US Resume vs UK CV — Key Differences
- Length: 1 page for 0–8 years experience; 2 pages for senior professionals. US employers are more strict about length than UK recruiters.
- No photo: Never include a photo on a US resume. It creates legal risk for employers (discrimination claims).
- No personal details: No date of birth, nationality, marital status, or Social Security number on a resume.
- Objective vs Summary: Modern US resumes use a "resume summary" rather than an old-style "objective". Objectives are considered outdated.
- Spelling: Use American English — "color" not "colour", "organization" not "organisation", "analyze" not "analyse".
US Resume Structure
1. Header
Full name (large, prominent), phone number (US format: 555-867-5309), professional email, LinkedIn URL, city and state (not full address), and optionally GitHub or portfolio URL for tech roles.
2. Resume Summary (3–4 lines)
A concise positioning statement. Lead with years of experience, job title/speciality, and top achievement. Example: "Senior product manager with 8 years of experience at SaaS companies. Launched 3 products that collectively reached $12M ARR. Expert in Agile methodology, roadmap prioritisation and cross-functional team leadership."
3. Work Experience
Reverse chronological. Each role: company name, job title, city/state, dates (month/year). 3–5 bullet points per role using the PAR formula: Problem → Action → Result. Start every bullet with an action verb. Quantify wherever possible.
4. Education
Degree, major, university name, graduation year. GPA only if above 3.5 and you graduated within the past 3 years. Omit high school once you have a college degree.
5. Skills
Hard skills only — software, tools, methodologies, certifications. List as a clean bulleted or comma-separated list.
6. Certifications (if applicable)
PMP, AWS, Google Analytics, Salesforce, etc. Include certification name, issuing body, and year.
US Resume Formatting Rules
- Font: Calibri, Arial, or Garamond — 10–12pt body, 14–16pt name
- Margins: 0.5–1 inch on all sides
- Single column layout (ATS-safe)
- Clean, minimal design — no decorative graphics or coloured headers
- Save as PDF or .docx — check what the company's ATS accepts
- File name: FirstnameLastname_Resume.pdf
ATS in the US — More Aggressive Than Most Markets
US employers — especially large corporations and tech companies — rely heavily on ATS. Greenhouse, Workday, Lever, iCIMS and Taleo are among the most common. These systems parse your resume for keyword matches against the job description.
- Use the exact job title from the posting in your summary
- Include all tools and technologies mentioned in the job description that you actually have
- Avoid PDF if the ATS portal has issues — test with .docx if you receive no responses
Mistakes International Applicants Make on US Resumes
- Sending a 3-page CV — US employers expect concise, especially at junior/mid levels
- Using UK/Australian spelling — "colour", "organised" stands out immediately
- Including a photo — automatic disqualification at many companies
- Writing a street address instead of just city and state
- Listing "References available upon request" — unnecessary and dated
- Using European date format (DD/MM/YYYY) instead of MM/DD/YYYY
- Not addressing work authorisation — if you are not a US citizen/permanent resident, many companies ask about this early. You do not need to mention it on the resume but be ready to address it in the application.
The Cover Letter in the US
Cover letters are less expected in the US than in the UK — many US job applications do not require or expect one. However, when a job posting explicitly requests one, or when you are applying directly to a small company or start-up, a strong cover letter can differentiate you significantly.