What Differs by Market: US, UK, Europe and Asia

CV advice is written as though there were one convention. There is not, and applying one market's norms in another produces documents that read as odd at best and as a problem at worst. For a practical calculation of annual full-time work hours, see the website.

Conventions vary within regions as well as between them, they change, and individual employers differ. Where it matters, look at what people in your target market and industry actually submit, and check current guidance for that country. For an independent public reference, consult Harvard career services resume guidance.

The word itself

"Resume" in the United States and Canada — typically a shorter, targeted document.

"CV" in the United Kingdom, Ireland, most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and much of Asia — the standard application document.

"CV" in the United States means something different: a long academic document listing publications, grants, teaching and conference presentations, used in academia and some scientific and medical fields.

Use the word the posting uses.

Photographs

Common: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, much of continental Europe, parts of Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Latin America.

Avoided: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Ireland. In these markets a photograph raises discrimination concerns and some employers will not accept a document containing one.

Where it is expected, a professional photograph is standard. Where it is not, including one marks you as unfamiliar with the market.

Personal details

Date of birth, marital status, nationality and family details are conventional in some markets and inappropriate in others.

Avoid in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland. Asking about several of these is restricted, and volunteering them invites screening you cannot see.

Sometimes expected in parts of continental Europe, the Middle East and Asia, though the trend across many of these markets has been away from it.

Identification numbers are never appropriate at application stage anywhere. See your data in job applications.

Length

United States: one page is the strong convention for most roles, extending to two with substantial experience. Academic and federal applications are exceptions and can be much longer.

United Kingdom: two pages is standard and expected. A one-page CV can read as thin.

Continental Europe: one to two pages typically, with variation.

Australia and New Zealand: two to three pages is accepted.

Asia: varies widely by country and sector.

Academic CVs anywhere: as long as the record requires.

See one page, two pages, or as long as it takes.

Structure and content

References. In the UK, "references available on request" or omitted entirely. In the US, omitted. In some markets, named referees are expected on the document. Do not list contact details without asking the person.

A personal statement or profile. Standard in the UK and Ireland. Less common in the US, where a summary section serves a similar purpose. See the summary at the top.

Hobbies and interests. Conventional in the UK and parts of Europe, particularly early in a career. Rare in the US.

Grades and marks. Expected in some markets and in graduate recruitment; frequently omitted after a few years of experience.

Cover letters. Weighted differently — in some markets a supporting statement is formally scored, in others it is rarely read. See cover letters.

Language and spelling

Match the market. British and American spelling differ visibly and mixing them reads as carelessness.

Match the vocabulary. "Whilst", "CV", "postcode", "mobile" against "while", "resume", "zip code", "cell". Small, and noticed.

Date format. Day-month-year in most of the world, month-day-year in the US. Writing the month as a word removes the ambiguity entirely and is worth doing for any international application.

Currency and figures, where you quote them — state the currency.

Qualifications across borders

Translate the level, not the name. A qualification that means nothing in the target market should be accompanied by its equivalent: "Higher National Diploma (equivalent to a bachelor's degree)".

Do not claim an equivalence you have not checked. Formal recognition bodies exist in most countries and their assessment is what an employer will rely on.

Name the institution and the country, since a university that is well known at home may not be recognised abroad.

And list professional registrations with the jurisdiction, because they frequently do not transfer.

Applying internationally

Right to work is the binary question. State your status plainly if you have it — "EU citizen with the right to work in Ireland" removes a doubt that would otherwise stop the application. If you need sponsorship, answer the screening question honestly. See screening questions.

Address the location question. An application from another country to a non-remote role raises an obvious question, and answering it briefly in the cover letter is worth more than any amount of tailoring.

Expect the qualification and experience translation to be your job, not the reader's.

The short version

"CV" means a different document in the US than elsewhere. Use the posting's word.

Photographs and personal details: expected in parts of Europe and Asia, avoided in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland.

Length: one page in the US, two in the UK, varying elsewhere.

Match spelling, vocabulary and date format to the market, and write months as words for anything international.

And translate qualifications to a local equivalent — that is your job, not the reader's.