A CV for the UK usually has no photo, runs to 1–2 pages and is printed on A4 paper. The 10 designs below suit software engineers and open in the free builder with our sample software engineer CV filled in, and the checklist further down shows what to change before you apply in the UK.
A UK CV is usually two sides of A4, opens with a short personal statement and lists experience in reverse chronological order. British employers do not expect a photo, date of birth or marital status, and most prefer that you leave them out. Use British spelling throughout, mention your right to work if it is not obvious, and send the file as a PDF or Word document unless the advert asks otherwise.
Each design below opens in the free builder with our sample software engineer resume, Fatima Shaikh, Senior Frontend Engineer, already filled in. The list further down takes that sample section by section and shows what to change before you send it to an employer in the UK.
Why the sample works: Fatima leads with the Next.js migration and its page-speed result, showing seniority through architectural decisions rather than a long list of frameworks. Both resumes include testing work, JUnit for one and Playwright for the other, signalling engineers who protect quality instead of only shipping features.
Software engineering in the UK has no licence to practise, so your CV and your visa route do most of the work. UK tech recruiters want a two-page CV that leads with the stack you use, the scale of the systems you have built and measurable impact, not a long list of every tool you have touched. Indian developers should also be clear about sponsorship, explain services-company project work in client-neutral terms and link to code they can share.
10 designs that suit software engineers and the UK
About applicant tracking systems: Some older applicant tracking systems read two columns out of order, so pick a single-column design for large company portals and use a two-column one when a person reads your resume first.
No photo, except for acting, modelling or presenting roles. None of the designs below has a photo slot.
Length
Two sides of A4 is the norm; one page suits graduates and school leavers.
Paper size
A4 paper size with sensible margins, not US Letter. Pick A4 in the builder before you download.
Personal details
Name, phone, email, town or city and LinkedIn; no date of birth or marital status.
Dates
Month and year for each role, most recent first.
Spelling
British English: organise, colour, programme, licence (noun), CV rather than résumé.
Section names
Call it a CV. The usual order: Contact details, Personal statement, Key skills, Employment history, Education and qualifications, Training and certifications, Additional information, Interests.
File
PDF or Word document, named with your full name and “CV”.
The sample software engineer CV, adapted for the UK
Header
Put Fatima Shaikh as the heading (no “Curriculum Vitae” above it), with one mobile number, email, a UK town or city and a LinkedIn or portfolio link. Drop the photo, date of birth and marital status, and add a right-to-work line if sponsorship could be a question.
Personal statement
“Senior frontend engineer with six years building React and TypeScript applications for SaaS and fintech products. Leads the web platform for a B2B procurement tool, owns its component library and performance budgets, and reviews code for a squad of five.” In the UK this becomes a personal statement of three to five lines, tailored to each advert by echoing its job title and two or three of its requirements.
Key skills
React, TypeScript, Next.js, Redux Toolkit, Web performance, Accessibility (WCAG), Jest and Playwright, Design systems.
Employment history
Senior Frontend Engineer, Series-B B2B procurement SaaS company: “Lead frontend architecture for a React and TypeScript web app used by around 600 enterprise buyers, reviewing work for five engineers. Migrated the app from client-side rendering to Next.js, cutting the largest contentful paint on key pages by about 40 percent.” Earlier: Software Engineer – Frontend, Digital payments company. Give job title, employer, town and month-and-year dates, then four to six achievement bullets; roles from more than ten to fifteen years ago shrink to one line.
Education and qualifications
B.E., Information Technology, University-affiliated engineering college. Experienced candidates put education below employment. Follow an overseas qualification with a short UK equivalent where you know it.
Training and certifications
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner.
Additional information
An “Additional information” section holds right to work, English, Hindi, Marathi, Urdu with an honest level, and a full UK driving licence if the role involves travel.
