Most countries follow the same basic format for resumes but there are always country-specific guidelines that job-seekers must follow. In this article, we’ll guide you through some of the best tips for the US resume.
We are looking at the seven most important sections in the US Resume below.
- US Format Resume
- Personal Details Header
- Resume Profile
- Work Experience
- Education
- Skills
- Additional Sections
(It is important for you to know that if you are applying for a federal job, this guide may not be for you. See our article on How to write a Federal Resume 2024 instead.)
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US Resume Format
The most important aspect of the format of an American resume (curriculum Vitae USA format) is using reverse-chronological order. This means that the most recent experiences are placed above the older ones. For instance, a job that you are currently working is placed above the job that you were doing two years ago.
As a standard practice the US resume is one page long. An experienced professional with more than 15 years of relevant experience might be able to have two pages but it’s best if the resume is only a page. The page should have 1.5 line spacing and a 1-inch margin so that it looks neat and easy to read. Skip using abbreviations and acronyms as they make your resume unreadable and untidy.
Best approaches for US Resume Format
- Use reverse-chronological order.
- Resume should be one page. Can extend to two if an experienced professional.
- Don’t use abbreviations and acronyms.
- 1-inch margin and 1.5 line spacing is the standard US resume format.
Verified US Resume Template/ CV template United States
You can check a CV template United Status below.
Personal Details Header
The beginning of any resume is the personal details header. The US has strict anti-discriminatory laws, which is great, but also means that you need to pick and choose what details to share. The best practice is to have only your name, email address, and telephone number. If you wish to link to a professional website, portfolio or LinkedIn profile, it is best to make sure they are updated.
Including your photo or home address is a big no-no. If you need to include an address, mentioning just the city and state is enough. Other details to exclude are gender, civil status etc. You should also not mention that you are authorized to work in the US by disclosing your social security number or immigration status. Legally, a company can ask for these details after they have made you an offer of employment but not before.
Best Practices for Personal Details Header
- Include your name, telephone number and email address in the personal details.
- Your address should be limited to the city and state.
- A link to an updated professional website, LinkedIn profile and portfolio can be added.
- Photos, gender, civil status, authorization to work etc. should NEVER be added to your header.
Best Format for Personal Details in USA CV Template
Resume Profile
A resume profile is a couple of short sentences that introduce your professional career to a recruiter. If you are a professional, it is essentially a summary of your career so far which is why it is called a resume summary. It is also called a resume objective, if you are beginning your career in the field, it should be a summary of your career objectives and motivation. These sentences don’t have to be complete but using action verbs can help you to grab the recruiter’s attention and pass ATS screening easily.
Verified Tips for Resume Profile
- Have a couple short sentences summarizing your career or introducing your objectives and motivations.
- Use Action verbs to grab recruiter attention and pass ATS screening.
Want to know what action verbs you can use on your resume? Check out our keyword finder.
Best example of a Resume Profile
Check out one of the ideal objective/ profile summary statement for CV for USA jobs below.
Work Experience
In the US, the most important section of a resume is your work experience. Your work experience should only include the experience in the previous 15 years most relevant to the job that you are seeking. You should include your job title, company, dates employed in the mm/yyyy format and a few key responsibilities that you have undertaken in this section.
Avoid negative buzzwords and try to prop up your experience by giving figures that show how you succeeded in your role. For instance, as a chef, if you say, “created a new menu,” that does not give the recruiter any idea of how successful you were but if you say, “designed a menu that increased the number of daily reservations by 15%”, the recruiter has solid data on your success in your role.
Important Points for Work Experience
- Must be the most relevant experience of the past 15 years.
- Include your title, company, dates worked in the mm/yyyy format and key responsibilities.
- Avoid negative buzzwords and use figures and awards to show success in your job roles.
Best Format for Work Experience
Denoted below is a resume USA example on the work history category.
Discover the negative buzzwords in your resume. Try Cresuma’s Buzzword Checker.
Education
So, what do you do if your work experience isn’t the best or you are just beginning your career? You highlight your education. You should mention your highest level of education in this section. If you are a college graduate, it is not required to add your high school. The full name of your degree should be stated, followed by the name of the university and the years attended. Don’t list any courses followed or your GPA, it’s unnecessary.
Best practices for Education
- Insert the full name of your degree, name of the college, and years attended.
- It is not necessary to add your high school qualification, if you have attended college.
- Don’t mention your GPA or any courses attended.
Best Education Profile for US Resume
When it comes to United States CV format, you can use the reverse chronological order where you mention the most recent entries in the top.
Skills
US jobs listings often mention requirements or skills that the recruiter is looking for. If you have any of the skills that they are looking for, great, list them in your resume. Listing a mixture of hard and soft skills on your usajobs federal resume is an ideal way to let a recruiter know what you can bring to the company, that you couldn’t list in your work experience section.
What are hard skills and soft skills, you may ask.
- Hard skills are the technical skills related to your field. For example, a developer would list knowledge of JavaScript as a hard skill.
- A soft skill is general skills such as Teamwork.
Some Tips for Skills Section
- Check what skills you have in relation to the job posting and list them.
- List a mixture of hard and soft skills in your resume.
Perfect Template for Skills
Additional Sections
You may have some additional space on your resume. What do you fill it with? If you have any certifications or licenses related to your field, this is the ideal space for it. Or you speak foreign languages that could be useful for your role. Or you have awards related to your field. This is the space for it. Other additions could be your hobbies or interests, publications or even internships. Just make sure it is relevant to the position you are applying for.
Ideas for additional sections
- Add relevant certifications, awards, foreign languages, publications, internships or hobbies to fill in space on your resume.
Best Format for Additional Sections
Now that you know the format for a US resume, get started on creating your own. If you are afraid that you’ll miss something, try Cresuma’s Resume Builder (USAjobs resume builder). It comes preloaded with demo data that will help you figure out what to add and where.
Here's a fun fact! When you look up for best resume templates either for the USA or for any other country, make sure to write your search engine query correctly, not something like usajobs com resume builder or usajobs federal resume example, so that you can get the best sites popping up ;)
Want to know more about the resume formats for different countries? See our international resume page for more articles. Or try our article on the Best Resume Formats in 2024 to use for any job in the World.
Want more tips on how to create the best resume headline or the best fonts to use in a resume. Check out our career guides.