US resume format guide

Lead with relevance

The US resume is direct: the top third sells the match or the reader moves on. Contact line, an optional summary written for the specific job, then reverse-chronological experience where each role leads with its most relevant accomplishments.

Letter-size pages, selectable text, standard headings. One page is common through early career; two pages are normal and accepted once your relevant experience genuinely fills them.

Accomplishments over duties

American resume culture prizes outcomes. 'Responsible for monthly reporting' describes the chair; 'Automated monthly reporting, cutting preparation from three days to four hours' describes what you did in it. Lead bullets with the result where you honestly can.

Quantify only what you can stand behind in an interview. A plausible-sounding invented percentage is a liability, not a polish; interviewers probe numbers, and the tailored resume that survives is the one whose numbers are real.

What US resumes exclude

US anti-discrimination law shapes the same convention as in Canada: no photo, no birth date, no marital status, no nationality. City and state replace the full street address. Salary history does not belong on a resume, and several states bar employers from asking for it.

• No photograph, age, or personal demographics.
• No Social Security Number on any application document.
• City and state only; no street address.
• No salary history or expectations unless explicitly requested elsewhere.

Treat each role and each job separately

Within the resume, keep each position's employer, title, and dates exact; promotions at one company are clearest as stacked titles under one employer heading.

Across applications, tailor emphasis per posting while the underlying facts stay identical. This is the discipline our packet workflow enforces: one approved record, per-job emphasis, and a factual check that titles, dates, and claims never drift between versions.