Writing a Narrative CV: A Step-by-Step Guide
CVs tend to be heavily focused on lists and bullet points. While this can make them easy to read and assess at-a-glance, it leaves little scope for candidates to fully explain their experience, skills and achievements. The narrative CV moves away from the metrics-focused approach of a traditional CV towards a storytelling format. In this article, we offer a detailed definition of the narrative CV, discuss its key benefits and provide a step-by-step guide to creating one for your applications.
What is a Narrative CV?
A narrative CV is a type of CV template that focuses on narrative storytelling over lists and metrics. Traditional CVs tend to be concise summary documents that include brief lists of achievements, qualifications and skills. They are short and to-the-point by design, because recruiters and employers typically only have a few seconds to review each CV submitted for a job vacancy.
Narrative CVs buck this trend by giving the candidate far more space to write in detail about their experience, contribution and achievements in different roles and settings. The format is more like a cross between a CV and a cover letter. It has been embraced by academic organisations such as UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) (1) because it helps assessors to form an opinion on the whole person, rather than providing a narrow snapshot of their career and skills.
Narrative CVs are growing in popularity among researchers, academics and professionals applying for funding opportunities or senior roles. Academic institutions and funding organisations are increasingly asking applicants to use this style of CV for funding applications, while some are also trialling the format for job applications. UKRI provides its own narrative CV template, called the ‘Résumé for Research and Innovation’ (R4RI), while other institutions provide guidance and templates for applicants to adopt this CV format.
Why is the Narrative CV Gaining Popularity in the UK?
Traditional CV formats emphasise brief summary content that allows recruiters and employers to make snap decisions on a candidate’s likely suitability for a role. However, these short documents, that are heavy on lists and bullet points, can make it challenging to truly assess a candidate’s credentials, personality and likely fit for an organisation. Making the wrong hiring choice based on information that lacks detail can be a costly error. This is particularly true for academic institutions, where funding awards require a great deal of faith to be placed in the applicant.
Narrative CVs are a direct response to this issue. They allow for a far more holistic assessment of a candidate’s career, achievements and skills on a CV. Rather than using metrics-driven evaluations, the narrative CV allows recruiters and assessors to delve deeper into the applicant’s personality, strengths and qualities. The storytelling structure of the CV is useful for describing career progression, the development of new skills and how candidates have used them to positive effect in different scenarios. This information can often be as important as, or more important than, their qualifications and career KPIs.
UKRI pioneered the use of narrative CVs for its funding applications. The organisation developed the R4RI template, together with detailed guidance on how to complete it. Since then, the CV format has gained popularity among a wide range of universities and funding organisations, while it has also started to be adopted by some companies for corporate hiring, particularly for leadership and innovation roles.
Key Components of a Narrative CV
A standard UK narrative CV template typically includes four modules. This format was created by the UKRI, and other institutions have developed their own formats along this basic theme. The four modules are always a variation on:
- Knowledge: how the candidate has contributed to new knowledge, ideas, tools and methodologies.
- Developing others: how the candidate has helped to develop others and contributed to the maintenance of effective working relationships.
- Wider research community: how the candidate has provided a contribution to the wider academic research and innovation community.
- Broader society: how the work of the candidate has made an impact with broader research users, and with wider society, including the general public.
The four modules are designed to help candidates think about the breadth and depth of their experience in the context of their application. This approach moves beyond the standard lists of publications, awards, conference appearances and teaching credentials listed in a standard academic CV, and attempts to capture something closer to the applicant’s overall career contribution.
The four modules are fully open-ended, and give the applicant licence to detail their contributions at length, including reflections on their wider impact and legacy. They may wish to muse on the significance of their academic contribution, or reflect on the impact they’ve made on developing others. Employers and awarding institutions will also expect candidates to provide evidence and practical examples that support their claims.
Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Narrative CV
If you’re interested in writing a narrative CV to apply for an academic or professional role, follow these six key steps:
Step 1: Define Your Personal Story
The first step towards producing a narrative CV is to think about your own personal story. Create a career timeline and reflect on your achievements and contributions. This will help you to identify key themes that have emerged throughout your career, that you can shape into a narrative for your CV. If you already have a regular CV, you could use this as the starting point.
Step 2: Structure It Effectively
Use the four modules of the narrative CV format, but create a clear, logical flow and common threads through the document. You’ll want each of your modules to compliment the others, with shared key themes emerging from each.
Step 3: Focus on Impact and Achievements
While the narrative CV allows for a storytelling approach and more detailed ruminations on your impact and legacy, it’s still critical to outline your achievements and anchor your narrative in facts and evidence. The kind of information you focus on in a traditional CV can still be included in the narrative format, but this approach gives you more scope to explain every achievement in more detail.
Step 4: Tailor It to the UK Market
Review the requirements of the organisation before sending your narrative CV. Most funders and academic bodies will provide a guide on how to complete your narrative CV, possibly alongside a template they’ll expect you to use.
Step 5: Proofread and Get Feedback
Be sure to proofread your narrative CV and show it to others for feedback before you send it. Peer review is an essential step to ensuring your success, particularly when it comes to UKRI applications or other academic roles.
Step 6: Format It Properly
Use clear, simple formatting for your narrative CV, to make it as readable as possible. Use the institution’s template if they have one. UKRI requests the use of Arial size 11, or another sans serif font of equivalent size, with single line spacing and a maximum length of two sides of A4. If you have scope to use your own design template, add subtle design elements that will catch the eye of the reader, without detracting from the written content.
