A US resume that reads like evidence, not a job description
American hiring is fast, keyword-driven and legally cautious. The format rules exist to protect employers from discrimination claims — which is why photos, dates of birth and salary history are actively unwelcome. Our builder applies the conventions for you, and the checker tells you whether a parser can actually read the result.
Page format
US employers expect Letter-sized paper. If a recruiter prints your PDF onto Letter stock, an A4 page gets scaled with white bars at the edges or clipped margins.
- Letter · 8.5 × 11 in (216 × 279 mm)
- One page if under ~10 years
- Text-based PDF export
- US or UK spelling, your choice
American resume conventions
These are conventions, not laws — but breaking them makes an application look careless to a local reader.
No photo, no personal details
Date of birth, marital status, nationality, religion and photographs should all stay off a US resume. They are not expected and they create legal risk for the employer.
City and state only
A full street address is unnecessary and a privacy risk. "Austin, TX" is the conventional level of detail.
One page, or two if you must
Under about ten years of experience, one page. Senior contributors and managers can justify two. Three pages is almost always a sign that trimming was avoided.
Quantify outcomes
US reviewers scan for impact. Time saved, revenue protected, volume handled, error rate reduced — any concrete number beats an adjective.
Mirror the requirements section
Recruiters search a database rather than reading every file. If the advert says "stakeholder management" and your resume says "worked with teams", you may never appear in the search.
No references line
"References available on request" is assumed and wastes a line. Referee details are only exchanged at final stage.
Section order the US market expects
The builder defaults to this order and lets you rearrange it by dragging.
- 1
Header
Name, target-relevant headline, email, phone, city and state, LinkedIn.
- 2
Professional summary
Two to four lines. No first-person pronouns, no unearned adjectives.
- 3
Experience
Reverse chronological, three to six achievement bullets for recent roles.
- 4
Skills
A plain list of tools and competencies, grouped if you have many.
- 5
Education
Degree, institution, year. Drop the GPA after a couple of years.
- 6
Projects & certifications
Optional, but powerful early in a career or when changing fields.
Frequent mistakes
Each of these costs a real application its first read.
- Exporting an A4 document for a US employer, so the printed version is scaled or clipped.
- Using a two-column layout that a parser reads straight across, mixing your job titles with your skills list.
- Putting contact details inside a Word header or footer, where many parsers never look.
- Writing "Responsible for weekly reporting" instead of what changed because you did it.
- Leaving roles undated, so the parser cannot order your history at all.
Everything is US-configured in two clicks
Switch the market toggle in the builder and the page size, section labels and conventions update instantly — your content stays exactly where you wrote it. The exporter generates a genuine Letter PDF with selectable text.