Modern CV templates (UK)Current, not fashionable.
A modern CV template is less about decoration than about how quickly a reader finds what matters. These seven layouts use contemporary type, clear hierarchy and a modern CV format that UK employers will recognise.
All 57 CV templates- layout families
- 9layout families
- render-tested templates
- 57render-tested templates
- output formats
- 2output formats
- shared record
- 1shared record
7 of 57 · sample: Sarah Mitchell
7 of 57 templates · sample candidate: Sarah Mitchell, Senior Marketing Manager
What a modern CV format looks like in the UK
A modern CV format is two sides of A4, reverse-chronological, with a three or four line profile at the top that says what you do and at what level. Skills are listed as words, achievements carry figures, and dates line up the same way on every role. Your town and a LinkedIn URL replace the full postal address; photos and dates of birth are left off. That is the modern CV format UK employers and recruiters expect in 2026: one main column, a clean header and dates on every role.
What dates a CV fastest is fashion: icons in place of labels, skill bars, three-column grids and tiny type. What keeps a modern CV current is clarity. The UK CV formatting guide covers the details, and the UK CV layout examples show the main layouts side by side.
Two practical checks keep any modern CV honest: print page one in greyscale to make sure nothing important relied on colour, and paste the whole document into a plain text editor to confirm it reads in the order you wrote it. A modern CV that passes both will survive a recruiter, a printer and an applicant tracking system.
Modern CV examples in the library
Camden is a classic single column with modern type, the most versatile of the set. Angel uses a timeline, Brixton and Shoreditch open with a coloured banner, and Hoxton is compact for a long career in two pages.
Dalston and Bermondsey carry a left and right sidebar respectively. Sidebars read well to a person, so they suit a CV sent directly to a hiring manager; for online applications choose one of the single-column modern CV templates. Every preview is a real render of the same sample candidate. Browse them all on the CV templates page.
A modern CV template in Word or PDF
You do not rebuild your CV in a blank document. Upload the one you have as PDF or Word and it comes back in the modern template you choose, exported as both. The PDF is exact; the Word file is a close approximation you can edit.
Your first conversion is free, with no card and every AI mode included. Personal Pro is £5 a month for ten conversions.
A small, governable design system.
Organisation defaults flow into a strict template definition the renderer can reproduce safely — the same definition drives the preview and both exports.
- Layout
- Classic, sidebar, banner, timeline, minimal, executive, compact or curved
- Type
- Renderer-supported heading and body font pairs
- Brand
- Primary, accent, text and muted colour tokens
- Structure
- Visible sections, labels, order, dividers and density
- Logo
- Approved placement and bounded physical size
- Output
- The same definition drives preview, PDF and DOCX
Build it from controlled choices, then reuse it across the desk.
Custom templates are included from Starter upward and are managed by organisation owners.
CV templates, answered.
Your first conversion is free, with every template and all four AI modes included.
Try one with your CVWhat is a modern CV format in the UK?
Two sides of A4, reverse-chronological, a short profile at the top, skills as a plain list, achievements with figures and consistent dates. No photo, no date of birth and no full home address.
Is a modern CV template ATS-friendly?
The single-column modern templates are: Camden, Angel, Brixton, Shoreditch and Hoxton keep one main column that reads in order. Keep the sidebar designs for CVs a person will read directly.
Should a modern CV be one or two pages?
Two pages suits most experienced UK applicants. One page is right for school leavers and many graduates. See how long a CV should be for the detail.
Can I get a modern CV template in Word?
Yes. Every template exports an editable Word document as well as a PDF, generated from the same record so the two never disagree.