If you’re a postgraduate student in the UK, your CV is your most important tool for securing interviews. When sending in your CV, UK employers expect it to be professional, concise, and tailored to the job applied for, showcasing your strengths and fit for the position. Here’s how to create an exceptional CV that showcases your academic accomplishments, skills, and aspirations.
Begin With Simple and Professional Contact Details
- Your name: Your name should be in bold text at the top of your CV and also at a larger size to really stand out. Beneath it, list your:
- Mobile number: Ensure this is one that you can pick up.
- A professional email address: It should never be informal or in any way outdated.
- Location: Name your city and postcode — for example, “London, NW
- LinkedIn profile or portfolio: Relevant fields should also be included.
Unless the role specifically states otherwise, do not include a photo, date of birth, marital status, or nationality, as none of these details are standard in the UK.
Take the time to create a Personal Profile (Your Elevator Pitch)
The first line on your CV should be a short, punchy paragraph — personal profile — that explains who you are and what you offer. Make it brief (4–5 sentences) and custom fit for the role you are applying for. This is your chance to catch the employer’s eye and create the right tone for the rest of the CV.
For example: As an accomplished MSc Marketing student at the University of Leeds who loves creating data-driven campaigns.
Place your education section first
For postgraduate students, your academic credentials are probably one of your biggest, selling points.
Listing Education
For each entry, include:
- Name of the degree, Institute name, place.
- Dates of study (e.g., Sep 2024 – Sep 2024).
- Modules/projects/research (especially if relevant to the job)
- If you’ve got good school marks (like honors, grants, or prizes), make sure to say them here.
4. Showcase Your Work Experience
Don’t stress if you have little work time—internships, small jobs, freelance tasks and helping roles can all show useful skills. Make this part in reverse date order and for each job include:
- Job title, company name, and location.
- Dates (month and year).
- Bullet items showing your main tasks and wins, paying attention to results and effect.
- Did market study to better aim campaigns, boosting return on investment by 12%.
- Looked after the agency’s social media sites, raise follower interest by 25%
- Showed campaign results to senior staff.
Highlight Key Skills
This is your opportunity to highlight the tools, techniques, and transferable skills you offer the role. Categorize it so it is easier to understand.
Example Skills Section:
- Technical Skills: Python (data analysis), Google Analytics, Adobe Creative Suite
- Key Skills: Excellent communication, strong team collaboration, problem-solving.
- Languages: English (fluent); French (conversational).
Pick skills from the job description (the ones that match this role).
Showcase Projects and Achievements
If you’ve done any substantial academic or personal projects or achieved anything of note, dedicate a section to them so they stand out. This gives a great advantage to postgraduate students who have less experience in the professional field.
Example:
Created a customer retention forecast model in Python with 90% accuracy.
Published: Example Title in Example Context Journal
Being involved in projects can show your skill in taking initiative, problem-solving, and applying your knowledge in practice.
List Extracurricular Activities (Optional)
You may not need to, but adding extracurriculars to your CV helps round it out. In the UK, employees value candidates with strength of character, assertiveness and a passion for juggling a busy work-life balance.
Example:
Member, University Consulting Society: Collaborated with a team to execute a live business proposal for a local start-up
The Final Tips to Make Your UK CV Shine
Adapt to Each Job: Always customise your CV to align with the job description. Use keywords and phrases that appear in the job listing.
Keep It Clean and Professional: Use a neat layout with distinct headings, bullet points, and uniform formatting. Stick to a professional font such as Arial or Calibri and don’t get carried away with colours.
Be Concise: Limit your CV to two pages. Focus on the most relevant information and things that might not add value.
Proofread: Typos and grammatical errors can lead to a bad first impression. Proofread your CV a couple of times or ask a friend or mentor to review your work for proofreading.
Quantify Your Achievements: Numbers add clarity to your accomplishments. For instance, don’t say, “Social media engagement improved,” say, “25% growth in engagement.”
Use Action Verbs: Strong, active verbs that begin bullet points are words like “developed,” “led,” “achieved,” or “managed.”
Focus on Value: Illustrate not only what you did but how it benefited the organization. Employers want results.
Network: Networking in the UK can get you through many doors. Make sure your LinkedIn profile stands out and matches your CV. Connect with alumni, professors, and industry professionals.
Conclusion
These steps will help you write a CV that identifies your strengths and matches the expectations of a UK employer. Good CVs don’t just state what you have done; rather, they narrate a tale of what you have achieved.
Digi Assignment assists you with the steps on how much value you can add to a future employer.
Crafting a strong CV as a postgraduate student can be challenging, especially when balancing academic achievements with practical experience. One approach that works well is highlighting transferable skills from research projects, internships, or even volunteer work to showcase real-world applicability. It would be great to hear more about tailoring CVs for specific industries—do you recommend different formats for academic vs. corporate roles?