How to convert an Indonesian CV for the UK
Last updated August 2026 · Written by the HappyHire team
Short answer
Remove the photograph, date of birth, marital status and any declaration block — all standard in Indonesia, all a liability in the UK. Then cut it to the length the UK expects: Two pages. One page is acceptable early-career; three is read as an inability to prioritise. After that, do the three things that actually decide whether you are shortlisted: state your grade alongside its British equivalent, add a six-word descriptor after every employer a British recruiter would not recognise, and put your English evidence somewhere visible. Most rejections at this stage are not judgements about your experience — they are a recruiter failing to interpret it.
What to take off an Indonesian CV
None of the conventions below are mistakes. They are correct in Indonesia and they are what an Indonesian recruiter expects to see. The problem is that in the UK they are either unlawful for an employer to consider or simply illegible — and an illegible CV gets set aside without anyone deciding against you.
- Photograph
- Date and place of birth, religion, marital status
- KTP identity number
- Height, weight and blood type where included
- Full home address
The photograph is the one to take seriously. British employers routinely discard CVs carrying a photo to protect themselves against discrimination claims — the rejection is procedural and you will never be told it happened.
What British recruiters expect instead
In the UK the document is always called a CV. Sending something labelled 'Resume' immediately reads as a copy-paste from a US application, and in academia the word CV additionally implies a longer publications-led document — context tells you which is meant.
- A short personal statement, three or four lines, tuned to the specific advert
- Degree classification (First, 2:1, 2:2) if you studied in the UK, or the honest equivalent if you did not
- Right-to-work status, stated plainly if it is an advantage — 'Graduate Route visa, valid to [month/year]' removes doubt a recruiter will otherwise resolve by moving on
- Achievements with numbers attached, not duty lists
| Convention | Expected in the UK |
|---|---|
| What it is called | CV |
| Length | Two pages. One page is acceptable early-career; three is read as an inability to prioritise. |
| Spelling | British spelling — organise, analyse, programme, centre, specialised. |
| Dates | DD/MM/YYYY. Use month-and-year on the CV itself ('Mar 2023 – Present') to sidestep ambiguity entirely. |
| References | References are taken after an offer, not before, and are usually confirmation of dates and role rather than a character judgement. Notice periods are long by international standards — one month is typical, three months for senior roles — and employers plan around them. |
Making your grades legible
Indonesian universities award an IPK — a grade point average out of 4.00 — which converts cleanly for the US and Canada and needs a stated equivalence for the UK, Ireland and Australia. Cum laude is used in Indonesia and is worth spelling out with the IPK beside it.
This matters more than it sounds. A recruiter spending eight seconds on your CV will not stop to research a foreign grading scale — they will form an impression from the number in front of them and move on. Stating the raw result and its equivalence in the same line costs you six words and removes the guess entirely.
Getting your qualifications recognised
Indonesian degrees are assessed by UK ENIC for the UK and by WES or a comparable evaluator for North America. Professional licensing does not transfer; where you hold an Indonesian professional certification, name the issuing body and what it covers rather than assuming the acronym travels.
Start this before you start applying, not after you get an offer. Recognition and attestation run in months, and a candidate who cannot evidence their qualification when asked loses the offer to someone who can.
Making your employers legible
Gojek, Tokopedia, Pertamina and the largest banks carry some international recognition; most employers do not. Describe the company in six words in brackets after the name, with headcount or revenue where you can.
The failure mode is invisible: a British recruiter who cannot size your employer does not investigate, they assume it was small, and your CV quietly loses to a candidate whose last job was at a company they had heard of. Six words in brackets after the employer name is the entire fix.
Your name on the application
Many Indonesians have a single legal name with no surname, and Western application forms almost always demand both. The practical solution recruiters accept is to repeat the single name in both fields or to use the family name where one exists, then keep that identical across every document — the CV, the application, the visa paperwork and the eventual contract.
