What is a Civil Service & Government CV?

A Civil Service CV (also called a government job application CV) is a curriculum vitae tailored specifically to roles within UK government departments, agencies or public sector organisations. It is designed not just to list your work history, but to demonstrate clearly how your experience, strengths, behaviours and technical expertise align with the role’s requirements. The UK Civil Service uses a framework called the Success Profiles framework which covers behaviours, strengths, experience, ability and technical knowledge. The concept differs from a typical private-sector CV in several ways:

Greater emphasis on behavioural competencies (e.g., delivering at pace, communicating and influencing)
Often anonymised applications (to avoid bias) meaning your CV may be stripped of name, age etc.
Need to align closely with the job specification, person-specification and the behaviours listed in the advertisement.

In short: a Civil Service CV is more than history—it’s evidence of your fit for the role in terms of what you have done, how you do it, and how you will deliver for the organisation.

Why is the Right Format & Phrasing Critical?

Recruitment Context

The UK Civil Service is a high-volume, highly competitive employer. Effective CV formatting and phrasing can make or break your application. For example, on their careers site the Civil Service advises applicants to tailor applications, identify key behaviours and use the STAR (Situation-Task-Action-Result) method.

Benefits of the right approach

Clarity: Recruiters often skim CVs—so a formatted, well-phrased CV helps them quickly see your suitability.
Compliance: Many departments apply anonymised selection or names-blind shortlisting. Including unnecessary personal identifiers or irrelevant content can harm your chances.
Match to the role: Government roles focus heavily on behaviours and strengths (not just technical skills). Phrasing your achievements to reflect those behaviours elevates your CV.
ATS/keyword friendly: While less about flashy design, your CV still needs to use the right wording so recruitment systems and reviewers recognise your fit.

Risks of getting it wrong

Using a private-sector flashy CV template may distract or frustrate reviewers.
Generic phrasing (“Responsible for”, “Worked with”, “Was part of”) without measurable results or clear evidence may leave you short on impact.
Ignoring the specified behaviours or strengths may mean your CV fails to pass the first sift.

How to Format a CV for UK Government Job Applications

Here is a step-by-step guide to formatting your CV so it meets UK government expectations.

1. Choose a clean, professional layout

Use a simple, legible font (e.g., Calibri, Arial), size 10-12 pt.
Use headings for each section (Professional Summary, Work Experience, Skills & Behaviours, Education).
Avoid decorative graphics, photos or coloured backgrounds. Government recruiters favour traditional layouts.
Keep it to two to three pages maximum (unless you specifically have extensive relevant experience).

2. Header with contact details

At the top include: Name, email address, telephone number, city (optional).
If the job advert asks for anonymous applications, you may omit personal identifiable details (name, address) and focus on role readiness.
Do not include a photo, date of birth, full address or personal identifiers unless explicitly asked.

3. Professional summary (or “Profile”)

A concise 3–5 sentence summary of your relevant experience, major achievements, core skills and motivations.
Tailor it to the role: mention the key behaviours or strengths (from the Success Profiles) required.
Use power phrases: e.g., “Customer-centric policy analyst with 6 years’ experience…”
Example:

“Proactive policy adviser with 6 + years’ experience in central government. Skilled in data analysis, stakeholder engagement and delivering at pace. Proven track record of influencing senior-level decisions which reduced costs by 20%.”

The summary helps the recruiter immediately identify you as a strong match.

4. Work Experience (reverse chronological)

For each role include:

Job title | Employer/organisation | Location | Dates (Month/Year – Month/Year)
Then bullet points (3–5) that use action verbs, show your tasks and outcomes:
- Use the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result.
- Where possible quantify your results (e.g., reduced processing time by 30 %, increased stakeholder satisfaction by 15 %).
- Use wording that reflects the behaviours required: e.g., “Collaborated across teams to shape options for ministers” reflects the communicating & influencing behaviour.

5. Skills & Behaviours section

Here, explicitly highlight skills relevant to the role: both technical (e.g., “Advanced Excel, policy modelling”) and behavioural (e.g., “Delivers at pace, leads change”).
Align your skills with the Success Profiles elements: ability, experience, technical, strengths, behaviours.
Use bullet points rather than long paragraphs for scannability.

6. Education & Qualifications

In reverse-chronological order: qualification name, institution, date completed.
For recent graduates include relevant modules; for senior roles, keep this section concise.
Avoid naming secondary schools if not relevant especially in anonymised applications. 7. Additional Sections (optional)

Professional memberships, certifications, languages, voluntary work but only if relevant to the role.
Do not include a full address, date of birth, marital status or photograph (unless asked). Keep content relevant and supportive.

8. Formatting final checks

Save as PDF (unless the advert specifies Word).
Use consistent formatting: bullets, spacing, margins.
Run spell-check and ask someone else to proofread.
Ensure your document is easily readable on a screen (many reviewers use online systems).

