What a CV should look like where you are applying
The word means different things in different places, and so does the document. The structure barely moves — summary, experience, education, skills — but length and personal details do, and getting those wrong is what marks an application as imported from somewhere else.
| Where you are applying | What it is called | Length | Personal details | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom & Ireland | CV | 2 pages | No photo, no date of birth | Open with a short personal statement |
| India | CV or resume | 1–2 pages | Photo optional, usually omitted | Show CGPA or percentage while early-career |
| Germany, Austria, Switzerland | Lebenslauf | 1–2 pages | Photo and date of birth are normal | Pick a template with a photo slot |
| Singapore & the Gulf | CV | 1–2 pages | Nationality or visa status often asked | Put work-pass status in the summary |
| Australia & New Zealand | CV or resume | 2–3 pages | No photo, no date of birth | Longer is accepted; referees often listed |
| South Africa | CV | 2–3 pages | Photo and ID details still common | Languages are worth their own section |
| United States & Canada | Resume (CV means academic) | 1–2 pages | No photo, no date of birth | Send a CV only for research or faculty roles |
Everything in that table is a setting, not a rewrite: switch template to add or drop the photo, and the same profile renders at either length. The full explanation of why the word splits in two is in CV vs resume: the difference, and which to send, and you can see finished documents in both conventions in our examples by job role and fresher examples.
Applying in more than one country?
Keep one profile and make a variant per market — a two-page UK version and a one-page Singapore version stay in sync, because the content lives in your profile rather than in the file. Start free.