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UK CVs by sector: NHS, Civil Service, teaching and trades

By Stephen Reed · Published 4 November 2026 · Updated 4 November 2026 · 9 min read

A good general CV is a strong start, but some sectors work differently. The NHS and the Civil Service judge you mainly on an application form or supporting statement. Schools want evidence of professional development and a clear work history. Construction employers look for your tickets and cards before anything else.

This guide pulls together what published UK sources say about what each of five areas wants, so you can adjust your CV and application to suit. It does not replace the job advert, which always comes first. If the advert and this guide disagree, follow the advert. For the basics that apply everywhere, see our complete guide to writing a UK CV.

The first rule for any sector: read the criteria

Every employer scores applications against something, usually a job description and a person specification or list of essential criteria. The National Careers Service advises reading the advert, which usually includes the job description, essential criteria and company details, and matching your CV to the job and company, for example by highlighting the skills they ask for ¹. Public-sector employers tend to follow that process closely, so tailoring matters even more there.

NHS jobs

For NHS jobs, the application form and its supporting information carry a lot of weight, and your CV is often secondary. The supporting information is where you show how you meet the job's person specification, and Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital says the information you give is used to decide who is shortlisted. Its application tips set out what to do ²:

• Tailor every application. Never submit the same form twice, and show how you meet that post's person specification.
• Complete every section and follow the instructions closely, because the information you give is used to decide who is shortlisted.
• Use the supporting information to sell yourself. The hospital calls it "your opportunity to sell yourself".
• Explain gaps. Use the supporting information to explain any apparent gaps in your career.
• Give evidence. It lists duties, voluntary work, research, publications, and clinical care or audit as the kinds of evidence to include.
• Give referees. Provide at least two, one of whom should be your current employer, and get their permission first.
• Answer all the pre-application questions, as they help show whether you suit the role.
• Reuse with care. You can save your details on NHS Jobs for other vacancies, but adjust each one to its person specification.
• Check the timing. Check the closing date and apply early. Interview invitations are usually sent by email, so check yours. If you hear nothing within four weeks of the closing date, assume the application was unsuccessful.
• Learn about the Trust. Know its vision and objectives.

A practical method for the supporting information is to copy each line of the person specification into a document, write one example under each using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result), and then trim to the word limit. Our checker's NHS mode adds advice and a gaps check, and you can paste the person specification into the advert box to see which of its terms your CV is missing.

Civil Service jobs

Civil Service Careers says that applications are made through an application form, where you describe how your skills and experience match the requirements in the job advert. A CV and/or personal statement is only asked for in some roles, so check each advert ³. Applications are assessed against Success Profiles, which have five elements: behaviours, strengths, ability, experience and technical. The site defines behaviours as "the actions and activities people do which result in effective performance in a job" ³.

What that means for you:

1. Treat the advert as a marking guide. Find the behaviours and other criteria it lists, and write one specific example for each.
2. Use the form fully. Give yourself plenty of time to complete it ³.
3. Use your CV or statement as a supporting document if one is asked for, with the same evidence in a tidy format.
4. Expect further stages. At sifting you may be asked to take an online test, and reasonable adjustments such as extra time are available on request ³.

The Civil Service page does not set a word limit or a required method for the written examples, so check the advert for each role. The STAR method is a common way to structure them.

Teaching and schools

Tes, the teachers' recruitment and news site, advises keeping a teaching CV to two pages at most, written concisely with key points in short, punchy language rather than essay-style prose ⁴. It makes two points that matter in schools:

• Show professional development. Qualifications should sit alongside evidence of ongoing development, such as further training and INSET days. Employers want to see commitment to professional development.
• Explain gaps. Unexplained gaps in employment can be read as a safeguarding concern, so any time out should be explained. Tes says a simple line such as "break from employment due to studying commitments" is enough ⁴.

Roche's recruitment guidance makes a related point for fields like teaching and nursing: include the required degrees and licences or registrations, so they can be matched ⁷. Check the advert for any required qualification and state it precisely.

Tes does not cover Qualified Teacher Status, age ranges or key stages, or referees in the page we read, so we do not give sourced advice on those here. A general rule applies: use the same terms the school uses in its advert and person specification.

Trades, construction and labour

Randstad UK's guide for trades and labour CVs says to include ⁵:

• Your CSCS card, with the expiry date, because employers may require a valid card.
• Machinery licences, such as telehandler or forklift.
• Safety tickets, with IPAF, PASMA, asbestos awareness and first aid given as examples.
• Qualifications, such as NVQs or SVQs in your field and apprenticeship completions, each with the full title of the certification, the awarding body and the date obtained.
• A driving licence, if the job advert asks for one. Randstad does not mention it, so check the advert.

