CV or resume? Send the wrong version abroad and you could lose the shortlist

Search a job ad in Toronto and it asks for a resume. Open one in London and it asks for a CV. Send the wrong kind of document, a five-page life history or a photo and date of birth where they are left out, and you could lose the shortlist before anyone reads your experience.

This guide explains the real difference between a CV and a resume, what employers call it in each country you are likely to apply to, and what that means for length, photo and personal details.

CV vs resume: the short answer

For most job seekers, a CV and a resume are the same thing: a short document that sells your work history, skills and qualifications for one job. The word changes with the country more than the document does.

• CV (from the Latin curriculum vitae, "the course of your life") is the usual word in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland, most of Europe, the Gulf and much of Asia and Africa.
• Resume (sometimes written résumé) is the usual word in Canada and the United States, and common in Australia.

There is one real exception. In academic, research and some medical jobs, especially in North America, a CV means a long, complete record: every publication, conference talk, grant and teaching post. That kind of CV can run to many pages. If you are applying for a trade, care, hospitality, driving, engineering or office job, you are not writing that document. You are writing a two-page job application, whatever the ad calls it.

What employers call it in each country

The table below shows the word employers usually use and the length and photo habits that go with it. These are common practice, not laws. The job ad and the employer's own form always come first.

Notice the pattern. The name changes from country to country, but the length barely does. Almost every country on this list expects about two pages from a skilled worker. What really changes is the personal information around your experience: photo, age, nationality and family details.

Resume or CV in Australia?

Australian employers and job ads mostly say "resume", but nobody will reject you for writing "CV" at the top, and many recruiters use both words. What matters more is the shape of the document.

What Australian employers expect

• About two pages, most recent job first.
• Usually no photo, and no date of birth, gender, marital status, religion or family details.
• One short, true line about your work rights.
• Your skills assessment, licences and tickets (for example a White Card, with expiry dates) and any English test result, where they apply to the job.
• Referees who supervised you, or a note that they are available.

Our CV guide for Australia walks through each of these sections. If your current document runs much longer, read how to cut a long resume down to two pages without losing your strongest work.

Canada: a resume, and the personal details stay out

Canadian employers almost always say resume. They expect no more than two pages and no photo. Leave out your age, marital status, religion, political views and your Social Insurance Number. Instead, show whether you can work in Canada (for example your work permit status), any trade certificate or Red Seal, licence or registration status for regulated jobs, achievements rather than only duties, and the languages you speak.

Newcomers often send the long, detailed CV they used at home, with a photo and a date of birth at the top. Rewriting it as a Canadian resume is mostly about cutting, not adding. Our guide to the Canadian resume format shows the layout, and if you are worried about having no local work history, see how to write a resume with no Canadian experience.

The UK and New Zealand: a CV, kept short

In the United Kingdom the word is always CV. That does not mean a long document: two A4 pages is the usual limit. Leave out your age, date of birth, marital status and nationality, and do not add a photo unless you work in acting or modelling. Start with a short personal statement under your name, add one factual line about your right to work, and list professional registration (for example with the NMC or HCPC) if your job needs it.

New Zealand also says CV, though some employers use resume. Again, about two pages, usually no photo, a short line about your right to work, any New Zealand registration or licence, and referees or "Referees available on request".

The Gulf and Germany: the same word, different personal details

In the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, CV is the usual word and résumé is understood. This is where many of the habits above flip. A professional photo is commonly included in the UAE, though it is optional. Nationality often helps employers who hire from abroad, and some employers ask for date of birth or marital status. All of these are optional: include only what you are comfortable with. Add your notice period or earliest start date, health licence or exam status if you work in health, and your qualifications exactly as they appear on your attested certificates. Before you add personal details, read which personal details belong on a UAE CV.

In Germany the document is a Lebenslauf: a CV of at most two A4 pages, laid out as a table with dates on the left. A photo is no longer required but is still usual in many sectors. Show your German level (A1 to C2) and whether your qualification has been recognised.

How to turn one CV into the right version for each country

If you apply in more than one country, do not keep one master document and send it everywhere. Build one full version, then make a short copy for each country.

1. Check the ad first. If the ad or the online form asks for a resume, call your file a resume. If it asks for a CV, call it a CV. Use the employer's word in your cover letter too.
2. Cut to the country's length. For most skilled jobs that means two pages. Keep the last 10 years in detail and shorten older jobs to one line each.
3. Remove or add the photo. Take it off for Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK. Keep a professional one for the Gulf if you want to, never a selfie.
4. Fix the personal details. Leave out date of birth, marital status and religion for Australia, Canada, the UK and New Zealand. For the Gulf, decide what you are comfortable sharing.
5. Add the local proof. Work rights in one line, the skills assessment, licence or registration that country asks for, and your English or German test result.
6. Use the local spelling. "Licence" and "organise" for the UK, Australia and New Zealand; Canada mixes both, so follow the ad.
7. Name the file clearly. For example Ravi-Perera-Resume-Electrician.pdf for Canada and Ravi-Perera-CV-Electrician.pdf for the UK.

Example: one welder, three countries

Example: Joseph, a fictional welder with 12 years of experience, applies to employers in Canada, the UK and the UAE in the same month. His Canadian resume has no photo, a line saying he holds an open work permit, his trade certificate near the top and two pages in total. His UK CV has a three-line personal statement, his right-to-work line and the same two pages. His UAE CV adds a professional photo, his nationality, his notice period and his qualifications written exactly as on the attested certificate. The experience in all three is identical. Only the frame around it changes.

A quicker way to see the differences

Build AI CV has six country CV guides and a country check that compares what a CV usually looks like in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Germany. Each guide suggests a template that fits the country, and every guide is general CV advice, not immigration advice. You can open the country check on the CV guides page.

When you need several versions, Build AI CV lets you switch between its 10 templates at any time without retyping, so you can move from the Classic layout with a photo to the one-column ATS Plain layout with none. Classic and ATS Plain are free to build and download as PDFs. If you plan to record a short introduction for employers abroad, SelfIntroVideo helps you prepare one, and you can add the link to your CV.

Ready to make your first country version? Build your CV free and save a copy for each country you apply to.

Quick checklist before you send

• The file is called what the ad calls it: CV or resume
• Two pages or less for a skilled job, unless the employer asks for more
• Photo only where it is expected or optional, never a selfie
• Personal details match the country's habits
• One true line about your work rights
• Licences, registration and test scores the country cares about, with dates
• Local spelling, and the file saved as a PDF with your name in the file name

Frequently asked questions

Is a CV longer than a resume?

Only for academic and research jobs, where a CV can list every publication and grant. For skilled, trade and office jobs, a CV and a resume are both about two pages.

Should I call it a resume or a CV in Australia?

Australian job ads mostly say resume, and CV is understood too. Use the word in the ad, and focus on the length, work rights line and licences instead.

Can I send a CV when a Canadian job asks for a resume?

Yes, if it follows the Canadian format: no more than two pages, no photo and no personal details such as age or marital status. Call the file a resume so it matches the ad.

Do I need a different document for every country?

You need a different version, not a different life story. Keep the same experience and change the length, photo, personal details and local proof for each country.