CV Formats by Country: US vs UK vs Germany vs France - Complete Comparison

Applying for jobs internationally? You can't use the same CV for every country. Each country has different CV formats, cultural expectations, and ATS systems. This comprehensive comparison will help you understand the key differences.

Quick Comparison Table

Feature	US	UK	Germany	France
Length	1-2 pages	2 pages	2-3 pages	1-2 pages
Photo	No	No	Yes (required)	Optional
Age	No	No	Yes	Sometimes
Marital Status	No	No	Sometimes	Sometimes
Summary	Professional Summary	Personal Statement	Not used	Profil
References	On request	Included	Included	On request
Date Format	MM/YYYY	MM/YYYY	MM.YYYY	MM/YYYY
Formality	Medium	High	Very High	High

United States CV Format

Structure

1. Contact Information

   • Full name
   • Phone number
   • Email address
   • LinkedIn profile (optional)
   • Location (city, state)

2. Professional Summary

   • 2-3 sentences
   • Highlights key achievements
   • Tailored to job description

3. Work Experience

   • Reverse chronological order
   • Company name, job title, dates
   • Bullet points with achievements
   • Quantified results

4. Education

   • Degree, institution, year
   • GPA (if high, optional)
   • Relevant coursework (optional)

5. Skills

   • Technical skills
   • Soft skills
   • Certifications

What to Include

✅ Quantified achievements ✅ Action verbs (led, managed, achieved) ✅ Relevant keywords from job description ✅ Professional summary

What to Exclude

❌ Photo ❌ Date of birth ❌ Marital status ❌ Religion ❌ Political affiliations ❌ Salary expectations (unless requested)

ATS Optimization

• Systems: Workday, Taleo, Greenhouse, Lever, iCIMS
• Keywords: From job description
• Format: Simple, clean, no tables
• File Type: PDF preferred

United Kingdom CV Format

Structure

1. Contact Information

   • Full name
   • Phone number
   • Email address
   • LinkedIn profile
   • Location

2. Personal Statement

   • 4-6 sentences
   • More detailed than US summary
   • Career objectives and key skills

3. Work Experience

   • Reverse chronological order
   • Detailed descriptions
   • Achievements and responsibilities

4. Education

   • Degree, institution, year
   • A-levels/GCSEs (for recent graduates)

5. Skills

   • Technical and soft skills
   • Languages

6. References

   • "References available on request" or
   • Include 2 references with contact details

What to Include

✅ Personal Statement (not Summary) ✅ References section ✅ Detailed work experience ✅ Professional tone

What to Exclude

❌ Photo ❌ Date of birth ❌ Marital status ❌ Salary expectations

ATS Optimization

• Systems: Workday, Taleo, Greenhouse
• Keywords: Industry-specific terms
• Format: Professional, structured
• File Type: PDF

Germany CV Format (Lebenslauf)

Structure

1. Personal Data (Persönliche Daten)

   • Full name
   • Date of birth
   • Place of birth
   • Nationality
   • Address
   • Phone, email
   • Professional photo (required)

2. Professional Experience (Berufserfahrung)

   • Reverse chronological order
   • Detailed descriptions
   • Company, position, dates

3. Education (Ausbildung)

   • University, degree, dates
   • High school (Abitur)

4. Skills (Kenntnisse)

   • Technical skills
   • Languages (with proficiency levels)
   • Certifications

5. Additional Sections

   • Languages
   • Certifications
   • Interests (optional)

What to Include

✅ Professional photo (required) ✅ Date of birth ✅ Place of birth ✅ Nationality ✅ Detailed experience descriptions ✅ Language proficiency levels ✅ Formal, detailed style

What to Exclude

❌ Salary expectations ❌ References (unless requested)

ATS Optimization

• Systems: Workday, Taleo, Xing
• Keywords: German industry terms
• Format: Formal, structured
• Language: German required
• File Type: PDF

France CV Format

Structure

1. Contact Information (Coordonnées)

   • Full name
   • Address
   • Phone, email
   • Photo (optional but common)
   • Age (sometimes)
   • Marital status (sometimes)

2. Profile (Profil)

   • Brief professional summary
   • Key skills and experience

3. Professional Experience (Expérience Professionnelle)

   • Reverse chronological order
   • Detailed descriptions
   • Achievements

4. Education (Formation)

   • Degree, institution, dates
   • Relevant coursework

5. Skills (Compétences)

   • Technical skills
   • Languages
   • Soft skills

6. Languages (Langues)

   • With proficiency levels

What to Include

✅ Photo (optional but recommended) ✅ Age (sometimes) ✅ Marital status (sometimes) ✅ Profile section ✅ Skills-focused content ✅ Language proficiency

What to Exclude

❌ Salary expectations (unless requested) ❌ References (unless requested)

ATS Optimization

• Systems: Workday, Taleo, Apec
• Keywords: French industry terms
• Format: Professional, skills-focused
• Language: French preferred
• File Type: PDF

Key Differences Summary

Photo Requirements

• US/UK: Never include a photo
• Germany: Photo is required
• France: Photo is optional but common

Personal Information

• US/UK: No personal information (age, marital status, etc.)
• Germany: Date of birth, nationality, place of birth
• France: Age and marital status sometimes included

Summary Section

• US: "Professional Summary" (2-3 sentences)
• UK: "Personal Statement" (4-6 sentences)
• Germany: Not typically used
• France: "Profil" (brief summary)

References

• US: "References available on request"
• UK: Included or "available on request"
• Germany: Not typically included
• France: "On request"

How to Create Country-Specific CVs

Option 1: Manual Creation

• Research each country's format
• Create separate CVs manually
• Translate professionally
• Optimize for local ATS systems
• Time: 10-20 hours per country

Option 2: CrossBorder CV (Recommended)

• Upload your CV once
• Select target countries
• AI adapts format automatically
• Professional translation included
• ATS optimization included
• Time: 2-3 minutes

Common Mistakes

1. Using US Format for European Jobs: European countries have different expectations
2. Including Photo in US/UK CVs: This is a major mistake
3. Missing Photo in German CV: Photo is required in Germany
4. Poor Translation: Google Translate won't work for professional CVs
5. Wrong ATS Optimization: Each country uses different ATS systems

Conclusion

Each country has unique CV requirements. Understanding these differences is crucial for international job applications. Whether you create CVs manually or use CrossBorder CV, make sure each CV is optimized for its target country.

Need country-specific CVs? Create your CrossBorder CV package and get job-ready CVs for multiple countries in minutes.

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This guide was last updated: January 2026