Model CV example: writing guide for 2026

Use a clean, reverse-chronological layout that reads well on a mobile or laptop. Aim for one page if you have limited experience. A second page is reasonable when a longer booking history, selected credits or relevant training adds useful evidence. Follow British CV conventions: leave out your photograph and date of birth. Instead, provide an immediately accessible portfolio link and keep any requested digitals with the application materials.

Maintain a master CV containing your complete skills, qualifications, work history, volunteering and additional training, then tailor a copy to each opportunity. Career guidance for models seeking work favours pairing a well-structured CV with a portfolio. The CV records your experience, skills and achievements; the portfolio provides visual evidence of your range. Include relevant training rather than relying on booking credits alone.

Tailor the emphasis to your market. A fashion model CV usually gives more space to runway shows, editorial shoots, agency representation, collaborations, physical statistics and the particular look shown in the portfolio. A commercial model CV can foreground advertising, catalogues, ecommerce and television work, with acting experience, voiceover, versatility and the ability to follow direction where relevant. If your work centres on creating the garments rather than modelling them, the fashion designer CV guide is a closer fit. Put the closest match near the top rather than giving every category equal weight.

Write each experience entry as a compact record of the assignment. State what you modelled, the production type and its scale, using verified figures such as looks, set-ups, deliverables or repeat bookings. Established models can lead with professional experience and agency representation. New models can place relevant education and training higher, then use clearly labelled test shoots, performance work or transferable employment to show reliability and confidence.

Treat every experience bullet as evidence, not a duty copied from a casting brief. A useful pattern is action + assignment scope + result or verified measure. Start with what you did, add enough production detail to make the work understandable, then finish with a figure taken from a call sheet, invoice, published asset or another record you can check. Measures might include looks, set-ups, deliverables, timed changes, repeat bookings or hours on set.

Professional modelling work can include photographic, catwalk, promotional and commercial assignments. Select credits that fit the opportunity instead of listing every job. Commercial models may describe how modelling and acting supported advertising on websites, in print, on social media or on television. If you have worked internationally, give the market, dates and assignment accurately; models working internationally may travel to markets where their services are in demand.

The revised bullets make the assignment and its demands visible. When there is no fair outcome metric, use scope. Locations, looks, consecutive shoot days or approved assets can still show what the job involved. Never estimate a result merely because a number looks impressive.

Choose plain, active verbs: modelled, interpreted, adapted, delivered, completed, walked, rehearsed, presented, collaborated and maintained. Use led, coached or coordinated only when you held that responsibility. A senior model can demonstrate scale through repeat bookings, multi-market work or demanding production schedules. A junior model can draw on training, test shoots, performance work and customer-facing employment, but should label unpaid practice honestly.

Tie skills to situations. Explain how you changed angles, expressions or body position to convey a mood; kept poise, balance and rhythm across runway looks; responded quickly to photographers, stylists or directors; sustained performance through a long shoot; or adapted between creative briefs. This gives the reader evidence instead of an isolated list of claims.

List each awarded qualification exactly as it appears on the certificate, followed by the institution and completion year. Add relevant modelling, acting or performing-arts training when it strengthens your application, and record the provider, course title and date accurately. Career guidance treats relevant training or certification as preferred evidence for model applicants and strongly recommends including training on a UK model CV. Put short workshops beneath formal education and describe their focus without presenting attendance as professional work.

Aspiring UK models may choose to take simple Polaroid-style digitals before approaching relevant agencies. This is optional application guidance, not an educational award, so keep digitals outside the certifications section. For a particular agency application, consult and follow that agency's published submission process. Keep requested photographs and links with the submission materials.

Equity membership concerns a separate application route and is not a universal model qualification. For models applying for Equity membership, evidence of professional fashion work, such as photographic, catwalk, promotional or commercial assignments, may support the application. List Equity membership only when you hold it and can substantiate the entry.

Child-modelling routes can involve separate paperwork. For children or young people registered with a modelling agency in England, the route calls for a parent-signed licence application, a copy of the child's birth certificate and a medical certificate from the child's doctor before work is arranged. The relevant child-agency route also calls for two passport-sized photographs. When an agency finds a particular job for a child or young person, the route calls for a completed Part 1 licence application recording the exact date, times, location and chaperone arrangements. Term-time work for a child or young person follows a route that calls for a no-objection letter from the child's school head teacher.

For licensed AI modelling work, aspiring UK models may choose to register a digital twin. Treat this as optional, route-specific guidance rather than education, and mention it only when it relates to the work sought.