CV Tailoring in the UK vs US: What You Need to Know
If you are applying for jobs across both the UK and US markets — or switching from one to the other — you will quickly discover that tailoring your CV is not just about matching keywords. The documents themselves follow different conventions, and getting this wrong signals immediately that you have not done your research.
The Basics: CV vs Resume
In the UK, the document is called a CV. In the US, it is almost always called a resume (unless you are in academia or medicine, where a longer CV format is used). The words are sometimes used interchangeably in casual conversation, but most UK employers expect a CV and most US employers expect a resume.
This distinction matters when you tailor: a US resume is typically one page for early career, two pages maximum for experienced professionals. A UK CV can run to two pages comfortably and three is not unusual for senior roles.
Length Differences
For a UK CV, two pages is the standard. For a US resume, one page is often expected if you have under ten years of experience. If you are sending the same document to both markets, you will need to maintain two versions — a condensed US resume and a fuller UK CV.
Tailoring for length means more than just cutting words. You need to restructure which information gets prominence. US resumes front-load achievements. UK CVs tend to give slightly more weight to a personal profile (summary statement) and education.
Photo and Personal Details
In the UK, including a photo on your CV is not standard and many employers actively discourage it to avoid unconscious bias. In the US, photos are never included on resumes — it is considered unprofessional and creates legal risk for the employer.
UK CVs often include a date of birth historically, though this practice is increasingly avoided. Never include date of birth on a US resume — it is not expected and could lead to your application being ignored to avoid age discrimination claims.
For the UK, including your home city and postcode is fine. For the US, listing city and state is standard; you do not need a full address.
Language and Spelling
Obvious but easy to miss: UK English uses different spelling. Tailor your language accordingly:
- UK: optimise, organisation, colour, centre
- US: optimize, organization, color, center
If you are applying to a US company but the role is UK-based, use UK English. If applying to a US company for a US role, switch to US English.
Achievement Framing
Both markets respond well to achievement-driven bullet points, but US resumes are often more overtly metrics-heavy. UK CVs can be slightly more narrative in the personal profile, though achievements still need to be quantified in the experience section.
How CVCircuit Helps
CVCircuit's tailoring tool works across both formats. Paste the job description — whether from a UK or US employer — and the tool identifies the keywords and phrases that need to appear in your document. You can build your CV once, then tailor it in seconds for each market.
Build your CV free at CVCircuit and keep two versions ready — one for UK applications, one for US.