UK CV Maker — Free CV Builder in the British Format
Build a CV in the format UK employers expect — two pages, no photo, no date of birth — and export it as a PDF.
Professional summary — AI draft
AI is used for this one field and nothing else. It reads your job title and the roles you have listed, drafts two or three sentences, and puts them in the summary box for you to edit. The rest of the form never leaves your device.
Download opens your browser’s print dialog — choose Save as PDF as the destination. That keeps a real text layer, which is what lets an applicant tracking system read your CV. Builders that export an image instead produce a file that looks correct and parses as blank.
How to use this tool
- Fill in the form on the left. The fields shown are the ones UK employers expect — fields that would hurt you there are not offered at all.
- Add your roles and education with the Add buttons. The preview updates as you type.
- Optionally click Draft my summary to have AI write the professional summary, then edit it. AI touches nothing else.
- Pick a template — Classic, Modern or Compact — and check the preview on the right.
- Click Download PDF and choose Save as PDF in the print dialog.
UK CVs run to two pages and deliberately omit a photograph and date of birth. Employers avoid both under equality legislation, and including them can make a recruiter uncomfortable rather than impressed.
The specification
| Photo | No |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | No |
| Marital status | No |
| Length | 2 pages standard |
| Called | CV, not resume |
| References | "Available on request" is fine |
Why uploads get rejected
Meeting the size is only part of it. These are the failures that actually come up:
- A photo or date of birth. UK employers avoid both for equality reasons.
- A one-page US-style resume. Two pages is the British norm and one can read as thin.
- American spelling throughout — "organized", "analyzed". Small, but recruiters notice.
How it works
The form is built from a country rule set, not a single template with a different heading. Choosing a country changes which fields exist: the Gulf and German builders ask for a photo, date of birth and visa status, while the US, UK, Canadian and Australian builders do not offer those fields at all — because supplying them there does measurable harm.
The preview beside the form is the actual document. It renders as you type, and the download is your browser printing that same HTML to PDF. That matters more than it sounds: the alternative approach — drawing the resume to a canvas and wrapping the image in a PDF — produces a file that looks perfect and contains no text at all. An applicant tracking system reads it as an empty page. Printing keeps a real text layer, so the resume parses.
Your data is held in your browser's local storage so you can come back to it. It is never sent to us. The one exception is the AI summary draft, which sends only your job title and role list to generate two or three sentences.
Who uses this
Anyone applying for jobs in the United Kingdom or Ireland.
Other names for this tool
People look for this under several different names. If you arrived searching for any of the following, this is the right page — they all describe the same thing:
- uk cv maker
- uk cv format
- free cv builder uk
- cv format for uk jobs
- online cv maker uk
- uk cv template free
- how to write a cv for uk
- uk cv builder no sign up
Frequently asked questions
Is a CV the same as a resume?
In the UK, yes — "CV" is simply what a resume is called. In the US the word means an academic document, which is why the same file needs a different name depending on where it is going.
Should I include a photo?
No. UK employers generally avoid photographs on applications for equality reasons, and some recruitment agencies strip them before passing a CV on.
How long should a UK CV be?
Two pages. One is acceptable for a first job; three or more is unusual outside academia and medicine.
Will the PDF pass an applicant tracking system?
It should. The export is your browser printing real HTML, which produces a genuine text layer that a parser can read. Builders that export an image instead produce a file that looks correct and parses as blank. Run the result through the ATS Resume Checker on this site if you want it confirmed.
Is my cv data sent anywhere?
No. Everything you type stays in your browser and is saved to your own device's local storage so you can come back to it. The only exception is the optional AI summary, which sends your job title and role list to draft two or three sentences — and nothing else from the form.
How do I download it as a PDF?
Click Download PDF. Your browser's print dialog opens — choose "Save as PDF" as the destination. This is deliberate: printing produces a real text layer, which is what makes the file readable by recruitment software.
Is this really free?
Yes — no account, no trial, no watermark and no cap on usage. It runs on your own device rather than our servers, so there is no cost for us to pass on.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The interface adapts to phone and tablet screens and everything runs in the browser, so there is no app to install.
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Your files stay on your device. This tool runs entirely in your browser. No file is uploaded, transmitted, or stored. You can verify this by opening your browser's Network tab while using the tool.
Disclaimer. Specifications published by exam boards, governments and platforms change without notice. We verify and date every specification on this site, but you should always confirm against the official source before submitting an application. See our full disclaimer.