Applying for a job in the US: the American resume

In the US the document is the resume; “CV” is used mostly in academia and research. The main reasons the American resume is so lean come from anti-discrimination rules.

• Length: one to two pages. CareerOneStop, the US Department of Labor's job-search site, says two pages only if your experience requires it, and suggests including only the jobs that add the most value, usually from the past 12 to 15 years.
• Photo: don't include it. The EEOC advises employers not to request photographs; one can be taken after an offer is made and accepted, if needed for identification.
• Age and personal data: leave out age, date of birth, marital status and nationality. The EEOC states that information on race, sex, national origin, age and religion is irrelevant to qualifying for a job.
• Order: reverse chronological, with measurable results.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says pre-employment questions should be limited to what is essential to determine if a person is qualified for the job, and that questions about protected traits can be used as evidence of an intent to discriminate unless they have a business purpose. Employers are explicitly prohibited from asking about disability before an offer.

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects applicants and employees aged 40 and over from age discrimination. That is why a US resume doesn't show a date of birth, and why the photo is left out.

1. 1Header: name, city and state (a full street address isn't needed), phone, email, LinkedIn.
2. 2Summary (optional): two or three lines with your professional profile, written for the job.
3. 3Experience: reverse chronological, with employer, title, location and dates, and bullets that start with a verb and show results.
4. 4Education: degree, school and graduation year if you want.
5. 5Skills: tools, software, certifications and languages.

Many US employers use applicant tracking systems. Keep the layout plain, with standard section titles and no tables or graphics, and use the same keywords as the job posting. A clean single-column resume is the safest choice.

Coming from Spain, Germany or Italy, the three biggest changes are no photo, no date of birth or marital status, and a shorter, results-driven text without a privacy sentence or a list of certificates. In Germany a Lebenslauf traditionally includes date and place of birth; a US resume must not.

The skeleton of a US resume:

• Alex Carter · Chicago, IL · phone · email · LinkedIn.
• Summary (optional): two lines.
• Experience: title, employer, city and dates; bullets that start with a verb and give a number.
• Education: degree and school.
• Skills: tools, certifications, languages.

• Resume: the standard document. CV: used in academia and research.
• Cover letter: sent with the resume, tailored to the job.
• ATS: applicant tracking system. EEOC: the federal agency that enforces job discrimination laws.
• ADEA: the law that protects workers aged 40 and over from age discrimination.

Do I put a photo? No. The EEOC says employers shouldn't request photographs; one may be taken after an offer is made and accepted, for identification.

How many pages? One or two. CareerOneStop says use two only if your experience requires it.

How far back should I go? CareerOneStop suggests only the jobs that add the most value, from the past 12 to 15 years.

Can an employer ask about my age? Questions about age, national origin or religion are irrelevant to whether you are qualified, says the EEOC, and they can be used as evidence of discrimination unless justified by a business purpose.

• A photo, age, marital status or nationality.
• More than two pages, or fifteen years of old jobs that add nothing.
• Duties instead of results.
• Tables, columns and graphics that software can't read.
• Sending the same resume to every posting.

• One page if you can, two if your experience requires.
• No photo, age or personal details.
• Bullets with verbs and numbers.
• Plain layout and the keywords of the posting.
• Last 12 to 15 years of experience.