What Does a Good CV Look Like in 2025

You’ve probably thought about what you should write in your CV, but have you given any thought to what a CV should look like? Creating a good impression with a professional-looking CV is just as important as having the right skills and experience.

I’ll teach you everything you need to know about what a CV should look like to get you one step closer to landing the job of your dreams. Plus, you'll get actionable tips to make your CV look outstanding and aligned with modern UK standards.

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What should a CV look like

Your CV is often your very first interaction with a hiring manager or recruiter. When looking for a new job, the design, layout, and structure of your CV can make the difference between landing an interview and being overlooked.

Before recruiters read about your professional achievements, they notice your CV's appearance. If it's clear, polished, and well-organised, you're off to a strong start. They may not even continue reading if it's cluttered, messy, or confusing.

The same goes for optimising your CV for ATS. Your job search will be significantly tougher if your application is so messy that even an algorithm cannot decipher it.

Here's a quick overview if you're wondering how a CV should look. Your first step in creating a good-looking CV is to get the setup right. Below, I’ll give you a detailed breakdown of what makes a good CV!

What does a CV look like—layout

Your CV layout refers to how the contents of your CV are laid out on the page. The key is creating a design that hiring managers can skim and easily pick out the necessary information.

Here’s how your CV layout should look:

1. Contact details at the top

Your name, phone number, email address, and relevant website/portfolio links should be visible at the very top of the document. For emphasis, you can set the font size for your name 6–8 points larger than your body text.

There's no need to include personal details like your full address, date of birth, or a photo, especially in the UK, where these are not required. Some can even lead to unconscious bias.

2. Personal profile

A CV personal profile, referred to as a CV summary or a CV objective, introduces you as a candidate. It should be 3–5 lines long and establish who you are, what you can offer as an employee, and your future career goals. Add some energy and enthusiasm, and you’ve set up the perfect introduction.

3. Professional experience

This is the heart of your professional-looking CV. Your work experience section should start with your current or most recent employer and work backwards.

Under each job, use 4–6 bullet points to highlight your primary responsibilities and, importantly, your key achievements—ideally with measurable results. Give the bullet points impact by starting them with a CV action word and structuring them with the PAR (problem, action result) formula.

4. Education and qualifications

If you have a university education, include your degree, your dates of study and the name of your university. Include an expected graduation date if you’re still studying.

For school-leavers, include your A-levels, listing each subject completed and provide the name of your school or college and your study dates. GCSEs aren’t necessary unless you’re still at school or have just left. For GCSEs, you only need to state the number of subjects you studied.

Additionally, if you’re still studying or have just left school or university, your CV education section can be included before your work experience. If you’re more experienced, keep this section brief with just the bare minimum information.

5. Key skills

Include a bullet-point list of your most relevant CV skills, ideally 6–10. It’s best to include a mix of soft skills and hard skills in your CV skills sections.

Focus on the skills stated explicitly in the job posting. For example, if a job description requires the candidate to have computer skills, these skills are considered CV keywords and are necessary to pass ATS checks.

6. Additional sections

Depending on the role, add sections for volunteering, awards, certifications, languages, or hobbies & interests. Only include extra sections if they add genuine value or help show skills relevant to the role you're targeting.

When writing a CV from scratch, you might need extra help. Check these guides:

• Best AI CV Makers & Builders You Should Test
• Creative CV Template & How to Use It
• CV AI: Should You Use AI to Make a CV?
• CV Writing Services to Help You Write Your CV
• Free AI CV Makers: Full List & Recommendations
• Free CV Templates You Can Use With Ease
• How to Add a CV to LinkedIn?
• How to Use ChatGPT to Write a CV
• How to Write a One-Page CV Document
• Soft Skills Employers Love to See

What does a CV look like—formatting

A good-looking CV isn’t super flashy. It's more important to make it consistent and easy on the eye. Good formatting makes it simple for recruiters to quickly find the information they need, boosting your chances of reaching the next stage of recruitment.