9. Tailor for each application

Before submitting, compare your CV to the job advert and person specification.
Adjust your professional summary, keywords, skills section and at least one bullet in work experience to match the role. Generic CVs are easily spotted.

How to Phrase Your CV for Government Applications

Your phrasing matters as much as your format. Here’s how to use language effectively.

Use strong action verbs

Instead of “Responsible for processing claims”, use “Processed benefit claims for 500+ clients monthly, achieving 98 % accuracy”.
Vary verbs: “Spearheaded”, “Implemented”, “Coordinated”, “Influenced”.

Incorporate quantifiable results

Use numbers or percentages where possible: “Reduced processing time by 30 %” or “Managed a budget of £1.2 million”.
These figures help demonstrate your impact.

Align with behaviours and strengths

Explicitly link your actions to behaviours in the Success Profiles. For example:

“Led a cross-departmental team to deliver public consultation within two months, demonstrating ‘delivers at pace’ and ‘communicates and influences’ behaviours.”
This shows you know what the Civil Service is assessing and that you’ve demonstrated them.

Contextualise your roles

Describe not just what you did, but why you did it and what the outcome was. Use the STAR formula:

Situation: What challenge or context you faced
Task: What your responsibility was
Action: What you did
Result: What you achieved
Example:

Situation: The public website had a 40 % bounce rate.
Task: Improve engagement.
Action: Redesigned navigation and implemented accessibility features.
Result: Reduced bounce rate to 22 % within six months.

Use government-appropriate jargon (sparingly)

Use terms such as “stakeholder engagement”, “policy development”, “implementation”, “governance”.
But avoid overly technical or obscure acronyms unless they’re standard in the sector you’re applying to.

Keep tone professional and concise

Write in first person implicitly (without “I” statements) or third person; but keep it consistent.
Use short, punchy bullet points.
Avoid paragraphs of dense text in work experience sections.

Anonymised applications: mindful phrasing

When applying to roles that require anonymised CVs, avoid direct identifiers (e.g., company names, universities) and instead use generic descriptors: “Large central government department”, “Research-intensive university” etc.

Pros and Cons of Applying to Government Roles with a Tailored CV

Pros

Stability & public service mission: Government jobs often offer job security and the chance to work on meaningful national issues.
Transparent selection criteria: Success Profiles provide clarity on what is being assessed; if you tailor your CV accordingly, you increase your chances.
Structured application process: Clear guidance on what to include in your CV and the behaviours to demonstrate helps you plan more effectively.

Cons

Very competitive: Because many applicants follow the guidance, you need to ensure your CV stands out with clear, measurable achievements.
Less creative freedom: The format and phrasing expectations are more rigid than in some private-sector jobs flashy layouts or marketing-style prose may hinder rather than help.
Complex assessment process: After your CV, you may still face tests, interviews and assessments specifically for behaviours and strengths.

Examples & Statistics: What Works

Examples of CV bullets

“Led a multidisciplinary team of 8 to deliver a stakeholder engagement programme, resulting in a 25 % increase in citizen participation within three months.”
“Streamlined data entry processes across three divisions, reducing error-rate from 6 % to 1% and improving processing time by 45 %.”
These examples use quantifiable results, action verbs, and highlight behaviours like leadership, delivering at pace and analysing.

Statistics

According to a guide for Civil Service applications, one of the expectations is to tailor your application to the role, use relevant examples and reflect job-specific language.
A CV writing article notes that record numbers of UK civil servants (over 478,000) were employed and that the CV needs to meet standardised criteria.
The Success Profiles framework identifies five elements (behaviour, strengths, experience, ability, technical) that are assessed for each civil service role.

Real-World Insight (Reddit/Forum)

“I layout my CV as you’d expect. Job history, with dates, employer details, duties, and then 3/4 bullets with key achievements.”
This illustrates that many candidates emphasise bullet-point results and structured layout.

Step‐by‐Step Guide: Write Your Civil Service CV

Here’s a step-by-step process you can follow to build or refine your CV for UK government job applications.

Read the job advert and person specification

Identify the key behaviours, strengths, technical skills required.
Note specific phrases and keywords used by the employer (e.g., “deliver at pace”, “lead change”, “policy advice”, “stakeholder engagement”).
Have the role grade/level, selection criteria and closing date clearly noted.

Choose or adapt a clean CV template

Use a template designed for government roles (simple layout, clear headings, minimal distractions).
Set up headings in this order: Professional Summary → Work Experience → Skills & Behaviours → Education → Additional Information.

Write your Professional Summary

Customize for the role: mention years of experience, key strengths, major achievements aligned with the job ad.
For instance: “Resource-focused policy analyst with 5 years’ central government experience delivering high-impact programmes.”

Populate your Work Experience section

Start with your most recent role. For each entry include: job title, employer, dates, location.
Add 3–5 bullet points for each: Use action verbs + describe what you did + link to outcome/results.
Use measurable evidence where possible.
Use phrasing that reflects the behaviours required (e.g., “Collaborated with cross-departmental colleagues to deliver…”).

