Résumé vs CV: What's the Difference in the US, UK and Australia?
A résumé and a CV (curriculum vitae) are both documents that summarize your work history, education and skills for a job application. In the United States and Canada, a résumé is a short, tailored summary for most jobs, while a CV is a long, detailed academic or professional record; in the United Kingdom, CV is the everyday word for the short job-application document, and Australians use both terms, often interchangeably.
So the same piece of paper can have different names depending on where you apply, and the same name can mean a different document. This guide explains what each term means in each country, how to spell and pronounce résumé, and what readers in the US, UK and Australia expect to see when you hand one over.
Quick answer: In the US and Canada, use a résumé (one to two pages) for most jobs and a CV (as long as needed) for academic, research and medical roles. In the UK, use a CV for virtually all jobs. In Australia, résumé and CV are largely interchangeable; follow the wording in the job ad.
On this page
What the words mean
Résumé
Résumé comes from French, where it is the past participle of résumer, "to summarize." In English, it means a concise summary of your qualifications, written to win an interview for a specific job. It is a marketing document as much as a record: you choose what to include, cut what is irrelevant, and order the content to highlight your best match for the role.
The word has a second, older meaning in English: any short summary of something. The report opens with a brief résumé of last year's findings. This sense is used in both American and British English, although summary is more common.
CV (curriculum vitae)
Curriculum vitae is Latin for "the course of (one's) life." It is almost always shortened to CV. The plural is traditionally curricula vitae, but in ordinary use people simply say CVs.
In American and Canadian usage, a CV is a comprehensive record, especially for academic and scientific careers. It lists every degree, publication, conference presentation, grant, award, teaching role and professional membership. It grows throughout a career and is not trimmed for each application in the same way a résumé is.
In British usage, a CV is the standard short application document, closer to an American résumé in length and purpose. An academic CV in the UK is longer, but the everyday CV is usually about two pages.
Pronunciation
- Résumé: REZ-oo-may (American English often stresses the first syllable; some speakers say rez-oo-MAY). British speakers who use the word typically say REZ-yoo-may.
- Resume (the verb): rih-ZOOM, meaning "to start again."
- CV: see-VEE, letter by letter.
- Curriculum vitae: kuh-RIK-yuh-lum VEE-tie is common; VY-tee is also heard. Latin pronunciations vary, and none is wrong.
Spelling: résumé, resume or resumé?
English speakers have never fully agreed on how to handle the French accents.
| Spelling | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| résumé | Traditional, widely accepted | Two accents; clearly a noun |
| resume | Very common, accepted | No accents; easy to type but identical to the verb |
| resumé | Accepted variant | One accent; less common |
| résume | Generally avoided | Odd mix; looks like a typing slip |
American dictionaries list all three main forms. Many job boards and companies drop the accents for convenience, while many editors keep them because "Please send your resume" can momentarily look like "please continue." If you are writing a heading or a document title, Résumé looks polished. If you are filling in a web form that strips accents, resume is fine.
In British and Australian writing, the word is less common for job documents, but when it appears it is usually spelled résumé or resume.
US vs UK vs Australia
This is where the confusion lives. The table below shows the usual meaning of each term by country.
| United States | Canada | United Kingdom | Australia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everyday job document | résumé | résumé | CV | résumé or CV (interchangeable) |
| Typical length | 1–2 pages | 1–2 pages | about 2 pages | often 2–3 pages |
| Academic/research document | CV | CV | academic CV | academic CV |
| "References" section | usually omitted or "available on request" | often omitted | "references" or "referees," often "available on request" | "referees," commonly included |
| Photo | not expected | not expected | not expected | not expected |
United States
Americans draw a clear line. A résumé is what you send for most jobs, from retail to software engineering to marketing. Recruiters expect it to be brief, often one page for early-career applicants and two for experienced professionals, with bullet points that show results. A CV is for academic posts, research positions, medical training and some scientific roles, and it can run to many pages.
