How long should a CV be in the UK?

Two pages of A4 is the standard for most UK jobs and the length most recruiters expect. One page is fine, and often better, if you are early in your career or changing direction and do not yet have two pages of relevant experience. Three or more pages is normal only for academic, medical, or senior technical CVs where a full record of publications or projects is expected. For an ordinary role, aim for two pages and treat every line as something you have to earn a place for.

Is a one-page CV better than a two-page CV?

Not automatically. The strict one-page rule is largely an American convention that does not match UK expectations for most roles. A one-page CV is right when you can tell your whole relevant story on one page without cramming. It is the wrong target when it forces you to cut genuinely relevant experience or shrink the text to an unreadable size. Fit the length to your evidence, not the evidence to a page count.

Does the length of my CV affect the ATS?

Not directly. Applicant tracking systems do not reject a CV for being two pages instead of one; they read the text either way. What matters to the software is whether your relevant keywords are present and whether the layout parses cleanly. A longer CV padded with irrelevant filler does not help you rank, and a page count has never been the thing that got someone shortlisted. Relevance is.

What should I cut to shorten my CV?

Cut anything that does not help you win this specific role. That usually means old jobs from more than ten to fifteen years ago compressed to a line or removed, full addresses and dates of birth, the phrase references available on request, a vague personal statement full of adjectives, and duties that every candidate could claim. Keep achievements with evidence and the experience closest to the advert. Shortening a CV is mostly an editing job, not a formatting trick.

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How long should a CV be?

The honest UK answer is two pages, most of the time. But the page count is the least interesting part of the question, and treating it as the target is how people end up with a worse CV.

August 2026 · 6 min read

The 30-second version

Two pages of A4 is the UK standard and what most recruiters expect. One page is right when you genuinely do not have two pages of relevant experience yet. Three or more is normal only for academic, medical, or senior technical CVs.

The trap is aiming for a number. Length is a symptom of relevance, not a rule to hit. Get the relevance right and the length tends to sort itself out.

The one-page rule is an American import

You will have seen the advice that a CV must fit on a single page. It is repeated so often it sounds like law. It is not, at least not here. The strict one-page resume is largely a US convention, and applying it to a typical UK application usually means cutting real, relevant experience to satisfy a rule the reader was not applying.

UK recruiters are comfortable with two pages. What they are not comfortable with is two pages of padding, or one page achieved by shrinking the font to six point and deleting the margins. The page count is not the point. What is on the pages is.

So which length is right for you?

One page

Early career, graduate, or career changer

If you can tell your whole relevant story on one clean page without cramming, do. A forced second page of filler is weaker than a strong single page.

Two pages

Most people, most roles

The default for anyone with a few years of experience. Enough room for a summary, skills, and a focused work history, without inviting waffle.

Three or more

Academic, medical, senior technical

Only where a full record is expected: publications, research, clinical experience, or a long list of technical projects. For an ordinary role, three pages reads as an inability to edit.

Length is a symptom, not a target

Here is the reframe that makes the whole question easier. A recruiter facing a stack of applications gives each CV seconds, not minutes, on the first pass. They are not measuring your CV. They are scanning for evidence that you fit the role. Every line that does not help you fit is a line that slows that scan down.

So the useful question is not "how do I make this two pages?" It is "does every line earn its place for this job?" Answer that honestly and the length follows. Usually it lands around two pages, because that is roughly how much genuinely relevant evidence a normal career produces.

The ATS does not count pages. Applicant tracking software reads the text whether it is one page or three. It does not reject you for length. What it does care about is whether your relevant keywords are there and whether the layout parses cleanly. Padding a CV to look substantial does nothing for your ranking and costs you the recruiter's patience.

What to cut first

If you are over length, edit before you reformat. The usual candidates to trim or remove:

Jobs from more than ten to fifteen years ago, compressed to a single line or dropped.
Your full home address and date of birth. A town and a phone or email is plenty.
"References available on request." Assumed, so it just spends a line.
A personal statement made of adjectives. Replace it with a short, specific summary in the language of the role.
Duties any candidate could copy. Keep achievements you can evidence instead.

Almost always, tightening the content gets you to the right length without touching margins or font size. If you are still cramming after a genuine edit, that is a sign to cut deeper, not to shrink the type.

Not sure what is earning its place?

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