Enhancv’s recent study shows that 92% of the interviewed recruiters are turned off by CVs with a hard-to-scan design. If they can’t immediately find the information they need on the page, there’s a decent chance they’ll reject the application.
Luckily, there’s a simple way to protect yourself from that fate. Setting the correct CV margins from the start instantly improves readability while showing you understand professional standards. It may also give you a better chance of ranking well if the employer is using an applicant tracking system (ATS).
So, how can you make sure you size the margins for your CV like a pro?
In this guide, we’ll be covering everything you need to know, including the right size for CV margins, how to set them correctly, and what they look like in real CVs.
Key takeaways
- The recommended margin size for British CVs is between 1.27 and 2.5 cm on all sides of an A4 page.
- Beware of unequal or overly narrow margins, which can make a CV look cluttered and unprofessional.
- Using enough whitespace improves readability and helps the content of your CV stand out.
- When using tools like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, set margins manually and double-check them before exporting as a PDF.
- Alternatively, take the easy route. Enhancv’s CV Builder applies consistent, ATS-friendly margins automatically.
- Avoid shrinking margins to fit more content, mixing page sizes, or using text boxes that might confuse ATS software.
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What are CV margins?
CV margins are the blank space around your text and content. In simple terms, they mark where your writing stops and the edge of the page begins – at the top, bottom, left, and right. They’re the buffer that frames everything on your CV, giving it room to breathe and making it easier to read.
Margins matter because they impact your CV design and the overall look of your application. When the spacing is out—even by a fraction—something will look “off”.
Narrow margins make your document look cluttered and difficult to read, whereas gaping margins waste valuable space, leaving your CV looking sparse.
Don’t underestimate the power of whitespace
Your CV is a marketing material—you’re selling yourself as a professional. Research suggests that using whitespace well can make your message more persuasive. In plain English: if your spacing is on point, a hiring manager is more likely to be convinced by what you’ve written.
Nailing your margins has a knock-on effect on everything else:
- It controls the whitespace: Good margins create enough breathing room on the page, so nothing feels cramped.
- It boosts readability: With balanced spacing, it’s easier for a hiring manager to skim your CV and spot the important points.
- It makes your CV look more professional: Clean margins signal care and attention to detail, rather than a rushed or cluttered layout.
- It helps organise your information: Sections are easier to separate and scan, which makes your career story clearer at a glance.
Why do most CV margins go wrong?
- They’re too small: Shrinking your margins can quickly make your CV look busy. In turn, the layout becomes harder for a hiring manager to read, and it’s far easier for your application to be overlooked.
- They’re unequal: Your margins should be uniform, meaning that they’re all the same size. Mess this up by a millimetre, and it will stand out like a sore thumb. While the hiring manager may not be sure what’s wrong, the design will be odd.
- They follow US layouts: A lot of online CV templates are designed for the US market, which uses US Letter size, not A4 like we do in the UK. US Letter is shorter and wider than A4, so if you drop that template straight into a UK document, your CV margins, line breaks, and section spacing can all look slightly “off”. To avoid it, always switch your document to A4 first, then adjust your margins and layout.
- They are an afterthought: The CV margins are often the foundation of your design. Trying to tack them on at the end of the process can be tricky. Using an AI CV builder is the answer—the margins are preset and you’re good to go.
Next up, we’ll be looking at what the right sizes are for modern-day recruiters.
What are the best margins for a CV in the UK?
The recommended CV margin size in the UK is between 1.27 and 2.5 cm (0.5 and 1 inches). You should follow that golden rule on all sizes of the page. While there’s a size range here, you need to make sure that each of your margins is exactly the same size, or it will look uneven.
British hiring managers expect to see A4-sized CVs when you’re applying for jobs. Setting your margins between 1.27 and 2.5 cm strikes the perfect balance.
It’s just wide enough for the design to look polished and well-spaced out, and narrow enough to keep everything on one or two pages.