American applicants usually leave out personal details such as date of birth, marital status, nationality or a photo. US employers are bound by anti-discrimination laws, and many would rather not see information that could suggest bias. References are typically supplied later in the process rather than listed on the résumé.
United Kingdom
In the UK, CV is the normal word for nearly every job application, and most British people rarely use résumé in this sense. A British CV is typically around two pages, starts with contact details and often a short personal profile, then lists work experience and education in reverse chronological order. Many applicants end with "References available on request."
British writers do sometimes encounter résumé when applying to American companies or reading international job ads. If a UK-based ad asks for a résumé, it almost certainly means the same thing as a CV.
Australia
Australian usage sits between the two. Employers and recruiters use résumé and CV largely interchangeably, and you will see both words in job ads, careers advice and university guidance. Australian résumés are often a little longer than American ones, commonly two or three pages for experienced candidates, though advice varies and concise documents are always welcome.
A notable Australian habit is the use of referees (rather than references) for the people who can vouch for you, and many Australian applicants list two referees with their contact details, or note that they are available on request. Some government and university applications in Australia also ask for responses to selection criteria, which are separate from the résumé itself.
Canada and elsewhere
Canada follows American practice: résumé for most jobs, CV for academia and medicine. In much of continental Europe, Asia and the Middle East, CV is the common term, and international organizations often use it as the default. If you are applying internationally, the word in the job ad is your best guide.
Résumé vs CV: the content difference
Whatever you call it, the document you send for a typical job and the document an academic sends differ in structure.
| Feature | Job-application résumé/CV | Academic CV |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Win an interview for one role | Record a full scholarly career |
| Length | Short, tailored | As long as needed |
| Tailored for each job? | Yes | Lightly, if at all |
| Key sections | Profile, experience, skills, education | Education, publications, grants, teaching, conferences, service |
| Tone | Achievement-focused, concise | Factual, comprehensive |
| Order | Most relevant first | Conventional academic order |
For phrasing your achievements, our guide to other ways to say "attention to detail" offers stronger alternatives to an overused résumé cliché.
Word families and related terms
- Cover letter (US, Australia) / covering letter (UK, also cover letter): the letter or email that accompanies your application.
- Résumé gap / career gap: a period without employment.
- Referee (UK, Australia) / reference (US, also UK): a person who can recommend you. In the US, reference means both the person and the recommendation.
- Bio / biography: a short narrative paragraph, often used for speakers or company websites, not a substitute for a résumé.
- LinkedIn profile: widely used in all three countries alongside, not instead of, a résumé or CV.
When you send the document, a clear email matters too. See our guides to email sign-offs beyond "Best regards" and other ways to say "looking forward to hearing from you".
Example sentences
Job seekers and careers
- Maria updated her résumé before applying for the marketing role in Denver.
- Please email your CV and a short covering letter to the HR team in Bristol.
- The careers office in Brisbane offers free résumé reviews every Thursday.
- For the lecturer position, applicants must submit a full CV, including publications.
- Kevin trimmed his résumé to one page after a recruiter in Atlanta suggested it.
- Her CV lists three referees, all from her time at the hospital in Adelaide.
Workplace and email
- Hi Sophie, I've attached my résumé and would welcome the chance to discuss the role.
- Could you forward the candidates' CVs to the panel by Wednesday?
- The job ad asks for a résumé, but a two-page CV will be fine for the Sydney office.
- We received over two hundred CVs for the graduate scheme in Manchester.
- Please ask applicants to remove photos from their résumés before shortlisting.
- Liam's CV is impressive, but his cover letter didn't mention the role at all.
Academic
- Postdoctoral applicants should include a CV listing grants, publications and teaching.
- The tenure committee reviewed her forty-page curriculum vitae.
- Graduate students are encouraged to keep their CVs updated each semester.
- A brief résumé of previous research appears in the introduction.
News-style
- A Texas mayoral candidate faced questions over claims on his résumé.
- The minister's CV includes a decade in the Melbourne finance sector.
- Recruiters in London report a rise in CVs written with online templates.
- The governor's résumé features two terms in the state legislature.
