Resume example · For job seekers
CV Template: Free Format and Examples (2026)
What a curriculum vitae is, a free CV template layout, a full sample CV for the UK, and how a CV differs from a US resume and an academic CV.
The short answer
A strong CV Template resume opens with a short summary, groups the skills employers will test, and backs each role with bullets that show what changed because of your work. Below is a full example, summary wording for graduate or school leaver, career changer, experienced professional and academic or research cv candidates, and how to get through applicant tracking systems.
- For most UK and Indian jobs, keep the CV to two pages; graduates can usually fit everything on one.
- Use a clean single-column template with clear headings and one readable font throughout.
- In Google Docs, open File, then New, then From a template, or use the Template gallery on the Docs home screen, then replace every placeholder and delete the sections you do not need.
A curriculum vitae, or CV, is the document you send to apply for a job: a short, factual record of your skills, work history and education. In the UK, Ireland and India, “CV” is the everyday word for what people in the US call a resume, usually two pages at most. In US academic, medical and research hiring, a curriculum vitae means something longer that also lists publications, grants and teaching. This guide gives you a CV template you can copy into Google Docs or Word, a full sample CV, wording for graduates and experienced candidates, and the format rules that differ between countries.
Example CV Template
Priya Raman
Graduate Operations Assistant
Birmingham, UKpriya.raman@example.com07700 900123linkedin.com/in/example-priya
Summary
Business management graduate with two years of part-time retail and events work. Organised, calm under pressure and confident with spreadsheets and booking systems. Looking for a graduate operations or coordination role where I can learn how a growing organisation runs day to day.
Skills
- Software
- Excel and Google Sheets, Word and Google Docs, Canva, Booking and till systems
- Skills
- Scheduling and rotas, Customer service, Report writing, Basic data analysis
- Languages
- English: fluent, Tamil: fluent, French: basic
Experience
Events Assistant (part-time) · Contoso Conference Centre, Birmingham
2024 – 2026
- Set up rooms and registration desks for conferences and weddings, working from the event sheet and briefing other casual staff.
- Built a shared checklist for room changeovers that the team adopted for every weekend event.
- Looked after guests on the day, solving problems with catering and access before they reached the client.
Sales Assistant (part-time) · Northwind Fashion, Birmingham
2022 – 2024
- Served customers, processed returns and kept the shop floor stocked during peak trading.
- Trained new starters on the till and stock procedures.
Education
BA (Hons) Business Management, 2:1 · Contoso University
2022 – 2025
Dissertation on how small venues plan staffing for busy seasons.
A levels: Business, Economics, English · Northwind Sixth Form College
2020 – 2022
Volunteering
- Student union events team: helped run freshers’ fair and charity nights.
References
- Available on request.
Summary examples
Three or four lines at the top of the page. Pick the one closest to your situation and rewrite it with your own tools and work.
Graduate or school leaver
Career changer
Experienced professional
Academic or research CV
Skills to list
Hard skills
Soft skills
List only what you could be tested on. Soft skills carry more weight shown in a bullet than named in a list.
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Experience bullet points
Part-time and student jobs
- Trained four new starters on the till and stock procedures, so weekend shifts ran without a supervisor on the shop floor.
- Handled customer complaints at the service desk and resolved most of them on the spot, passing only refunds above my limit to the manager.
- Reorganised the stockroom layout with the team, cutting the time it took to find items during deliveries.
University and projects
- Wrote a dissertation on flood risk in two towns using public mapping data, presented the findings to the local council’s planning officer.
- Led a four-person group project to survey student travel habits, designing the questionnaire and writing the final report.
- Volunteered as a course representative, collecting feedback from classmates and raising it at staff meetings each term.
Professional roles
- Replaced paper delivery logs with a shared spreadsheet, so the team could see missing deliveries the same morning.
- Negotiated new terms with three cleaning and maintenance suppliers, keeping service levels while staying within the agreed budget.
- Kept fire and first-aid records up to date across two sites, with no actions outstanding at the annual inspection.
What to include
Contact details
Name, phone number, email address and a link to a professional profile such as LinkedIn. In the UK, the National Careers Service advises leaving out your age, date of birth, marital status and nationality. Some employers in India and parts of Europe still ask for more personal details, so follow the advert.
Personal statement or profile
A few short lines under your name saying who you are, what you offer and what you want next. Rewrite it for each job so it matches what the employer asks for.
Work history
Most recent job first, with employer, job title and dates, followed by two to four lines or bullets on what you did and achieved. If you are early in your career, put education above work history.
Education
Degree, school or college, dates and grades where they help. Graduates can add a relevant module, dissertation or project. Experienced candidates can shorten this to one line per qualification.
Skills, languages and certifications
Group the skills the job asks for, list languages with your level, and add any licence or certification that the role requires.
References
Only include this section if someone has agreed to act as your referee. You can simply write “References available on request” rather than listing their contact details.
Academic CV extras
For lectureships, research posts and some medical roles, add publications, conference talks, grants, teaching and professional memberships. An academic CV can run to several pages; keep the most relevant sections first.
Formatting
- For most UK and Indian jobs, keep the CV to two pages; graduates can usually fit everything on one.
- Use a clean single-column template with clear headings and one readable font throughout.
- In Google Docs, open File, then New, then From a template, or use the Template gallery on the Docs home screen, then replace every placeholder and delete the sections you do not need.
- Write bullets that start with a verb and end with what changed because of your work.
- Save and send as PDF unless the employer asks for a Word file, and name the file with your name and “CV”.
Getting past applicant tracking systems
- 1Use standard headings such as Profile, Experience, Education and Skills, so both recruiters and screening software find each part.
- 2Copy the exact job title and key skills from the advert where they truthfully describe you.
- 3Keep text out of images, icons, headers and footers, which some systems do not read.
- 4Avoid two-column designs and text boxes for the main content if you are applying through an online portal.
- 5Check the template’s placeholder text is fully removed before you export it.
Common mistakes
- Sending one generic CV to every job instead of tailoring the profile and skills.
- Listing duties (“responsible for customer service”) without saying what you achieved.
- Adding a photo, date of birth or marital status to a UK CV, which employers there do not expect.
- Using a US-style one-page resume for an academic post that expects a full curriculum vitae.
- Typos, inconsistent dates and an unprofessional email address.
- Leaving template placeholder text or the template’s sample name in the final file.
Common questions
What is a CV?
A CV, short for curriculum vitae, is a written summary of your skills, work history and education that you send when applying for a job. In the UK and India it is the standard application document; in the US the same short document is usually called a resume.
What is the difference between a CV and a resume?
Outside North America they usually mean the same thing. In the US and Canada, a resume is a short document tailored to one job, while a curriculum vitae is a longer academic record of research, publications and teaching used for university, research and some medical roles.
How long should a CV be?
For most jobs in the UK and India, two pages is the usual maximum and one page is fine for graduates. Academic CVs are the exception and grow with your publications and grants.
Is there a free CV template in Google Docs?
Yes. Google Docs includes Google-created resume templates in its Template gallery, or you can open File, then New, then From a template. Pick a simple single-column design, replace every placeholder and download it as a PDF.
Should I put a photo on my CV?
Not for UK jobs, where employers do not expect one. Some employers in other countries do ask for a photo; follow the advert or local norms where you are applying.
How do I write a CV with no experience?
Put education first, then projects, volunteering, part-time jobs and responsibilities such as society roles. Describe what you did and what changed, and use a personal statement to say what kind of role you want.
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