"Rather than using metrics-driven evaluations, the narrative CV allows recruiters and assessors to delve deeper into the applicant’s personality, strengths and qualities."
Examples of Narrative CVs in the UK
Take a look at the narrative CV example below, to help you with the process of writing your own:
Candidate: Dr. Michelle Parkinson PhD
Project Title: The Impact of the UK Online Safety Act on Social Media Platforms
1. Contributions to the Generation of New Ideas, Tools, Methods, and Knowledge
I’m an experienced social policy researcher with 12 years’ expertise in technology policy and regulation. My work has contributed substantially to the field of digital governance, regulation, and wider societal impact. My doctoral research at The University of Sheffield explored the regulatory responses to online governance and its implications for democratic participation, including the impact of targeted misinformation. Since then, I have contributed to policy development and academic discourse on online harms, misinformation, and the evolving regulatory landscape of digital platforms. This included advising the UK Government on frameworks for the Online Safety Act.
I have led multiple research projects assessing the impact of digital regulation across the UK and Europe. This has included an interdisciplinary study on misinformation policies and their impact on free and fair European elections, co-funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the European Council. I have also co-developed frameworks for evaluating online platform accountability, which have been adopted by policymakers in several European countries. My work has influenced parliamentary debates and informed policy recommendations for government consultations.
2. Contributions to the Development of Others and the Research Environment
Throughout my career I have demonstrated support for new and junior researchers, championing innovative approaches to research and advocating for an inclusive research environment. I have delivered undergraduate modules on digital policy and supervised more than 35 doctoral and master’s students exploring digital policy, online governance, and social media regulation. Through my role as a senior researcher at UCL, I have designed training programs on digital ethics and regulatory impact assessments, equipping emerging technology policy academics to contribute to the discipline.
Furthermore, I have worked in partnership with civil organisations and regulatory bodies, facilitating knowledge exchange between researchers and policymakers. I have contributed to policy conferences, regulatory workshops, and advisory panels, helping to apply academic insights to real-world scenarios that make a difference to the end user.
3. Contributions to Wider Research and Innovation Activities
My research has always focused on real-world application and sought to influence policy and define industry best practices. I have collaborated with UK regulatory authorities, including Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office, providing evidence-based insights on online safety. My research has contributed to parliamentary inquiries and public consultations on the Online Safety Act, actively shaping legislative discussions on digital governance. I have also sat on public consultation assessment boards, reviewing contributions and responding to requests for information.
In the wider media, I have contributed to The Guardian and BBC, providing expert commentary on digital policy and opinion pieces regarding online safety and the impact of digital campaigning on election outcomes.
4. Contributions to Broader Society and the Economy
My research has directly influenced and shaped public policy and government regulation of online spaces. In doing so, my work has helped to create a safer online environment for children and young people, while combatting the harmful and corrosive effects of misinformation on democratic society.
My research has supported civil society organisations and campaigners advocating for online safety, digital rights, and platform accountability. Through collaboration with policymakers, researchers, and tech companies, I’ve worked to establish a regulatory framework that balances innovation with vital societal protections.
Taking in public engagement initiatives and awareness raising activities, I’ve helped to increase digital literacy and inform users about their rights and responsibilities online. My research equips individuals and organisations with the tools to navigate digital environments safely and effectively.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your Narrative CV
Avoid falling into some of these common narrative CV pitfalls:
- Overcomplicating the language: while you’ll want to appear as an expert in your field, it’s important not to include too much academic jargon. Write in clear, concise sentences using as simple language as possible.
- Making it too long: the ideal narrative CV length depends on the institution. Check if they have guidelines on length, but otherwise aim for no more than 1,000 words or two sides of A4.
- Focusing too much on storytelling: while the narrative CV encourages a storytelling format, you’ll need to build that story around real, measurable and evidence-based achievements.
- Listing qualifications or publications: a traditional academic CV contains detailed lists of qualifications, publications and other metrics of academic success. While you can mention these in your narrative CV, the format represents an attempt to move away from these. Focus more on the process and wider impact of your research and achievements.
- Ignoring UKRI or other institutional guidelines: if you’re applying for a research position or funding for a research project, you must adhere to the guidelines of the awarding body. Study the CV articles and notes from the institution and be sure to submit your CV in the correct format.
- Being too generic: applying for a funding award or research position requires a nuanced, tailored approach. Submitting a generic CV is unlikely to make an impact with decision makers, particularly when using the narrative CV format with its greater scope for personal storytelling.
Expert Tip:
When writing a narrative CV, use your regular CV as a starting point and take your key achievements and experience, shaping it into the four key modules of the narrative CV format. Expand on the details and offer evidence and insights that showcase the impact you’ve made. Avoid exaggerating or making bold claims about your impact that you’re unable to evidence with real-world examples.
Conclusion & Final Tips
The narrative CV provides significantly more scope for professional reflection, and shows employers the direct and indirect impact you’ve made in your career. Be sure to follow the institution’s guidelines when creating a narrative CV and use both the CV and cover letter templates provided. If you’re looking for a flexible, adaptable CV template for your applications, you could use Jobseeker’s CV maker. Sign up today to find UK-specific narrative CV templates and other tools and resources, including cover letter articles and tips, to make your application a success.
Sources:
(1) UK Research and Innovation, Narrative CVs: what they are and why use them
