Civil service CV template

What's included

• A matching cover letter in the same design
• A4, laid out for UK applications
• Real, selectable text that online application systems can read
• Switch template any time without losing a word
• AI writing help for your profile, achievements and letter (up to 60 AI actions)
• PDF and Word downloads of your CV and letter
• Edit and download again any time, no subscription

What to put on a civil service CV

Civil service recruitment uses Success Profiles, so your CV needs to give evidence for the behaviours, experience and skills named in the advert. This civil service CV template is plain and clear, with your grade and clearance in the header and your behaviours examples easy to find. It suits civil servants moving up a grade and people applying from outside, and has no photo.

Some vacancies ask for a CV upload and others ask you to paste your work history into Civil Service Jobs, so real, selectable text helps. Fill it in and preview every page for free, with no account. Pay £4.99 once to download PDF and Word, with a matching cover letter included, which you can adapt into a personal statement.

Read the advert's Success Profiles

Each advert lists what it will assess, often behaviours such as Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions or Working Together, plus experience and technical skills. Build your CV around the elements named in that advert.

Use STAR for your examples

Describe the situation, task, action and result in a few lines. Focus on what you did personally, and finish with the outcome.

Give your grade and clearance

Current civil servants should state their grade, such as EO, HEO or SEO, and their department. If you hold security clearance, give the level, such as CTC or SC, and nothing more about the vetting itself.

Follow the advert's rules on personal details

Civil service applications are often assessed name-blind, and some adverts ask you to leave personal details off an uploaded CV. Follow whatever the advert says.

Stay within the limits

Some adverts set a page or word limit for the CV. Keep within it, and treat two sides of A4 as a sensible default when none is given.

Questions

How long should a civil service CV be?

Follow the advert first, as some set a page or word limit. If none is given, two sides of A4 works well. Focus on recent roles and the experience the advert asks for, and keep older jobs to a line each.

What are civil service behaviours?

Behaviours are one part of Success Profiles, the framework the civil service uses to assess candidates. There are nine, including Seeing the Big Picture, Changing and Improving, Communicating and Influencing, and Delivering at Pace. Each advert lists the ones being assessed, and the level expected depends on the grade.

Should I put my security clearance on my CV?

Yes, if you hold current clearance and it is relevant. State the level, such as BPSS, CTC, SC or DV, without any detail of the vetting itself. Existing clearance can save a department time when you start, so it is worth making clear.

Do I need a personal statement as well as a CV?

Often, yes. Many civil service adverts ask for a CV and a personal statement of a set length, written against the essential criteria. Your CV gives the evidence in brief, and the statement explains it in more depth with examples.

More templates like this

• Oxford CV template - Quiet serif typography and generous margins. A strong everyday CV.
• Counsel CV template - A thin top rule, small-caps headings and a conservative layout for finance, legal and admin. No photo.
• Westminster CV template - Centred and timeless: a small portrait, fine double rules and small-caps headings.
• Brussels CV template - Clear label-and-detail rows with a portrait, in the European style.

Browse all CV templates