Is a résumé the same as a CV?

In everyday job hunting, they do the same job: a short document that sells your experience. Americans call it a résumé; Britons, Irish, Indians, Pakistanis and most of the world call it a CV. In the US, "CV" usually means an academic CV: a long, complete record of research, publications and teaching used for academic and medical jobs.

How long should a US résumé be?

One page for students, recent graduates and most people with under about 10 years of experience; two pages for longer or senior careers. Recruiters skim, so a tight page of your best results beats two pages of everything.

How long should a UK CV be?

Two sides of A4 is the standard. One page is fine for a school leaver or graduate; more than two is rarely welcome outside academic and some senior or technical roles.

Should I include a photo, date of birth or marital status?

Not on a US résumé or UK CV. Employers in both countries avoid them so hiring decisions can't be based on age, looks, family status or background, and some recruiters reject CVs that include them. They are still common in parts of Europe, Asia and the Gulf, so follow the custom of the country you're applying to.

Do I need to change spelling for a US or UK application?

Yes, match the employer: organize, analyze, program and center for the US; organise, analyse, programme and centre for the UK. Mixed spelling looks careless, and an ATS search for "optimization" may not match "optimisation".

Which paper size should I use?

US Letter (8.5 × 11 inches) for US employers, and A4 (210 × 297 mm) for the UK and almost everywhere else. A PDF in the wrong size prints with odd margins or a cut-off last line.

US Résumé vs UK CV: The Differences, With Templates

If you're applying for jobs in both the US and the UK, or moving from one to the other, you need two slightly different documents. A US résumé and a UK CV serve the same purpose. But they differ in length, paper size, spelling and a few customs that recruiters notice straight away.

Here are the differences side by side, then what to change when you switch. Our free CV and résumé builder applies all of this for you: pick "US résumé" or "UK CV" and it sets the paper, hides the photo, writes in the right spelling and checks for the rules below.

US résumé vs UK CV at a glance

	US résumé	UK CV
Usual length	1 page (2 with 10+ years' experience)	2 pages
Paper	US Letter, 8.5 × 11 in	A4, 210 × 297 mm
Opening paragraph	Professional summary (optional for students)	Personal statement or profile
Spelling	American: organize, analyze, program	British: organise, analyse, programme
Education	Degree, school, year; GPA if strong (often 3.5+) and recent	Degree with classification (First, 2:1); GCSEs and A levels early in a career
Photo	No	No
Date of birth, age, marital status	No	No
Address	City and state is enough	Town or city is enough
References	Not listed; give them when asked	Not listed; "available on request" is optional
Dates	Month and year, e.g. Mar 2021	Month and year, e.g. Mar 2021

Length: one page or two?

The biggest practical difference. US recruiters expect a single page from anyone early in their career. That means choosing your strongest 3–5 bullet points per job and cutting older roles to a line or two. Once you have about 10 years of relevant experience, a second page is normal.

A UK CV is expected to run to two sides of A4. That leaves room for a personal statement, fuller descriptions of recent roles and, for younger candidates, school qualifications. Going beyond two pages is rarely a good idea in either country, except for academic CVs.

Personal details: leave more out than you might expect

Both countries have strong anti-discrimination rules, and employers prefer not to see anything that could suggest bias. Leave out:

a photo;
your date of birth or age;
marital status, children, religion or nationality;
national ID numbers;
your full street address (a city or town is enough).

If you've been using a CV from Pakistan, India, the Gulf or much of Europe, where these details are common, this is the first thing to change.

Do include a professional email address, a phone number with the right country format, and a LinkedIn profile link. In the US that's e.g. +1 512 555 0142; in the UK, +44 7700 900123 or 07700 900123.

The opening paragraph

A UK CV usually opens with a personal statement: 3–5 lines on who you are professionally, your strongest experience and what you're looking for next. A US résumé often opens with a shorter professional summary, sometimes just two lines, or none at all for students. Either way, write it in the third person without "I" ("Accountant with 6 years in audit…"), and make every claim specific.

Education

In the US, list your degree, school and graduation year. Recent graduates often add a GPA if it's strong (3.5 or above is a common rule of thumb); after a few years in work, drop it. In the UK, give your degree classification, such as First-class honours or 2:1. School leavers and graduates also list A levels and a summary of GCSEs, for example "9 GCSEs including Maths and English".

What stays the same

Recruiters in both countries want the same core content:

reverse-chronological experience;
bullet points that start with an action verb and show a result with a number;
a skills section using the words the job advert uses.

Most large employers in both countries run applications through an applicant tracking system (ATS). So the same formatting rules apply: one column, standard headings, real text, and no tables or text boxes. Our guide to an ATS-friendly CV format covers these in detail.

Switching a CV to a US résumé (or back)

Change the paper size to US Letter (or A4 for the UK) before you export the PDF.
Remove the photo and personal details listed above.
Cut to one page for the US if you have under about 10 years' experience: keep your most recent and relevant roles in detail.
Change the spelling throughout, including skills such as "optimization" vs "optimisation".
Rename sections: "Personal statement" to "Summary"; add your degree classification or GPA as appropriate.
Check the dates and phone number formats.

In the CV builder, steps 1 and 2 happen when you switch between "US résumé" and "UK CV" on the Design tab, and the ATS check flags anything left over: a photo, a date of birth, or a US résumé that's still two pages long. The AI helpers write summaries and bullet points in the spelling of the country you picked. Start a US résumé or a UK CV.