Worried about setting your CV margins? If you’ve never done it before, we’ve got the inside scoop.
How to set CV margins correctly
Looking to set your CV margins? If you don’t know where to start, you’ve come to the right place. The process is slightly different, depending on which software you’re using. To help you along the way, we’ve outlined the simple steps for Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and the Enhancv CV Builder.
How to set CV margins in Microsoft Word
While you can make your CV in Microsoft Word, doing so can be rather tricky. The software has some preset templates you can use, but you’ll often need to make several adjustments to get your content to sit neatly on the page.
Before you start typing anything, open a new A4 document, set your page size and margins, and then begin writing. If you leave this until later, any small adjustment can throw your formatting off and undo all your hard work.
- Click the Layout tab at the top of the document.
- Select the margins button in the top left corner.
- Choose either a preset margin or click Custom Margins.
- Set the margin sizes and then press OK.
- Double-check the margins when you’ve pasted in your CV content.
Before you download your new CV, make sure you check the margins one last time. Things can shift around a lot when you’re using Microsoft Word, so it’s worth being extra careful here.
You should also download your CV as a PDF, as this is the format that most British hiring managers expect.
How to set margins in Google Docs
Start out by opening the software in your browser. Once again, this platform does have a selection of preset CV templates you can use. When you’re ready, follow the steps below.
- Go to the File tab at the top of the page.
- Head down to Page setup and click it.
- Set custom margins and press OK.
Always double-check your margins in Google Docs and make sure they’ve stayed the same. Once all your CV content is in place, run through the margin steps again so you know they’re set correctly before you download it.
Then download your Google Docs CV as a PDF rather than sharing a live link. A link can look different on someone else’s screen, depending on their permissions, and invite unwanted edits.
A PDF, on the other hand, locks in your margins and layout so the hiring manager sees your CV exactly as you intended.
How to set margins in Enhancv’s CV Builder
With Enhancv’s CV Builder, we do all of the heavy lifting for you. We’ve got a wide selection of recruiter-ready CV templates you can use. Each one has preset margins that won’t move when you’re filling them out.
Here’s how you can get started:
- Open your CV in the Enhancv app, or start a new one from a blank page.
- In the left-hand menu, click on Design & Font.
- At the top of the dropdown, locate the Margins slider.
- Adjust the slider to choose from five preset margin sizes until the layout looks right.
You can then set the font, size, and colour from the same tab, too. Feel free to play around with the settings until you’re happy with how your CV looks.
Here’s an example:
Each one of Enhancv’s templates includes ATS-friendly spacing by default. You’ll get a clean, balanced look every time, with zero risk of crowded layouts. If you’re looking for a way to instantly wow hiring managers without the hassle, this is the quickest and easiest option.
What do good CV margins look like?
- The margins must be uniform: All four margins should be the exact same size, or the overall design of the CV will not look right. Pick the right size (between 1.27 and 2.5 cm) and use the same size for each side of the page.
- Plenty of whitespace: The text on the page should not feel cramped or as though it’s pushed up against the edges. Your margins, line and section spacing serve a valuable purpose—they guide the recruiter’s eye, make your CV easier to skim, and help your most important points stand out.
- Not sparse-looking: Your CV should feel balanced—not crammed, but not dotted with large empty gaps either. Well-set margins help your content take up the right amount of space on the page, creating a layout that feels intentional and professional.
- Consistent on every page: If you’re using a two-page CV, the margins should match exactly on both. Inconsistent spacing makes the document feel thrown together and distracts from your content.
- Clear visual hierarchy: Good margins work with headings, font size, and spacing to guide the reader’s eye. Section titles should stand out, and each block of text should have enough breathing room to show what’s most important at a glance.
- Polished look: The overall layout should look intentional and polished, rather than messy or unaligned. These small details have a big impact on readers. If in doubt, use one of Enhancv’s tried and tested CV templates.
