The One Thing Everyone Forgets
The CV vs résumé debate is usually framed around seniority or preference.
That framing is wrong.
The real difference is geography, paper size and decision speed.
The Physical Constraint Nobody Mentions
There is no A4 standard in the United States.
The US market uses Letter size, which is:
- Shorter.
- Wider.
- Less tolerant of dense content.
That single fact drives everything else.
A US résumé is not “shorter by choice”.
It is shorter by design.
Trying to force a multi-page, A4-style CV into a US résumé format guarantees compression, clutter and signal loss.
Structural Difference: CV vs Résumé
A CV (UK, EU and most international markets):
- Chronological and comprehensive.
- Often multi-page.
- Includes broad scope, full career history and contextual detail.
- Commonly accumulates everything “just in case”.
The result in many cases:
- Five pages.
- Multiple role variations.
- Repeated responsibilities.
- Fifty-five metaphorical kitchen sinks.
A résumé (US market):
- Role-targeted, not career-complete.
- One to two pages maximum.
- Written for speed of assessment, not narrative completeness.
Format Matters (This Is Not Cosmetic)
On a résumé:
- Role descriptions are written in tight paragraph format, not long bullet lists.
- Achievements are separated into a short, highly relevant list.
- Sections are left and right fully justified, creating a clean visual block.
- White space is intentional, not wasted.
- Content is edited to what matters for this role, not every role you have ever held.
This is deliberate.
US hiring managers expect:
- Fast scanning.
- Clear relevance.
- Immediate fit assessment.
Relevance vs Exhaustiveness
This is the strategic difference most candidates miss.
A CV says:
“Here is everything I have done.”
A résumé says:
“Here is what matters for this role.”
That means:
- Entire roles may be trimmed or removed.
- Achievements are selected, not dumped.
- Skills are prioritised, not inventoried.
A résumé is not an abridged CV.
It is a different instrument.
Why This Still Trips People Up
Many candidates:
- Convert a CV into a résumé by shrinking fonts.
- Keep bullet-heavy role descriptions.
- Preserve irrelevant history “for completeness”.
This fails in US markets.
Not because the experience is weak, but because the format signals misunderstanding of the hiring context.
The TCE View
CVs document careers.
Résumés win interviews.
They are not interchangeable, and treating them as such costs opportunities.
If you are targeting US roles:
- Think Letter size, not A4.
- Think paragraphs, not bullet walls.
- Think relevance, not record-keeping.
Precision in format is not aesthetics.
It is market literacy, and market literacy decides outcomes.
