The United States has the strictest anti-bias resume culture in the world and the heaviest use of Applicant Tracking Systems. Around three out of four US applications are filtered by software (Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, iCIMS) before a recruiter reads a word. That means the US resume is built for two readers at once: a parser that wants a single column and standard headers, and a hiring manager who wants impact in numbers. Anything personal — photo, age, marital status — is not just unnecessary, it can get your resume discarded to avoid discrimination liability.
Quick facts: the United States resume
| Length | 1 page (2 for 10+ years) |
|---|---|
| Photo | Never |
| Personal details | None — anti-bias laws |
| Tone | Direct, quantified |
| Language | American English |
| ATS screening | Heaviest ATS usage in the world |
The rules United States recruiters expect
- One page preferred under 10 years of experience; two pages acceptable for senior roles
- No photo, date of birth, marital status, gender, or nationality — these are illegal bias triggers
- No references section; "References available on request" is outdated
- Open with a 2–3 line professional summary, never an "Objective"
- Every bullet starts with a strong action verb and quantifies impact (%, $, time saved)
- Reverse chronological order with Month Year dates (Jan 2023 – Present)
- City and state only — no street address; add phone, email, LinkedIn, portfolio
- Single column, standard headers (Experience, Education, Skills), no tables or graphics
Mistakes that get United States applications rejected
Using a European CV with a photo
US recruiters often discard resumes with photos on sight — it creates legal risk for the employer.
Two-column "designer" templates
ATS parsers read left-to-right and scramble columns. Your skills end up attached to the wrong jobs.
Listing duties instead of results
"Responsible for managing servers" loses to "Cut server costs 23% by migrating 40 services to Kubernetes."
A full street address
Nobody mails you anything. City + state is enough, and it protects your privacy.
Skip the manual reformatting. Upload your current CV, pick United States, and AlterCV rewrites it in the exact local format — rules above included — with a live ATS score.
Applying to other countries too?
Every market has different rules — that's the whole point of AlterCV. Related guides: United Kingdom CV format · Canada resume format · India resume format — or browse all 15 country formats.