If you are applying for a job in Europe, a CV and a resume are the same thing: a one- or two-page summary of your experience, education and skills. The distinction only matters in the United States and Canada, and in academia everywhere. That’s the short version. The details below explain where the confusion comes from and what changes from country to country.
Where the confusion comes from
“Curriculum vitae” is Latin for “course of life”. In the US, a CV means a long, complete record of an academic or scientific career: every publication, conference talk, grant, teaching post and research project. It can run to ten pages or more. A “résumé” (French for “summary”) is the short, targeted document used for almost every other job.
In the UK, Ireland and continental Europe, “CV” became the everyday word for that short document. Nobody in Bucharest, Berlin or Dublin asks for a résumé; they ask for a CV, and they mean one or two pages.
So when an American career site says “a CV is long and a resume is short”, it’s describing American usage. When a European employer asks for your CV, they want what Americans would call a resume.
| US/Canada resume | US academic CV | European CV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical length | 1–2 pages | No limit | 1–2 pages (Europass often longer) |
| Purpose | Any non-academic job | Academic, research, medical posts | Any job |
| Tailored per application? | Yes | Mostly fixed, updated over time | Yes |
| Photo | No | No | Depends on country |
| Personal details (age, nationality) | No, never | No | Sometimes, depends on country |
What changes between countries
The structure is the same almost everywhere: header, short profile, work experience in reverse order, education, skills, languages. What differs is the personal information around it.
Photos are common and often expected in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and frequently included in France, Belgium and much of Central and Eastern Europe, including Romania. In the UK and Ireland, leave the photo off. We cover the country-by-country picture in should you put a photo on your CV.
Date of birth, nationality and marital status used to be standard on European CVs. Today they’re optional in most of the EU and many employers prefer not to receive them, because they can’t legally use them in hiring decisions. Nationality can still be worth including when it answers a question, for example an EU citizen applying from abroad who doesn’t need a work permit.
Languages matter more in Europe than in the US. Always include a languages section, using CEFR levels (A1 to C2) that employers across the EU recognise.
Some countries expect more paperwork alongside the CV. In Germany, a full application (Bewerbung) traditionally includes a cover letter, the CV and copies of certificates and references. In most other countries, a CV and cover letter are enough.
What about the Europass CV?
Europass is the EU’s free, standardised CV format, run by the European Commission. It’s accepted everywhere, but its layout is long and rigid, and recruiters in the private sector see hundreds of them. It makes sense for EU institutions, some public-sector jobs and applications that specifically ask for it. For most private employers, a well-designed CV in the normal format makes a stronger impression. We go through the pros and cons in our Europass CV guide.
Applying to a US company from Europe
If the job is based in the US, or the company is American and the advert is written in American English, send a resume in the US style: no photo, no date of birth, no nationality, no marital status. US employers are careful about anything that could suggest discrimination and may prefer not to see it. Keep it to one page unless you have a long career. Use US date formats (May 2024) or a neutral format.
If the job is in Europe at an American company (a Dublin or Amsterdam office, say), follow local practice, but leaning toward the US style is a safe choice.
When you really do need a long CV
Academic jobs, research positions, PhD and postdoc applications, many medical posts and some grant applications want a full academic CV wherever you are. Include publications, conference presentations, grants and funding, teaching, supervision, research projects and professional memberships. These are different documents and should be built separately from your job-hunting CV.
So what should you send?
For a normal job in Europe: a one- or two-page CV in reverse-chronological order, tailored to the advert, as a PDF. Add a photo only if it’s standard in that country. That’s what our builder produces. You can switch the photo on or off with one click, use any of our six templates, and keep separate versions for different countries or roles. If you’re starting from scratch, our guide on how to make a resume walks through each section.
