According to Patricia Keener, international coach, training consultant and founder of Keenerinspiration, the purpose of a Curriculum Vitae (CV) in England is to encourage a prospective employer to invite the candidate for an interview. That said, it is important to recognize that potential interviewers are more likely to be impressed by the candidate's work experience and job qualifications than by any other element of her personal history. Unlike American resumes and CVs that tend to give primacy to the candidate's educational background, British CVs transpose education and work experience in both position and importance. Writing a British CV requires you to craft a well-structured demonstration of all the experience, skills, education and abilities you possess that make you an ideal candidate for the job for which you are applying.

Provide up-to-date contact information on your CV. Include your mailing address, email address and phone number.

Write a personal profile that highlights your career history as well as relevant personal data that could grab the attention of your CV's reviewer in a positive way. Limit your profile to three or four sentences and utilize an "active voice" in your composition style.

Highlight your work experience. Provide a detailed explanation of your specific roles and accountability as well as your personal company budget (if any) for your job. Additionally, describe the size and scope of your employer's business in the business community as a whole. List your work history in chronological order, starting with your most recent job.

Highlight your educational experience. Focus on the qualifications, degrees, awards and so on that make you specifically qualified for the job for which you are applying. You may also include relevant coursework that is germane to the position for which you are applying.

List any additional qualifications that round out your job profile. Additional qualifications include language proficiency, technological abilities, certified skills and so on. Only include additional qualifications that fit into the basic scheme of your CV to this point.

Complete your CV with a section that lists personal details such as your date of birth, marital status and driver's license information.