Guide

AI prompts for writing a UK CV: personal statement, bullet points and gaps

Published 7 October 2026

A printed two-page CV on a desk beside a laptop, a pen and a cup of tea

Short answerPaste your old CV and the job ad, then ask the AI for a short personal statement and achievement bullets with numbers. Keep it to two pages, leave out the photo and date of birth, and check every fact before you send it.

In the UK the document is called a CV, and in the US it is a resume. They are close cousins, but the habits differ, and a CV built for one country can look odd in the other. The good news is that AI is useful for either, as long as you tell it which one you are writing and give it your real details.

What UK employers usually expect

These are common norms, not strict rules, so check the job ad and the employer's own guidance:

Length: usually one to two pages. Two is fine once you have a few years of experience.
No photo, date of birth or marital status: most UK employers do not expect them, and leaving them out is the safer choice.
A short personal statement at the top, three or four lines about who you are and what you offer.
References: "Available on request" is normal, and you can ask people before you send the CV.
UK spelling: organised, programme, colour.

A US resume is similar, but one page is more common early in a career, and the opening is called a "summary" or "objective".

1. A personal statement that says something

Use the resume summary prompt and tell it the country and the role:

prompt — 4 blanks

Write a UK CV personal statement of 3 to 4 lines for the role below. Use British spelling and first person without "I". 
Role: [JOB TITLE AND COMPANY TYPE]
My background: [2-3 LINES]
Strongest skills: [3 SKILLS]
One result I am proud of: [RESULT WITH A NUMBER]
Avoid clichés like "hard-working team player" and "results-driven".

Leaving out "I" ("Experienced customer service lead who...") is a common CV style and makes the statement shorter.

2. Turn duties into achievements

Most CVs list tasks. Employers want results. Paste your bullets into the bullet points prompt and ask for a number or a clear outcome in each one. If you do not have a number, say so, and ask for a version without one instead of letting the AI invent it.

Never let the AI make up a figure. If it writes "increased sales by 30%" and you did not, you will be asked about it in the interview.

3. Make it readable by software

Many employers use tracking software that reads your CV before a person does. The ATS-friendly rewrite prompt reworks your wording to match the job ad's keywords. Keep the layout plain: standard headings, no text boxes, no tables for the main content, and save it as a PDF or Word file as the employer asks.

4. Explaining a gap

Time out for study, caring, health, travel or redundancy is common, and it is not a problem if you handle it briefly. The career gap prompt writes one honest line for the CV and a calm answer for the interview.

5. Asking for a referee

When you reach the offer stage you will usually be asked for references. The reference request prompt writes a short, polite message that reminds the person of your work together and makes it easy to say yes.

Build the document itself

If you need a clean layout, the free Resume Builder makes a one-page PDF or Word file in your browser, with no account. Our resume and CV guides cover formats and ATS checks.