Country guides / United Kingdom vs United States
UK CV vs US Resume: 7 Key Differences (2026)
What is the difference between a UK CV and a US resume?
A UK CV and a US resume are not interchangeable. A UK CV runs up to 2 pages in British English with a personal profile; a US resume is 1 page in American English, strictly stripped of personal details. Neither includes a photo. Sending the wrong version signals unfamiliarity with the market.
United Kingdom vs United States: side by side
| Rule | United Kingdom (CV) | United States (Resume) |
|---|---|---|
| Name of the document | CV | Resume |
| Length | 2 A4 pages is the standard | 1 page (2 pages fine with 5+ yrs experience) |
| Photo | Not expected; it invites bias questions | Never; most employers reject resumes with photos |
| Personal details | City + postcode only; no DOB, no full address | None. No date of birth, nationality or marital status |
| Dates | Mar 2020 – Present | Mar 2020 – Present |
| Language | British English (organisation, analyse) | US English (color, organization) |
| Opening | Personal statement: 3–4 lines, who you are + what you offer | Same as general practice |
| ATS | Same as general practice | Critical: mirror keywords from the job posting |
The differences that actually get applications rejected
Length. Two A4 pages is the standard in the UK against one page in the US (two is fine with 5+ years of experience). An American one-pager reads as thin to UK recruiters; a two-page UK CV reads as unedited to US ones.
Spelling and phrasing. Organisation, specialised and licence versus organization, specialized and license. Spell-check set to the wrong region is one of the fastest ways to look like an outsider.
Personal details. City and postcode only for the UK, with no date of birth or full address. The US goes further: anything that hints at age, origin or marital status is left off entirely, because employers avoid documents that could expose them to discrimination claims.
Naming. The same document is a CV in London and a resume in New York. Titling your file wrong is a small tell that compounds the others.
Convert between the two in one click
The free GlobeResume builder holds your content once and re-formats it per country: pick United Kingdom for the CV, switch to United States and the same details become a correct Resume. No signup, and everything stays in your browser.
Free, no sign-up. Switch countries any time; your content converts instantly.
United Kingdom vs United States FAQ
- Can I use the same CV for the UK and the US?
- Not safely. Length expectations, spelling, section phrasing and personal-detail norms all differ. Recruiters spot a foreign-format document quickly, so convert the content into the local format before applying.
- Is a CV the same as a resume?
- In the UK the working document is called a CV even for industry jobs. In the US a resume is the short industry document, while a CV means a long academic record. Same content, different names and different lengths.
- Do UK or US employers want a photo?
- Neither. In both markets a photo invites discrimination concerns and many recruiters discard photographed applications to stay compliant.
- How do I convert my CV between UK and US formats?
- Adjust length, swap spelling conventions, rename sections, and strip or add the locally expected personal details. The free GlobeResume builder does this automatically: enter your details once, then switch the country to re-format the same content.