CourseToJob guide · content date . Tool instructions reflect the CourseToJob service. Editorial method.
Quick answer
Send a UK-style two-page CV for UK, Irish and most European employers. Send a one-page resume for most US private-sector jobs. Do not mix the labels on the same file. Skip this page if you only apply in one country and already match that country’s default.
Other situations: Skip if you are writing an academic curriculum vitae for a research post — that document is allowed to run long and is not a “resume” in the US sense either.
What is the actual difference between a CV and a resume?
In UK usage, CV is the job-application document, usually two pages. In US usage, resume is the short private-sector document, often one page, and CV is the long academic list. The words swapped meaning across the Atlantic. Length and what you omit matter more than the heading.
| UK CV | US resume | |
|---|---|---|
| Default length | Two pages | One page for many early-career roles |
| Photo | No unless asked | No |
| Personal data | No DOB, nationality, marital status | Same — plus no “GCSE” without translation |
| Spelling | organise, programme | organize, program |
| Paper size | A4 | Letter if they will print it |
When should you send a UK CV?
When the employer is in the UK or Ireland, or the advert is written in UK English and asks for a CV. Two pages, A4, no photo. Translate US-only job titles if you trained abroad so a London recruiter can map them.
Public-sector and NHS application requirements vary. Complete the requested form fields and upload a CV only when requested. Mirror facts across both. See how to write a CV.
When should you send a US resume?
When the hiring entity is US-based and the advert says resume. Default to one page unless you are clearly senior and the field uses two. Do not title the file “Curriculum_Vitae.pdf” for a Silicon Valley product role — it signals the wrong document.
This site’s templates are A4 and UK-first. You can still export a tight one-pager with the Compact template for a US internship, then change paper size in the PDF printer if they insist on Letter.
Should you keep one hybrid file for everything?
No. Hybrids pick the worst of both: too long for US screeners, too US-formatted for UK parsers that expect A4 two-pagers. Keep a UK master and a US master. Tailor each. The extra twenty minutes is cheaper than a silent rejection.
If you only have time for one file this week, match the country of the job you want most. Skip the other applications until you have the second file.
How do you convert a UK CV into a US resume without lying?
Cut to one page for most early-career US roles, switch to US spelling, translate UK qualifications, and drop photo, DOB and nationality you should not have included anyway. Keep employer names and dates honest. Do not inflate a “graduate scheme” into a fake title. Keep a second master file rather than editing the UK CV in place every week.
| UK line | US-facing rewrite |
|---|---|
| 2:1 BSc Computer Science, University of Leeds | BSc Computer Science, University of Leeds (UK upper second-class honours, comparable to a strong GPA — do not invent a 4.0) |
| GCSE English and Maths, grades 7–9 | Secondary qualifications including English and Maths (omit the full GCSE dump) |
| Organised a society of 40 | Organized a 40-person student society (spelling + keep the number) |
| A4, two pages | Letter if they print; one page unless you are clearly senior |
This site’s templates are A4 and UK-first. Compact can export a tight one-pager; change paper size in the printer if the US firm insists on Letter. Compact notes.
What about Ireland and the rest of Europe?
Ireland mostly follows UK CV conventions: two pages, “CV”, no photo unless asked. Much of continental Europe still asks for a photo and more personal data — follow that advert, not this default. Do not send a US one-pager to Dublin hoping it looks modern. Do not send a German-style photo CV to a London bank.
If the employer is a US firm hiring into a London entity, match the entity’s market: a UK CV for a UK contract. If the recruiter is in New York and the role is in New York, send a resume. Split files are cheaper than one confused hybrid.
Length detail: how long should a CV be.