Resume vs CV: the difference in the US, UK, Europe and beyond

“Resume” and “CV” sometimes mean the same thing and sometimes mean two very different documents. Which one you need depends on where you are applying and, in North America, on whether the job is academic.

The short answer

• United States and Canada: a resume is the normal job application document, usually one or two pages. A CV is a longer academic record used for research, teaching and some medical and scientific roles.
• United Kingdom and Ireland: CV is the everyday word for the job application document, usually up to two pages. “Resume” is rarely used.
• Continental Europe: CV is the usual word, with local conventions about length, photos and personal details.
• Australia and New Zealand: both words are used. Many people treat them as the same document.

Outside North American academia, a CV and a resume are the same kind of document: a summary of your experience, education and skills, written for a particular job. When a US ad says “resume/CV”, it means the same thing; send your resume.

The two documents compared

	Resume (US/Canada)	Academic CV	UK/European CV
Purpose	Applying for most jobs	Academic, research and some medical or scientific roles	Applying for most jobs
Typical length	One page early on, two for longer careers	As long as the record requires; several pages is normal	Usually up to two pages
Tailored to each job	Yes	Partly (order and emphasis)	Yes
Publications, grants, conferences	Rarely	Central	Only if relevant
Photo	No	No (US)	Depends on the country
Personal details (date of birth, nationality)	No	No	Sometimes, depending on the country

United States and Canada

The resume

The resume is a selective, tailored summary. You choose what to include for each job and leave out what does not help. Recruiters expect:

• One page for early-career candidates, two pages for longer careers.
• No photo, no date of birth, no marital status. Employers avoid these details to stay clear of discrimination claims.
• Reverse-chronological order with results in bullet points.

Our guide on how long a resume should be covers length in detail, and resume photos by country covers the photo question.

The academic CV

In the US and Canada, “CV” (curriculum vitae, Latin for “course of life”) usually means a full academic record. It is used for faculty positions, postdocs, research grants, fellowships and graduate school applications, and in some scientific and medical settings.

An academic CV is not trimmed to fit a page count. It typically includes:

1. Contact details
2. Education, including dissertation title and advisor
3. Academic appointments
4. Publications, split into peer-reviewed articles, books, chapters and other work
5. Conference presentations and invited talks
6. Grants, fellowships and awards
7. Teaching experience
8. Research experience
9. Service: committees, peer review, editorial roles
10. Professional memberships, languages, skills
11. References, often listed in full

Each section is in reverse-chronological order, and the CV grows over a whole career. Within publications, use the citation style of your field and keep it the same throughout.

When a US job ad says “CV”

This happens a lot, especially at international companies or in ads written by people outside the US. Look at the role:

• Academic, research or clinical-science role: send an academic CV.
• Any other job: send a resume. The ad almost certainly means “resume”, and a ten-page academic record would not help.

If you are unsure, the employer’s other ads or the application form usually make it clear. A form that asks for a “CV” next to fields for publications is asking for the academic version.

United Kingdom and Ireland

In the UK and Ireland, the document you send for an ordinary job is called a CV. It works much like a US resume, with a few differences:

• Length: two pages is common and accepted for experienced candidates; one page is fine early in a career.
• No photo, no date of birth. UK and Irish employers do not expect them, and age and other personal details are commonly left off.
• A personal statement or profile at the top is common.
• References: “References available on request” used to be standard. Many people now leave the line out, since employers ask for references when they need them. See references on a resume.
• Spelling and vocabulary: British English, so “organised”, “CV”, “programme”, and grades such as “2:1” or “First” for degrees.

UK academic CVs follow the same pattern as academic CVs elsewhere: long and complete.

Continental Europe

Across Europe the document is called a CV, but the conventions differ by country.

Germany, Austria and Switzerland

A German Lebenslauf is usually one or two pages, in reverse-chronological order, with clear dates. A professional photo is still common, though not required; many international companies and tech employers do not expect one. Personal details such as date of birth and nationality appear more often than in the UK. Applications often include a cover letter and, for some roles, copies of references and certificates. Our German CV guide covers the format section by section.

France, Spain, Italy and Portugal

Photos are common, especially at smaller companies. One page is the norm for early-career candidates in France. Personal details vary by country and employer; follow the job ad.

The Netherlands, Belgium and the Nordic countries

Conventions are closer to the UK: concise, results-focused, with a photo optional. International companies in these countries usually expect English-language CVs in a style close to a UK CV.

Europass

Europass is a set of free online tools from the European Commission, including a CV editor. According to the Europass website, you can create, store and share CVs in 31 languages. Some EU programmes, institutions and public bodies ask for the Europass format. Private employers usually accept any clear CV, and many prefer a shorter, tailored one. If an ad asks for Europass, use it; otherwise you can choose.

Australia and New Zealand

Both words are used, often interchangeably. An application document is typically two to three pages, a little longer than a US resume, and photos and personal details such as date of birth are not expected. Some people use “resume” for a shorter version and “CV” for a fuller one, but there is no strict rule. Follow the wording and any length guidance in the ad.

Other regions

Practices vary widely across the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. In some places a photo and personal details are expected; in others, multinational employers follow US or UK conventions. Look at the language of the job ad, the employer’s own careers pages and any application form. When an international company writes its ad in English, a UK-style CV is usually a safe choice.

Turning one into the other

Between a US resume and a UK CV

The content stays the same. These are the edits that make the document look local:

Detail	US resume	UK CV
Spelling	organized, program, analyze	organised, programme, analyse
Paper size	Letter	A4
Profile at the top	“Summary”	“Personal statement” or “Profile”
Degree result	GPA 3.7/4.0, if strong	Upper second-class honours (2:1)
File name	First-Last-Resume.pdf	First-Last-CV.pdf

A GPA means little to a UK reader without the scale, so write it out as “3.7/4.0” or leave it off. A UK degree classification can confuse a US reader; “Upper second-class honours (2:1)” is clear enough, and our guide to education on a resume shows more grade formats.

From resume to academic CV

• Add full sections for publications, presentations, grants, teaching and service.
• Do not cut older academic work to save space.
• Keep the same reverse-chronological order in every section.
• Remove marketing-style results that do not fit an academic reader.

From academic CV to resume

This is the harder direction, common for researchers moving into industry.

• Cut it to one or two pages. Choose the few research projects that show skills the job needs.
• Replace publication lists with results. One line such as “Published four peer-reviewed papers on battery materials” can stand in for a page of citations.
• Translate the work. “Designed and ran experiments” becomes “Planned and ran a two-year testing programme with a budget of €200k”, if that is what it was.
• Lead with skills an employer can use: data analysis, programming languages, lab techniques, project management, writing.

Here is one postdoc entry before and after (fictional):

Academic CV: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Chemistry, 2023–present. Project: degradation mechanisms in solid-state electrolytes. Supervisor: Prof. A. Example.

Resume: Postdoctoral Researcher, battery materials · 2023–present

• Ran a two-year test programme on 40 electrolyte samples, using Python to automate data analysis and cut processing time per batch from a day to an hour
• Managed lab equipment and a consumables budget for a group of six
• Wrote three peer-reviewed papers and presented results to an industry partner every quarter

Our guide on listing education on a resume covers how to present a PhD or master’s degree for non-academic roles.

Quick checklist

• Checked which country's conventions apply to this job
• US/Canada non-academic job: a tailored resume, one or two pages, no photo
• Academic, research or clinical-science role: a full academic CV
• UK/Ireland: a CV of up to two pages, no photo or date of birth
• Continental Europe: photo and personal details only where they are the norm or requested
• Europass only when the ad or programme asks for it, or you prefer it
• Spelling consistent with the target country (US or British English)

FAQ

Is a CV longer than a resume?

An academic CV is. A UK or European CV for an ordinary job is usually about the same length as a resume, with two pages accepted more readily.

Can I use the same document for the US and the UK?

Mostly, yes. Adjust the spelling, check that there is no photo or date of birth, and change the file name from “Resume” to “CV” or the other way round. Two pages are generally fine in the UK for experienced candidates; in the US, keep it as short as your experience allows.

What should I call the file?

Use the word the employer uses, with your name: First-Last-CV.pdf or First-Last-Resume.pdf.

Does the template change between a resume and a CV?

Not necessarily. The same clean template works for both. For a long academic CV, choose a simple one-column layout such as Linden or Oxford, which keeps many sections easy to follow. Every AlderCV template is free to try in the template gallery.