Free CV Builder for London
ATS-ready for Workable, Greenhouse. Used by candidates applying to HSBC, Barclays, and more.
Free · No sign-up required · London-specific guidance
Build My CV FreeHow it works
Upload or start fresh
Upload your existing CV or start from a blank template tailored for London.
AI builds & formats
Our AI applies London formatting rules — photo placement, section order, Workable compatibility — automatically.
Download & apply
Export as PDF or DOCX. Your CV is ready for Bayt, LinkedIn, Seek, Reed — whichever portal London employers use.
London CV Formatting Rules
What London recruiters actually expect — different from global defaults in several key ways.
Photo policy
Do NOT include a photo — standard practice in United Kingdom to avoid unconscious bias. Omit it even if your photo is professional.
Paper size & length
A4 format (210×297mm) · 2 pages maximum. 1 page is acceptable for under 5 years experience. Senior executives may use 3 pages but this is uncommon.
Personal details
Do NOT include date of birth, marital status, nationality, or photo — UK employment law prohibits discrimination on these grounds and including them may cause unconscious bias rejection. Include your LinkedIn URL and GitHub if relevant.
ATS systems used by London employers
London tech startups and scale-ups (Monzo, Revolut, Deliveroo, Wise) predominantly use Greenhouse or Lever, which parse DOCX and PDF equally well. Traditional finance (Barclays, Goldman, HSBC) use Taleo or iCIMS — avoid creative formatting. UK English spelling throughout: "organisation" not "organization", "colour" not "color".
Top London Employers
Optimise your CV for the companies that actually hire in London.
Where London employers post jobs
- LinkedIn UK
- Reed.co.uk
- CV-Library
- Totaljobs
- CityJobs (finance)
- Efinancialcareers
Peak hiring months in London
Ready for London?
Build your London-optimised CV in minutes. Free, no account needed to start.
Build My CV FreeLondon CV FAQs
- Should I put a photo on my London CV?
- No. UK employment law and Equality Act 2010 mean including a photo can lead to unconscious bias rejection screens. Most UK employers actively screen for photos and remove them before review, or reject CVs with photos from applicant tracking systems configured to flag them.
- How long should my London CV be?
- Two pages maximum — this is a hard rule in the UK market. Recruiters at Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, and major law firms see 400+ CVs per role; anything over 2 pages signals poor editing. Use 10-11pt font, 1.5cm margins, and section headers to pack in content without exceeding 2 pages.
- What personal information should I include on a UK CV?
- Name, email, phone, LinkedIn URL, GitHub (tech roles), and your general location (London, or specific borough). Do NOT include: date of birth, nationality, marital status, NI number, or photo. These are protected characteristics under UK law and including them can trigger unconscious bias rejection.
- Do London employers want UK English or American English?
- UK English throughout — this is noticed, especially in professional services and finance. Key differences: "organisation" (not "organization"), "colour" (not "color"), "specialise" (not "specialize"), "programme" (not "program"), "utilise" (not "utilize"). Use a UK English spell-checker.
- How should I format a London finance CV for ATS?
- Single column, no tables, Calibri or Times New Roman font. Include a "Selected Transactions" or "Key Deals" section for banking/PE/VC CVs — this is a London finance convention and ATS systems at CityJobs and eFinancialCareers are tuned to parse it. Use reverse-chronological with dates (month/year format: Jan 2023 – Present).