In the United States, the document you send for most jobs is a resume, not a CV. American resumes are short, highly targeted and focused on measurable results. Personal information that is normal in some countries is deliberately left out.
US resume at a glance
| Element | US expectation |
|---|---|
| Name | Resume (academic roles use a CV) |
| Length | One page for most early-career candidates; two pages for experienced professionals |
| Paper size | US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) |
| Photo, age, marital status, religion | Never included |
| Summary | Short summary or headline at the top |
| References | Not included |
| Spelling | American English (organize, program, color) |
US anti-discrimination laws mean many employers avoid resumes containing photos or personal data. Including them can make your resume look unfamiliar.
Recommended structure
- 1Header: name, city and state, phone, email, LinkedIn.
- 2Summary or headline (2–3 lines).
- 3Experience: company, title, location, dates and 3–5 quantified bullets per role.
- 4Education: degree, school, graduation year (GPA if recent and 3.0+).
- 5Skills: technical skills, tools, certifications.
Example US resume structure
MARIA LOPEZ
Austin, TX · (512) 555-0142 · maria.lopez@email.com · linkedin.com/in/marialopez
SUMMARY
Customer success manager with 4 years of SaaS experience. Grew net revenue retention to 112% across a $3.2M book of business.
EXPERIENCE
Customer Success Manager — Brightline Software, Austin, TX | 2022 – Present
• Manage 45 mid-market accounts worth $3.2M ARR; renewal rate 94%
• Launched quarterly business reviews that increased expansion revenue by 27%
EDUCATION
B.B.A., Marketing — The University of Texas at Austin | 2021
SKILLS
Salesforce, Gainsight, HubSpot, SQL (basic), Spanish (fluent)
Put this into practice
Build an ATS-friendly CV with live preview and free PDF download.
What to leave off a US resume
- Photo, date of birth, age, gender, marital status, religion or nationality.
- Social Security number or any government ID.
- Full street address — city and state are enough.
- "References available upon request".
- Salary history (several US states and cities restrict employers from asking for it).
- Jobs from more than 10–15 years ago unless they are highly relevant.
Federal resumes are different
Applications for US federal government jobs through USAJOBS follow different rules from private-sector resumes. Federal resumes are usually longer and more detailed, and they need specific information for each role, such as start and end dates and hours worked per week. Read each announcement carefully and follow its resume requirements exactly — a missing detail can make you ineligible.
US resume tips
- Quantify everything — US recruiters expect numbers.
- Use strong, confident action verbs. See our action verbs list.
- Tailor every resume to the job description to perform well in ATS searches.
- Use a clean, single-column layout and save as PDF. See our ATS guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is a one-page resume mandatory in the US?+
Not mandatory, but expected for students, graduates and candidates with under about seven years of experience.
Should I list my full address?+
No. City and state are enough.
Do US employers want a cover letter?+
Many do, especially smaller companies. Write a brief, tailored letter when the application allows it.
Should a US resume include an objective?+
A short summary is more common than an objective for experienced candidates. Students and career changers can use a brief, specific objective.
Is it okay to use a two-column resume in the US?+
Many applicants do, but a single-column layout is safer for applicant tracking systems, which are very widely used by US employers.
BuildCVFast Editorial Team
This guide is written and reviewed by the BuildCVFast editorial team using current hiring practices, published employer guidance and official government sources where relevant. We update our guides regularly. Read our editorial policy or send us a correction.