new starters on manual handling.
Served around 150 customers a day in a high street store and cut fitting-room losses by a third with a new tagging check.
Processed 300 invoices a month in Sage and cleared a two-month backlog in six weeks.
CV examples or CV templates?
An example gives you the content: what to write for a given job. A template gives you the form: layout, font, colour. Write from an example, then choose a look among the CV templates. In the editor you can switch templates whenever you like without retyping, and each thumbnail says whether the layout passes every ATS check.
Tailor a CV example to the job advert
- Import your current CV from a PDF, a Word file or your LinkedIn profile's PDF export, or start from a blank page.
- Paste the job advert: the editor suggests each bullet point in its words, never invents a figure, and you decide what stays.
- Check it with the ATS CV checker: a score out of 100, check by check.
- Download your CV as a PDF, or as a Word file if the employer asks, and add a cover letter: the cover letter examples follow the same method.
Creating, importing and editing your CV, and checking its score, cost nothing. Downloads are part of Kandiq Pro, at £2.99 for the first week, then £18.99 a month, or £29.97 every three months (£9.99 a month). The full method is in the CV guide, and the builder is on the CV builder page.
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