The short answer: in the United States and Canada, a resume is the one- to two-page document you send for a job, and a CV is a long academic record for research, university and medical posts. Almost everywhere else (the UK, Ireland, Europe, the Gulf, New Zealand and much of Asia) "CV" is simply the everyday word for that one- to two-page job-application document. Australia uses both words for the same thing.
The quick table
| Country | Usual name | Typical length | Photo? |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Resume | 1–2 pages | No |
| Canada | Resume | 1–2 pages | No |
| United Kingdom | CV | 2 pages | No |
| Ireland | CV | 2 pages | No |
| Australia | Resume or CV | 2–3 pages | No |
| New Zealand | CV | 2–3 pages | No |
| UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar | CV | 2 pages (3 senior) | Common |
| Germany | Lebenslauf | 1–2 pages | Optional |
When you really do need a long CV
Academic, research, scientific and some medical roles use a full curriculum vitae in every country. It lists publications, grants, conference presentations, teaching and professional service, and it can run to many pages. If you're applying for a lectureship or a research post, ask whether the institution wants this format.
What stays the same everywhere
- Reverse-chronological order: most recent role first.
- Results over duties. A number beats an adjective in every language.
- A clean layout that applicant tracking systems can read.
- One target per document. A CV aimed at everything persuades no one.
Applying in two markets?
Keep a master document with everything, then cut a version per country: change the length, personal details, spelling and even the word in the file name ("Jane-Smith-CV.pdf" for London, "Jane-Smith-Resume.pdf" for Toronto). Every PenworthCV package includes a back-up CV, which many clients use for exactly this.
