CV Booster Guide

Before you touch the content, get the foundations right — these are the things that get a CV silently rejected before anyone reads a word of it.

• Save and send as a PDF, never a Word doc. Word docs reformat unpredictably on other people's machines; a PDF looks identical everywhere.
• Name the file properly: FirstnameLastname_CV.pdf, not cv final FINAL v3.pdf. Recruiters notice, and some ATS platforms use the filename in search.
• Use a professional email address — firstname.lastname@gmail.com. Retire the email you made at 13.
• Keep it to one page until you have 2+ years of genuinely relevant experience. Two pages of padding reads worse than one page of substance.
• No photo, unless the employer specifically asks for one — UK CVs don't include them, and including one can (unintentionally) invite bias.

This is the first thing anyone reads. Three to four sentences, covering: who you are, what you've done, and what you're looking for — in that order.

Delete "hardworking", "team player", "passionate" and "driven" unless you immediately follow each one with a specific example. Without evidence, they are just noise a recruiter has read a thousand times already.

List your most recent qualification first (reverse chronological order). Make English and Maths grades easy to find — many employers use them as an automatic baseline filter, especially for apprenticeships.

• Add (predicted) next to grades you haven't received yet — completely normal for current students.
• Name specific A Level/BTEC subjects rather than writing "A Levels — 3 subjects". Technical employers scan for named subjects.
• List any free online certifications (Google, freeCodeCamp, Microsoft Learn) — genuinely valued in tech and digital roles, and shows initiative beyond the curriculum.

This is where most CVs either win or lose. The fix that matters most: every bullet should show impact, not just list a duty.

Include every job, however small — a weekend market stall, babysitting, helping at a family business. If it required reliability and responsibility, it belongs here alongside paid work.

Generic soft skills — communication, teamwork, time management — belong in your Work Experience section with evidence attached, not as a bare bullet list under Skills. A skill without a story is just a word.

Duke of Edinburgh, sports captaincy, school council — these demonstrate commitment and the ability to balance multiple responsibilities, and are taken seriously by employers. Be specific about interests rather than just listing hobbies: "Football" tells an employer nothing; "Weekly football training for 3 years, team captain for the last one" tells them a great deal about discipline and leadership.

• No tables or text boxes in Word — they frequently break when opened on a different system or parsed by an applicant tracking system.
• Left-align body text. Only your name and contact details should be centred.
• Use one consistent date format throughout (e.g. Sep 2022–Present) — don't mix formats.
• Test how it looks printed in black and white. If your formatting relies on colour to make sense, it needs to work without it too.

Do I need to include references? No — "References available on request" is enough, or you can omit the line entirely. Employers will ask separately if they need them.

Should I list my full address? No — city and postcode area is enough (e.g. "Manchester, M14"). A full home address isn't needed and is unnecessary personal information to share this early.

One page or two? One page until you have 2+ years of directly relevant experience. A single focused page beats two pages padded with repetition.

Do I need a personal statement if I have a cover letter? Yes — the personal statement is a fast summary for someone skimming; the cover letter does the tailored persuading. They serve different jobs even when applying together.