Consistency is the actual requirement. Your CV, your LinkedIn, your application forms and your right-to-work documents must all carry the same name in the same order, because a mismatch surfaces at exactly the worst moment — the pre-employment check after you have already resigned from your current job.
Proving your English
English is not an official language, so proficiency is genuinely uncertain to a foreign recruiter and cannot be left implicit. State your IELTS or TOEFL score directly on the CV. If you have worked in English day to day, say that too — 'worked in English with the Singapore and Sydney teams' is stronger evidence than a test score alone.
Whatever your actual level, put the evidence where it can be seen. Recruiters are pattern-matching under time pressure and will resolve an unanswered question in the direction that costs them least, which is not you.
Work authorisation in the UK
Every UK application form asks two questions: do you have the right to work in the UK, and will you now or in future require sponsorship. Answer both honestly and early. Many employers hold a sponsor licence but do not advertise it; the Home Office publishes the full register of licensed sponsors, and checking a company against it before applying saves weeks.
| Route | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Skilled Worker visa | The main employer-sponsored route. Requires a job offer from an employer holding a sponsor licence, at or above the going rate for the occupation code. |
| Graduate Route | For those who completed an eligible UK degree — unsponsored work rights for a fixed period after graduation. Employers like it because it costs them nothing. |
| Global Talent visa | For endorsed leaders and potential leaders in academia, research, arts and digital technology. No job offer required. |
| High Potential Individual visa | For recent graduates of qualifying overseas universities. Unsponsored, fixed term. |
Rules change with every budget cycle. Check the current position at gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas rather than relying on any guide, including this one.
What to lead with
Converting a CV is mostly subtraction, which can leave people feeling they have been asked to erase where they came from. They have not. These are genuine advantages Indonesian candidates bring, and they belong at the top of the document rather than buried:
- Experience in one of the world's largest and fastest-growing consumer markets, which is directly relevant to any employer with Southeast Asian ambitions
- Regional technology sector experience that scaled quickly, meaning growth-stage exposure most Western candidates lack
- Multilingual working — Bahasa Indonesia plus regional languages plus English — which is a stated asset in international teams
Salary is quoted as an annual gross figure in pounds. Adverts increasingly show a band, but a recruiter will still ask your expectation on the first call. Give a researched range rather than a single number, and never quote your current overseas salary as an anchor — cost bases differ too much for it to help you.
Frequently asked questions
Should I put a photo on my CV for the UK?
No. British employers routinely discard CVs carrying a photo to limit their exposure to discrimination claims, and many applicant tracking systems handle them badly. This is true even though a photo is standard practice in Indonesia.
Is it called a CV or a resume in the UK?
In the UK the document is always called a CV. Sending something labelled 'Resume' immediately reads as a copy-paste from a US application, and in academia the word CV additionally implies a longer publications-led document — context tells you which is meant.
How do I explain Indonesian grades to a British employer?
Indonesian universities award an IPK — a grade point average out of 4.00 — which converts cleanly for the US and Canada and needs a stated equivalence for the UK, Ireland and Australia. Cum laude is used in Indonesia and is worth spelling out with the IPK beside it.
How long should my CV be for the UK?
Two pages. One page is acceptable early-career; three is read as an inability to prioritise. This is often shorter than the Indonesian convention, and the compression is not optional — length signals an inability to prioritise rather than a depth of experience.
Do I need my qualifications formally assessed?
Indonesian degrees are assessed by UK ENIC for the UK and by WES or a comparable evaluator for North America. Professional licensing does not transfer; where you hold an Indonesian professional certification, name the issuing body and what it covers rather than assuming the acronym travels.
Will employers in the UK sponsor a visa for an Indonesian candidate?
Every UK application form asks two questions: do you have the right to work in the UK, and will you now or in future require sponsorship. Answer both honestly and early. Many employers hold a sponsor licence but do not advertise it; the Home Office publishes the full register of licensed sponsors, and checking a company against it before applying saves weeks. The routes worth knowing by name are Skilled Worker visa, Graduate Route, Global Talent visa, High Potential Individual visa. Check the current requirements at gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas.