US resumes are short, keyword-driven and legally cautious about personal data. This page covers the format American employers expect and how to complete the template on this page.
The document is a resume — a "CV" in the US means an academic or research document, so using the wrong word marks an application as unfamiliar with local practice. One page is the rule for candidates with under about ten years of experience; two pages is acceptable for senior roles, and anything longer is rarely read. American English spelling throughout, reverse chronological with month and year.
Personal data is excluded by convention and, in practice, by law-sensitive screening: no photo, no date of birth, no marital status, no Social Security number. Name, city and state, phone, email and LinkedIn are all you need. For international candidates, work authorization belongs in the profile or experience section as a factual line — stating what you currently hold and, where relevant, that a role would need sponsorship — since US employers screen visa eligibility at application stage. A cover letter is often optional but expected for larger employers and more senior roles; references are not listed on the resume itself — keep a separate reference page for when it is requested.
Replace every [bracketed placeholder]: start with the name and contact bar (city and state only), then the summary paragraph, which should name the role and one quantified achievement. Work through the skills column and experience entries, swapping sample bullets for numbers-driven results and mirroring the job description's key terms in the skills section. Fill education and certifications, and keep references off the document. Press Print / Save as PDF, choose "Save as PDF" — the page is pre-set to US Letter — and save as Firstname_Lastname_Resume.pdf. Need to tweak it for a second application? The resume builder lets you edit and re-export the same layout without touching the HTML.
State your current work-authorization factually in the profile or experience section — for example, what you hold today, or that you need H-1B sponsorship. For roles that sponsor, this is a legitimate first-stage question; accuracy matters, because it is verified before any offer.
No — leave it out. Photos are not part of US hiring convention and introduce bias-screening concerns at employers and staffing platforms. The same applies to date of birth, marital status and Social Security number, which should never appear on the document.
One page for most candidates — particularly those with under ten years of experience. Two pages is acceptable for senior roles with substantial relevant history; anything longer is rarely read for non-academic positions.
No. Keep references off the resume and prepare a separate reference page with two or three contacts who have agreed — send it when asked, typically at interview or offer stage.