This is what a good CV should look like in terms of formatting:

1. CV format

A big part of what a CV should look like is selecting the correct CV format. Generally, there are two formats to choose from: chronological and skills-based (functional).

• The chronological CV is the best and most familiar format for most people, especially in the UK. It lists your work experience starting with your most recent role, making it easy for recruiters to see your career progression.
• If you're changing careers or have significant gaps, a skills-based CV could be better, focusing on transferable skills over job history.

2. Spacing and margins

A common mistake when writing a CV is packing in too much information. Proper spacing and margins are crucial to creating a good-looking CV. Use margins of around 2.0–2.5 cm (0.75–1 inch) on all sides to keep the document balanced. Line spacing should be around 1.15 to 1.5 for the main text.

Good spacing ensures that your CV is easy to read both digitally and when printed—and it helps you avoid the cramped look that many rushed CVs suffer from.

3. Fonts

Choosing the right CV font is crucial when determining the look of a CV. Stick to classic fonts like Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, or Verdana. The font size should be between 10 and 12 points for body text, with slightly larger sizes for section headings to create natural breaks.

Avoid fancy or overly artistic fonts. They might seem creative, but they often make your CV more challenging to read, especially when scanned by older applicant tracking systems (ATS). Also, I recommend using just one font type throughout your CV. Multiple fonts will make it look chaotic.

4. Consistency

Consistent formatting is the key to making a CV look good. Use the same style for headings, bullet points, dates, and fonts throughout your CV. Make sure dates are aligned consistently (either all right-aligned or left-aligned), and double-check that font sizes and colours are uniform. Small inconsistencies might seem minor, but they can disrupt flow and signal carelessness, which is precisely what you want to avoid in a good-looking CV.

Additionally, always use the spell check function with apps like Grammarly and Hemingway to ensure your CV is perfect. Research found that applications with only two spelling errors faced a significant penalty, experiencing a 7.3 percentage point reduction in interview probability.

5. CV length

One of the most common questions job hunters ask is, "How long should a CV be?" The answer is straightforward: your CV should be long enough to show off your skills and experience, but short enough to stay easy to read. Generally, a good-looking CV should be between one and two pages, depending on your experience level:

• One page is usually the best if you’re a student, recent graduate, or at the early stages of your career. Focus on your education, transferable skills, internships, and part-time jobs.
• Two pages are completely acceptable and often expected for professionals with several years of experience. The secret behind a good CV at this stage is selecting only the most relevant achievements and skills.

A strong CV summary will convince the recruiter you’re the perfect candidate. Save time and choose a ready-made personal statement written by career experts and adjust it to your needs in the LiveCareer CV builder.

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Templates for creating a good CV

When it comes to making a CV look good, the idea of using a CV template can be very appealing. A well-designed template can save you time, ensure your CV looks professional, and help you organise your information.

Templates give you a structured, attractive starting point without the stress of designing your CV from scratch. They come with these benefits:

• Consistency: Proper alignment, fonts, and spacing are already built in.
• Save time: You can focus more on crafting great content rather than worrying about formatting.
• ATS-compatible design: CV templates are optimised for what recruiters and applicant tracking systems (ATS) prefer today.
• Give guidance: Seeing sample sections and headers shows you what a CV should look like when properly organised.

CV templates become even better when used in a specialised CV maker. Here are some examples of how your CV may look after you build it with LiveCareer:

1. Good-looking CV sample for inexperienced candidates

Use this example

Use this example

2. Good-looking CV sample for mid-level candidates

Use this example

Use this example

3. Good-looking CV sample for senior-level candidates

Use this example

Use this example

You don’t have to be a CV writing expert. In the LiveCareer CV builder you’ll find ready-made content for every industry and position, which you can then add with a single click.

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Thank you for reading this guide on how a CV should look. I hope this guide has provided valuable insights into creating a polished, effective document that helps your job search. If you have any questions or additional insight, please use the comments section below.

How we review the content at LiveCareer

Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with LiveCareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.