US hiring is legally risk-averse and speed-driven. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act makes it illegal to hire based on age, gender, race, or appearance, so US recruiters discard any resume that includes a photo or date of birth to avoid a discrimination lawsuit. The UK CV carries information US employers will not read and may not accept—delete these nine things first.
Delete it. A photo on a US resume signals you do not know the market. In the UK, a headshot is common in creative fields; in the US, it is a liability for the employer. The only exception is acting/modeling portfolios, where a separate headshot page goes with a standard resume.
Delete it completely. Age is a protected class in the US—no employer will ask for it, and including it makes you look like a lawsuit risk. Replace any age or graduation year that reveals age (e.g., “Class of 1985”) with professional experience dates only.
Do NOT put “British,” “UK citizen,” or “Tier 2 visa holder” at the top of your resume. If you have work authorization, put it in a single line at the bottom: “Authorized to work in the US without sponsorship.” If you need sponsorship, address it in a cover letter, not the resume header.
Delete the line “References available upon request” and definitely delete a list of referees. US recruiters check references only after an offer; using resume space for referees wastes the one page you have. The UK tradition of naming two referees upfront is a clear giveaway that you are not local.
Delete “A highly motivated team player seeking a challenging role in…”—that is filler every recruiter skips. Replace it with a 2-line professional summary that names your role, years of experience, and one concrete achievement. Example bad: “Dedicated project manager with strong communication skills.” Example good: “Project manager with 8 years in pharma, led a $2M portfolio that delivered 12% cost savings in year one.”
Delete “travel, reading, cooking” unless the hobby is directly relevant to the job (e.g., marathon running for a fitness role). US resumes are narrow and professional; hobbies are not a plus and often look like you have too little work experience to fill a page.
Delete any mention. Never include “married,” “single,” “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” or pronouns in the header. It is not just unusual—it can get your resume thrown out by HR compliance.
Delete your street address. In the UK CV, a full address is standard; in the US, only city and state matter. Example: “Manchester, UK” is fine; “14 Baker Street, Manchester M1 2AB” is too much and risks privacy or location bias.
Delete paragraphs that list duties without results. UK CVs often describe what the company does or what your role oversees. US resumes demand bullet points of what you achieved. Before: “Responsible for managing a team of five and overseeing the quarterly budget.” After: “Managed a team of five, cut quarterly budget variance from 8% to 3% within two quarters.”
UK CV bullet (keep this? No):
US resume rewrite (delete the old, use this):
See the difference? The US version has a number, a timeframe, an action verb (“Led”), and a result. It does not say “responsible for” or describe a generic duty.
Use a plain .docx or .pdf with standard fonts (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman). Do not use tables, columns, or graphics—ATS parsers often jumble them. Left-align your text, use one-inch margins, and keep the file name to your name and the word “Resume” (e.g., “Emily_Jones_Resume.docx”). No spaces in the filename.
If you need a US-compatible template, get a free one that starts clean—no photo placeholders, no referee section, no column layout. Check your finished resume at PrismResume.com/check (free, no sign-up) to flag UK phrases or formatting that could confuse an ATS.
Check your UK CV for US-readiness – free, no sign-up
Yes—list your degree as “BSc (Hons) Biology” or “BA (Hons) History.” US recruiters are familiar with the “(Hons)” label. Do not translate it to “Honors” unless it was a US-style honors program with a thesis.
If you have more than 10 years of experience, two pages are fine. If you are early-career, one page is expected. The UK norm of 2–3 dense pages does not transfer.
Write a professional summary: one sentence about your current role and years of experience, one sentence with your biggest achievement, and one sentence on what you want next (targeted to the job). Three lines max.
Change “colour” to “color,” “organise” to “organize,” and “centre” to “center.” US recruiters notice British spelling and may assume you require visa sponsorship even if you do not.
If you want a done-for-you comparison, try the free checker at PrismResume.com/check—it catches UK spellings and layout problems in seconds.
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