Complete the Skills & Behaviours section

List up to 8–10 skills relevant to the role, combining technical (e.g., “data analysis”) and behavioural (e.g., “delivers at pace”, “influences and communicates”) items.
Use bullet points.

Add Education & Qualifications

List in reverse chronological. Include course title, institution, date.
If very early in your career you may add relevant modules or projects; otherwise keep it simple.

Additional Information (optional)

Certifications, professional memberships, languages, volunteering only if they add value and are relevant to the role.

Tailor for each application & final check

Re-read the job advert and adjust one or more bullets to match key wording.
Remove flash design elements. Save as PDF if required.
Ask someone to proof-read. Check for spelling errors, consistency of date formatting, and readability.

Submit and follow up

Upload your CV (and other required documents like personal statement) via the Civil Service Jobs website or the specified application portal.
If shortlisted, prepare for next stages (online tests, interviews) by reviewing the behaviours again.

Expert Insights & Tips

Tailoring trumps volume: Rather than including every job you’ve ever done, prioritise relevance. A shorter CV with strong alignment beats a long generic one. STAR method is your friend: Structuring bullets with Situation-Task-Action-Result gives your CV impact.
Behaviours are key: Even if the job is technical (say “data analyst”), recruiters will still check behaviours like “delivers at pace” and “collaborates”. Refer to the Success Profiles.
Quantify when possible: Where you can include numbers, percentages, results, it strengthens your case.
Check anonymisation requirements: If the application is anonymised, avoid identifiers like personal names, universities, previous employers by name. Use descriptive terms instead.

Trends & What’s Changing in 2025

Increased use of anonymised recruitment: Many departments now blind‐review CVs to reduce bias.
Greater emphasis on behaviours and online assessments: Applicants need to prepare not only their CV but also online tests and interviews based around the Success Profiles model.
Shorter, more focused CVs: With the increase in volume of applications, recruiters expect CVs that quickly showcase relevant experience and impact rather than long narratives.
Use of free templates tailored for government roles: Several specialist sites now provide templates for roles in departments like HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), DVLA, Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

Conclusion

Crafting a CV for UK government and Civil Service roles demands both structure and strategic phrasing. By using a clean layout, tailoring your content to the job advert, aligning your experience with the Success Profiles framework (behaviours, strengths, experience, ability, technical), and phrasing your achievements in measurable, compelling terms, you significantly boost your chances of being shortlisted. Remember, government recruiters may be looking for whether you’ve demonstrated the required behaviours more than simply listed tasks. With the step-by-step guide above, you can build a CV that stands out, speaks clearly to the requirements, and presents you as the ideal candidate for public service. Ready to transform your CV? Get your CV written by experts today and make every word count.

FAQs

What length should a Civil Service CV for UK government applications be?
Generally 2-3 pages is sufficient. The key is relevance and clarity rather than length. Keep older or less relevant roles brief and focus on recent, relevant achievements.
Do I need to include personal details like age, photograph, full address on a UK government job application CV?
No. Many government departments use anonymised shortlisting, so avoid including date of birth, full address, photograph or other personal identifiers unless explicitly requested.
How do I show the required behaviours in my CV for a Civil Service role?
Use the STAR method: describe the Situation and Task, then your Action and the Result. Choose examples that demonstrate the behaviours listed in the job advert (e.g., “delivers at pace”, “communicates & influences”).
Can I reuse the same CV for multiple government job applications?
You can reuse the base template, but you must tailor the summary, skills and at least one role bullet to reflect each specific job’s requirements. Generic applications are less likely to succeed.
What format should I save and submit my CV in for a Civil Service role?
Typically a PDF is ideal (unless the job advert specifies otherwise). Ensure the file opens cleanly with no formatting issues. Some online systems will accept Word, but PDF maintains your formatting.
Should I include volunteer work or extracurricular activities in a Civil Service CV?
Yes—if they demonstrate relevant skills, behaviours or strengths. Especially useful if you have limited paid experience, or the volunteer role shows alignment with behaviours like teamwork, service delivery, stakeholder engagement.
How far back should my employment history go in a UK government CV?
Focus on the most relevant recent 8-10 years or your most significant roles. For roles older than that, summarise in one bullet or omit if not relevant. How can I quantify achievements when working in a public-sector environment with less obvious metrics?
Look for any measurable outcome: cost savings, process improvements, stakeholder numbers, programme delivery times, policy change impacts. Even if you can express “reduced processing time by 20%” or “managed stakeholder consultations with 150 participants” you’ll strengthen your CV.
What skills should I highlight on a Civil Service CV?
Include both hard/technical skills (e.g., data analysis, policy drafting, project management) and behavioural/strengths (e.g., delivers at pace, builds and develops capability, communicates and influences). Align with the job advert.
Are there specific CV templates for government jobs I should use?
Yes—there are specialist templates designed for UK government roles that emphasise simple layout, anonymity requirements and alignment to success profiles. For instance, CV Genius offers templates tailored to UK government agencies.