Common mistakes with CV margins
By this point, you should be ready to set your CV margins. However, there are some common mistakes that you need to avoid when doing so. Let’s take a look at the main pitfalls.
- Using US Letter instead of A4 size: When applying for roles in the UK, always use a standard A4 size. You should also make sure that your margins are aligned with this paper size, too.
- Shrinking your margins to fit more on the page. Anything below 1.27 cm will make your CV look cramped and harder to read. Instead, use smarter layout choices: switch to a two-column design, tighten up your bullet points so each one earns its place, or move genuinely less impactful details to a second page.
- Uneven padding and over-the-top designs: There’s nothing wrong with opting for a creative design on your CV. However, functionality has to come first. It's smart to rely on trusted AI CV builders that take care of both looks and functionality.
- Having inconsistent spacing between sections: The space between each section should be the same. Depending on the platform you’re using, you may be able to adjust this manually. With Enhancv’s templates, the spacing is already optimised.
- Using textboxes or tables that break ATS screening: Some ATS systems may have trouble scanning information in boxes. That means that the software may miss crucial details on your CV. Instead, opt for a well-designed template.
Do CV margins affect ATS?
Yes, but indirectly. If your margins are poorly set, you’re going to end up with misaligned text on your CV. Since the ATS system scans each section, this misalignment can lead to parsing issues. In simple terms, the software may not find what it needs in the expected place.
Luckily, Enhancv formats all of your CV margins consistently to avoid these problems. If you want to see whether your CV is up to scratch, upload it to our free CV Checker.
When you’re looking to impress the hiring manager with your CV, getting the margins right is a good place to start. But what if something messes up?
Next up, let’s talk about how you can troubleshoot.
Bonus: Troubleshooting advice for your CV margins
Let’s say you’ve designed your CV, but it still doesn’t look quite right. You might need to tighten up the design.
Take a look at some of the common issues and how you can solve them.
Your text is squashed onto the page
If your text looks like it’s got no breathing space, it’s smart to lower all four margins. Remember, you can go down to 1.27 cm to create the space that your content needs. Should that not do the trick, you can tighten up your CV font, rather than making the margins any smaller than that.
Your CV looks uneven
The smallest mismatch is detectable to the human eye. If you’re out by a teeny amount, you might find that the page looks uneven overall. This is a common problem when you’re working in Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Check that all of the margins are the same.
Sections shift when you paste content
In Word and Google Docs, formatting can change when you paste text in from another document—especially if it carries hidden styling. This can nudge your spacing or margins slightly, making sections look misaligned. If that happens, reapply your margin settings and adjust your line spacing to restore the layout.
Your PDF export looks different from your document
Converting your Word document to a PDF? You might find that the program nudges some of the elements on the page during the process. Fonts, spacing, and line breaks can move by a fraction, which is often enough to throw off a neatly balanced CV.
Before clicking export, save your file and recheck the margins. You should preview the PDF to make sure everything is in the right place.
Some elements are not aligned or even cut off
If you added extra elements to your document, these can be unpredictable and may not follow the margins you’ve set. Replace them with standard text formatting to avoid them being cut off.
Quick tips to keep your CV clean and easy to read
- Stick to A4 size, rather than opting for the American Letter size.
- Left-align your CV content, as this is the standard in the UK.
- Make sure the page orientation is portrait, never landscape.
- Make sure your margins are between 1.27 and 2.5 cm (and they’re uniform).
- Use a 10 to 12 pt font for the body text, and 14 to 16 pt for section headings.
- Always leave space between the different CV sections on the page or add dividing lines.
- Make the content skimmable by using bullet points wherever possible.
- Let your content—not the cramped formatting—do all of the talking.
Final thoughts
Setting your CV margins may sound like a small part of the process. However, hiring managers will notice if you get this part of the document wrong.
Follow the advice we’ve shared in this guide to make sure your CV margin sizes are within UK standards. And, if you want to take all of the hassle out of sorting your margins out, use the Enhancv’s AI CV Builder.