- Universities across Queensland are revising guidance on how students should present their résumés.
- The council published the new chief executive's CV on its website.
Common mistakes
Using the American split in a British application.
❌ I've attached my résumé (to a UK employer expecting a CV) — understood, but it sounds American. ✅ I've attached my CV.
Sending a long academic CV for a corporate US job.
❌ A twelve-page document listing every conference poster for a sales role in Chicago. ✅ A tailored one- or two-page résumé that highlights relevant achievements.
Wrong plural.
❌ curriculum vitaes, CV's ✅ curricula vitae (formal) or CVs
Inconsistent accents.
❌ Attach your résumé. We review every resume within a week. ✅ Choose résumé or resume and use it throughout.
Misplaced accents.
❌ resumé in one place and résume in another ✅ résumé, resumé or resume, consistently
Including unnecessary personal details.
❌ Date of birth: 12/03/1990; Marital status: married (for US, UK or Australian applications) ✅ Leave these out unless the employer specifically asks for them.
A memory trick
Think of the length of the word as a clue to the length of the American document. CV looks short, but in the US it stands for a long Latin phrase and a long academic record: curriculum vitae, "the course of your life," the whole story. Résumé means "summary," so it is the short version, just the highlights.
For the UK, remember: Britain says CV for everything. For Australia: either works, mate.
Practice quiz
Choose the best word for each situation.
- A graduate in Boston applying for an accounting job sends a one-page ______.
- A chef in Edinburgh emails her ______ to a restaurant.
- A researcher applying for a professorship in California submits a detailed ______.
- A Perth job ad asks for a "______ and two referees." (Which words could fit?)
- The plural of curriculum vitae in formal writing is ______.
- "Please ______ the meeting after lunch." (résumé or resume?)
Answers
- résumé — in the US, a short document for most jobs is a résumé.
- CV — British English uses CV for everyday job applications.
- CV — US academic roles call for a full curriculum vitae.
- résumé or CV — Australians use both terms interchangeably.
- curricula vitae — the traditional Latin plural; CVs is the everyday form.
- resume — this is the verb meaning "continue," pronounced rih-ZOOM, with no accents.
The practical takeaway
Before you send anything, read the job ad and use its word. If an American employer asks for a résumé, send a short, targeted document; if a US university asks for a CV, send the full academic record. For British employers, call it a CV, keep it to about two pages, and you will sound local. For Australian employers, either label works, so focus on clear content and include your referees. The name matters less than giving each reader the length and style they expect.
Frequently asked questions
Is a CV the same as a résumé?
It depends on the country. In the UK, a CV is the standard document for almost every job application and does the job an American résumé does. In the US and Canada, a résumé is a short summary for most jobs, while a CV is a longer, detailed record used mainly in academia, research and medicine. In Australia, the two words are often used interchangeably.
Should I write resume, résumé or resumé?
All three appear in American usage. Résumé, with two accents, is the most traditional and clearly separates the noun from the verb resume. Resume without accents is very common in job ads and on websites, and resumé with one accent is a less common compromise. Pick one and use it consistently.
How long should a CV be in the UK?
For most UK jobs, a CV of about two pages is typical, and recruiters generally expect it to be concise. Graduates may need only one page, while senior professionals sometimes go slightly longer. Academic CVs are the exception and can run much longer because they list publications and teaching.
What is the plural of curriculum vitae?
The traditional Latin plural is curricula vitae. In everyday English, most people simply say CVs. Curriculum vitaes is sometimes heard but is generally considered nonstandard in careful writing.
Do Australian employers prefer a résumé or a CV?
Australian employers use both words, and many treat them as the same thing. What matters more is the content: a clear, tailored document that lists your experience and skills, usually with referees or a note that they are available on request. Follow the wording used in the job ad.
Should I include a photo on my résumé or CV?
In the US, UK and Australia, a photo is generally not expected and is often discouraged for most roles, partly to reduce the risk of bias in hiring. Some creative, performing or customer-facing industries are exceptions. Personal details such as age, marital status and religion are also usually left off.