It suggests aiming for two pages, citing research that two-page CVs get more responses than single-page ones, and this structure: a short profile, your employment history with the most recent role first (job title, company, dates and key responsibilities, in bullet points with quantified achievements where you can), a section for certifications and qualifications, and a skills section mixing technical skills such as bricklaying or electrical wiring with soft skills such as teamwork and time-keeping. It also advises a clear font such as Arial or Calibri, bold section headers and consistent spacing ⁵.

A useful tip for site work is to put a "Tickets and certifications" box immediately under your profile, so an employer or agency sees your cards and licences before they read anything else. Our checker's trades mode flags a CV with no tickets, cards or licences, and a CSCS card without an expiry date.

Graduate schemes and first jobs

For graduate roles, TARGETjobs says the standard maximum is two A4 pages, or one if the employer asks. Always include contact details, work experience and education history, with your university, dates and course title, and a grade if it meets the stated requirement. Keep bullet points short, ideally no longer than two lines, and do not invent anything ⁶. Many graduate schemes also use online forms and tests, so treat the form as your main evidence, as in the NHS and Civil Service sections above. There is more in our guide to CVs for every situation.

Other sectors: care, retail, warehouse, hospitality and offices

We have not found a published UK guide for every sector, so we do not invent rules. For sectors not covered above, use the approach all the sources share:

1. Find what the advert asks for, and put the matching evidence near the top.
2. State required qualifications, tickets and checks precisely. Prospects advises naming qualifications precisely, and Roche says to include required qualifications where they matter ^{7 8}.
3. Show results with numbers: customers served, stock handled, team size, shifts covered, targets met.
4. Keep it to two pages with a plain layout.
5. Use the sector's own words, if they are true for you, because that is what recruiters and software search for.

A worked example: turning a person specification into evidence

Whatever the sector, the most reliable method is to treat the criteria as a checklist. Here is an invented example, to show the shape, for an NHS administration role.

Suppose the person specification includes "experience of managing a busy diary and booking appointments". Copy it into your document, then write one specific STAR example beneath it:

• Situation: In my current role at a dental practice I managed the diaries for four clinicians, with around 60 appointments a day.
• Task: Cancellations were leaving gaps and wasting clinic time.
• Action: I introduced a same-day waiting list and phoned patients on it as soon as a slot opened.
• Result: Unfilled appointments fell from about one in eight to one in twenty over six months.

Repeat for each line of the specification. If you cannot find an honest example for one, say what related experience you do have, rather than leaving it blank. The Civil Service and graduate application forms work in the same way, and for a CV-based application, the same evidence goes into your work-history bullets, with the sector's own words where they are true.

What the sectors have in common

Across NHS, Civil Service, teaching and trades, the pattern is the same. Employers publish what they want. The applicants who succeed give specific evidence against each requirement, explain gaps briefly and honestly, and make the document easy to scan. If you do that, you are doing what every source in this guide recommends.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a CV for an NHS job?

Often the main part is the application form's supporting information, which is judged against the person specification. Some roles also ask for a CV, so check the advert ².

Does the Civil Service ask for a CV?

Only for some roles. Most applications use a form, which is assessed against Success Profiles ³.

What should a teaching CV include?

A clear, concise work history of two pages at most, your qualifications with evidence of ongoing professional development, and an explanation of any gaps ⁴.

What should a construction CV include?

Your CSCS card with its expiry date, machinery licences, safety tickets, and qualifications with their full titles, awarding bodies and dates ⁵.

How long should a graduate CV be?

Two A4 pages at most, or one if the employer asks ⁶.

Do I need a different CV for each sector?

You do not need a different document for every sector, but you should adjust the order and emphasis for each application, so the evidence the employer asks for comes first ¹.

Check your CV for your sector

Check your CV free and choose NHS, Civil Service, Teaching or Trades to see advice and checks for that sector, each with its source.

Sources

1. National Careers Service, CV sections
2. Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, Top tips for making a successful application
3. Civil Service Careers, About the application
4. Tes, How to write a must-read CV
5. Randstad UK, CV for trades and labour roles
6. TARGETjobs, How long should a CV be? Graduate jobs and other CV FAQs answered
7. Roche Careers, Resume parsing FAQ (an employer's guidance on its own systems)
8. Prospects (Jisc), How to write a CV