The Do’s and Don’ts of US-style Resumes

For most job applications, submitting your resume is the first step. Having a resume that is optimized for the U.S. job market and for your desired role is crucial to giving you the best chance of receiving an interview. But immigrant professionals navigating the U.S. workforce for the first time often find that there are many differences between an international CV (Curriculum Vitae) and a U.S. resume. 

That’s why we’ve created this list of dos and don’ts to assist you in creating a U.S.-style resume that will lead to interviews.

DO:

✔ Format your resume appropriately 

When it comes to formatting your resume, you want to make sure it looks clean, simple, and easy to read. For example:

• Use professional, simple fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.
• The font size should be between 10 and 12 pt. 
• Set the margins of your resume between 0.5 and 1 inch on every side. 
• Use black text, very sparingly use color, and break your sentences down into bullet points to draw attention to your impact. 
• Always include a “Skills” section on your resume and use keywords from the job description. This section should list your computer, language, and soft skills.

✔ Include your contact information

While personal details are unnecessary, there are some details that are an absolute must. Be sure to include your name, phone number, professional email address, LinkedIn link, and your city and state.

✔ Order experience chronologically 

When listing your experience, place your most recent experience first. Also, make sure to keep the length of your resume short (1–2 pages).

✔ Showcase results

Employers want to know the impact you had in your previous jobs. Highlight your accomplishments using numbers where you can to show measurable results. Most U.S. employers also expect you to use bullet points and begin each statement with action verbs, such as “increased” or “managed.” 

Example: Increased social media engagement by 150%.

✔ List your education

List your degrees, certifications, universities, and graduation years. However, if you have earned multiple degrees or certifications, only list the educational experience that is relevant to the position and list them in chronological order.

✔ Include volunteer activities/internships

If you have limited U.S. professional experience, you can add volunteer activities, organizational associations, and internships relevant to the position to supplement your experience. 

✔ Specify your visa status

Listing that you are legally permitted to work or take an internship without sponsorship allows U.S. employers to know you are eligible to be hired, especially when your experience and education are primarily international.

DON’T:

✖ Submit a generic resume

One resume does not fit all. Customize your resume to fit each position you’re applying for. Use keywords that can be spotted by applicant tracking systems (ATS).

Hint: These are often the same keywords you’ll find in the job description for your role.

✖ Include your personal Information

A U.S. resume mainly focuses on brevity, which means that you should refrain from listing personal details like your age and marital status and including photos.

✖ Insert graphics

Graphics look good, but avoid adding lots of them or using templates that are overly complicated because they may not be easily read by applicant tracking systems (ATS). 

✖ Use generic summaries

Terms like “hard-working” or “team player” are considered cliches and should be avoided on your resume. Instead, include a couple of examples that illustrate these qualities, whether you’ve managed a team to execute a complicated task or completed an important project ahead of schedule. Whenever possible: show, don’t tell.

✖ Add your hobbies

The activities you do in your spare time are not considered relevant to your job application. Again, brevity is the name of the game.