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CV Guides

Search CV guides by job title, career stage, UK application route, or CV problem so you can tighten the exact section holding an application back.

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Showing 18 of 60 guides for "graduate".

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Start with the exact section or application route you need to improve, then compare role-specific, UK, and final-check guides that explain what the CV needs to prove.

18 guides visible

CV guide
23 min read

Cover Letter Guide: Write a Letter That Helps

Recruiters rarely need a second version of your CV. They need a short explanation of why this application makes sense. That is the job of a cover letter. It should connect the role, the employer, and your evidence in a way your CV cannot always do on its own. Your CV lists the facts. The letter interprets the facts for this specific job. If you came here looking for how to write a cover letter, start with the job brief rather than a blank template. The strongest letters are built from the employer's requirements, your best matching evidence, and one clear reason you want this opportunity. This Cover Letter Guide shows you how to write a tailored, UK-friendly letter that supports your CV without repeating it. Use it when an employer asks for a covering letter, when a job portal gives you space for a supporting note, or when your application needs extra context around motivation, career change, gaps, relocation, or fit.

One thing to know

The letter is tailored to the role, employer, and application route.

CV guide
22 min read

CV Length: How Long Should a CV Be in 2026?

Open a crowded two-page draft and the problem is rarely the page count itself. The real issue is that the reader cannot tell which lines should shape the shortlist decision. This guide explains how to choose the right CV length for a UK application, when one page is enough, when two pages are stronger, and what to cut when the draft is full of weak detail. Use it alongside the [CV structure guide](/guides/cv-structure) if your page count problem is really an ordering problem, and the [one-page CV vs two-page CV guide](/guides/one-page-vs-two-page-cv) if you are choosing between those two formats.

One thing to know

The CV is one or two pages unless the sector or advert genuinely expects something longer.

CV guide
20 min read

CV Structure: Best Order and Layout for a UK CV

A recruiter does not read your CV in the neat order you wrote it. They scan for a role match, check whether your recent evidence supports it, and decide whether the rest of the page is worth reading. CV structure is what makes that scan work. Use this guide when your CV contains useful experience, education, projects, or skills, but the page still feels cluttered, back-loaded, or slow to understand. The aim is not to follow a rigid template. The aim is to put the strongest proof of fit where it will be found first.

One thing to know

The first page shows the target role, level, and strongest evidence quickly.

CV guide
19 min read

Education on CV: What to Include in 2026

Recruiters read your education section to answer a simple question: does this person have the level, training, or subject knowledge the role needs? The answer changes depending on whether you are applying for a first job, a graduate role, a career change, a regulated profession, or a senior position where older school results no longer carry much weight. This guide shows you how to write education on CV sections clearly in the UK. You will learn what to include, what to shorten, where to place education, how to handle unfinished study, and how to make qualifications support the rest of your application instead of taking over the page.

One thing to know

The education section matches your current career stage.

CV guide
22 min read

Hobbies and Interests on a CV: Examples and Rules

Recruiters do not need a full tour of your weekend. They need to decide whether the details on your CV make you more credible for the job. That is the useful test for hobbies and interests on a CV: does the section add evidence, context, or personality that the rest of the page has not already shown? For some candidates, the answer is yes. A student with limited paid work can use sport, volunteering, coding projects, debating, theatre, caring responsibilities, or community work to show commitment and useful skills. A career changer might use an interest to support a move into a new sector. A candidate for a client-facing role might use a well-chosen activity to show communication, reliability, or confidence. For others, the section should be cut. If your CV is already full of relevant experience, achievements, qualifications, and stronger examples, hobbies may only dilute the page. This guide shows when to include them, when to leave them out, and how to write the section without sounding generic or over-personal.

One thing to know

Every hobby or interest adds evidence, context, or useful personality.

CV guide
20 min read

How Often Update CV: When to Refresh Yours

Your CV usually goes out of date quietly. A project finishes, your job title shifts, a course moves from “studying” to “completed”, or the type of role you want next stops matching the wording at the top of the page. None of those moments feels urgent on its own, but together they decide whether your next application looks current. The practical answer is simple: review your CV every three to six months, update it immediately after a meaningful career change, and tailor it again before every application. This guide shows you what to change, what to leave alone, and how to keep a reliable master CV without rewriting the whole document every time.

One thing to know

The CV is tailored to the specific role, not just generally refreshed.

Showing 6 of 18 guides

Popular paths

Common starting points

When you are still deciding what to search for, these topic clusters point you toward the most relevant guide family without forcing you to scan every card.

CV fundamentals

How to Write a CV, ATS-Friendly CV Guide, How to Structure a CV, Skills to Put on a CV

Career stage

First Job CV, Graduate CV, Executive CV, Career Break CV

UK applications

UK CV Format, Civil Service CV, Success Profiles CV, Supporting Statement vs CV

Industry guides

Software Engineer CV, Project Manager CV, Customer Service CV, Nursing CV

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Pair writing guides with real CV examples

Use the guides to decide what evidence belongs on the page, then compare against public CV examples to see how that advice looks in a finished layout for a real role or level.

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