*This guide was written for French candidates applying in the United States. If you already live and apply here, the format rules below still apply to your CV.*
A CV isn't a translated French CV
In the United States, the application document is called a *CV*, and it follows strict rules that differ sharply from the French CV. If you're coming from France, sending a translated French CV, with a photo and two pages, immediately marks you as a candidate who doesn't know the market, and it often gets screened out by the ATS and the recruiter alike.
The term *CV* exists in the US too, but it refers to a long academic document reserved for research, universities and medicine. For a corporate job, a *CV* is what's expected.
The golden rules of the American CV
One page
The American standard is one page, even for experienced candidates. Two pages are justified only for very senior profiles or especially dense careers. That forces you to choose: keep recent, relevant experience and summarise or cut the rest.
No photo
Leave the photo off. American recruiters often set aside CVs with photos to avoid any risk of discrimination claims. See our guide should you put a photo on your CV.
No personal information
Remove anything not directly related to the job: date of birth, age, nationality, marital status, full street address. Keep your name, a professional email, a phone number, your city and a LinkedIn link.
Results-driven
This is the major cultural difference. The American CV doesn't describe duties; it highlights quantified accomplishments. Each experience line starts with a strong past-tense action verb and ends with a measurable result:
- *Led a team of 6 to deliver a CRM migration 2 weeks ahead of schedule.*
- *Increased organic traffic by 48% in 9 months through an SEO overhaul.*
- *Reduced customer churn from 8% to 5% by redesigning the onboarding flow.*
It's the same underlying logic as optimising a French CV for ATS software, taken one step further.
Standard CV structure
1. Header: name, target title, email, phone, city, LinkedIn.
2. Summary (optional): 2-3 lines summing up your value, aimed at the target role.
3. Experience: reverse chronological, each job with company, city, dates (MMM YYYY) and 3-5 results-driven bullet points.
4. Education: degrees, not necessarily with dates if they're old.
5. Skills: technical skills and tools, using keywords from the job posting.
Getting past the American ATS
American companies use ATS software extensively (Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, iCIMS). The ATS rules are the same as in France: a single column, no tables or text boxes, a real text-based PDF (not an image), and above all the exact keywords from the posting. An image-format CV exported from Canva scores zero.
Mistakes that give away a poorly adapted CV
- Two pages where one is expected.
- A photo, a date of birth, "Married" or a nationality in the header.
- Descriptive phrases ("Responsible for…") instead of quantified results.
- The words *Curriculum Vitae* at the top of the document.
- Shaky English: stick to simple, correct sentences.
- Dates in the French format (DD/MM/YYYY) instead of MMM YYYY.
Turning your CV into an American CV with CVpass
On CVpass, upload your CV and choose "United States" as your target country. The tool translates the document into English, removes the photo and personal information, rewrites it with American ATS vocabulary, adjusts the date format and aims for one page. Your ATS score is recalculated against American criteria: a French CV that scores well for France can drop for the US, and the suggestions guide you to bring it up to standard.
The American CV format is included in every plan, the €2.90 Pack included: it isn't reserved for subscribers.
See what the American ATS reads
Paste the American job posting you're targeting: CVpass shows the keywords it asks for that your CV is missing, then your document as the screening software reads it. You approve each suggested change, one at a time or all at once.
FAQ
Does an American CV have to fit on one page?
Yes, that's the norm, even for experienced candidates. Two pages are justified only for very senior profiles or especially dense careers.
Should you put a photo on a CV?
No. American recruiters often set aside CVs with photos to avoid any risk of discrimination claims. You also remove your date of birth, age, nationality and marital status.
What's the difference between a CV and a CV in the US?
In the United States, a *CV* is a long academic document reserved for research, universities and medicine. For a corporate job, employers expect a one-page, results-driven *CV*.
What date format should you use on a CV?
The abbreviated month and year in English (for example "Jan 2024"), not the French DD/MM/YYYY format.
Do American companies use ATS software?
Extensively: Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, iCIMS. Use a single column, no tables, a real text-based PDF and the exact keywords from the posting. An image-format CV exported from Canva can't be read.
Further reading
- Applying abroad: the country-by-country CV guide
- CVs in English: adapting your CV to apply abroad
- Should you put a photo on your CV? The country guide
- CVs for Canada: rules and differences from France
Apply in the US with a CV that meets American standards. Compare my CV to an American job posting on CVpass: first analysis free, American format included in every plan.