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“CV template” searches mix two documents. In the UK, Ireland, much of Europe, and many academic markets, a CV is the standard job application document and may run longer than a US resume. In the US, “CV” usually means a detailed academic curriculum vitae, while industry roles expect a short resume. This guide gives you copy-ready templates, format rules, and examples for both worlds so you stop shipping the wrong artifact.
\n| Context | \nWhat employers expect | \nTypical length | \n
|---|---|---|
| UK / Ireland / many EU roles | \n“CV” = job application document | \nOften 2 pages; graduates may use 1–2 | \n
| US / Canada industry | \n“Resume” = concise job application | \n1 page common early career; 2 when earned | \n
| US academia / research | \n“CV” = full scholarly record | \nMulti-page, grows with career | \n
| India private sector | \nOften “resume” or “CV” interchangeably | \n1–2 pages for most non-academic roles | \n
Indeed’s CV writing guidance treats a CV as a detailed document common for academic or research roles in some markets, while UK sources such as jobs.ac.uk and Prospects treat the CV as the everyday application document. Read the employer’s wording and country first. When applying to a US product company from London, ask whether they want a UK-style CV or a one-page US resume.
\nFor a US-style one-pager, start with the free resume template. For parse-safe layout rules that travel across markets, keep the ATS resume template nearby.
\nCopy into Word or Google Docs. Adjust length by cutting older detail, not by shrinking fonts to unreadability.
\nYOUR NAME\nCity, Country | phone | email | LinkedIn | portfolio\n\nPERSONAL PROFILE\n[2–4 lines: role target, domain, strongest proof, what you want next.]\n\nKEY SKILLS\n- [Skill / tool]\n- [Skill / tool]\n- [Method or domain]\n\nPROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE\n[Job Title] | [Employer], [City] | [Mon YYYY, Mon YYYY]\n- [Achievement with scope and result]\n- [Achievement]\n- [Achievement]\n\n[Previous Title] | [Employer], [City] | [Mon YYYY, Mon YYYY]\n- [Achievement]\n\nEDUCATION\n[Degree], [Institution] | [Year]\n[Relevant modules, dissertation title, grade if helpful]\n\nADDITIONAL INFORMATION\nLanguages: [Language (level)]\nRight to work: [if relevant and appropriate]\nCertifications: [Name, issuer, year]\njobs.ac.uk publishes classic chronological and skills-based CV templates for academic and research-adjacent job seekers. The structure above mirrors that chronological pattern for general professional use.
\nUse when changing careers, returning after a gap, or when transferable skills matter more than job titles.
\nYOUR NAME\nCity, Country | phone | email | LinkedIn\n\nPROFILE\n[Target role + transfer story in 3 lines.]\n\nCORE COMPETENCIES\nCommunication & stakeholder management\n- [Evidence from role A]\n- [Evidence from role B]\n\nAnalysis & tools\n- [Evidence]\n\nDelivery & ownership\n- [Evidence]\n\nEMPLOYMENT HISTORY\n[Title] | [Employer] | [Dates]\n[Title] | [Employer] | [Dates]\n(Keep dated list complete even in a skills CV.)\n\nEDUCATION\n[Degree] | [School] | [Year]\nProspects.ac.uk highlights skills-based examples for candidates who need to foreground capability over linear titles. Do not hide employers or dates; list them cleanly after the skill clusters.
\nNAME\nContact | ORCID | website\n\nEDUCATION\n[PhD, institution, year, dissertation title, advisor]\n\nRESEARCH INTERESTS\n[Short list]\n\nAPPOINTMENTS\n[Role, institution, dates]\n\nPUBLICATIONS\n[Peer-reviewed, then preprints, then other]\n\nCONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS\nTEACHING EXPERIENCE\nGRANTS & AWARDS\nSERVICE\nSKILLS\nREFERENCES\nAcademic CVs grow over time. Do not force a one-page constraint. For industry pivots from academia, maintain a long CV and a short resume tailored to the role.
\nProfile / summary. UK CVs often open with a short personal profile. Keep it specific. Avoid empty claims about being a “team player.”
\nExperience. Reverse chronological. Emphasize outcomes. For academic posts, include teaching load, grant amounts when public, and supervision.
\nEducation. More detail is normal on UK graduate CVs (modules, dissertation). US resumes keep education shorter after the first few years.
\nSkills. Hard skills and tools first. Soft skills only with proof nearby.
\nInterests. Optional on UK CVs when genuine and conversational. Skip filler.
\nReferences. UK academic posts may request them on the CV or separately. Many industry applications collect references later. Follow the posting.
\nFor step-by-step writing craft inside Docs/Word, use how to make a resume. The mechanics are shared even when the name of the document differs.
\nProfile names the target scheme or role family. Experience may be internships, retail, campus leadership, and a major project. Education carries weight. Skills list Excel, Python, languages, or lab techniques that appear in postings. Keep to one or two pages.
\nTwo pages is common. Expand recent roles; compress older ones to title, employer, dates, and one line. Profile becomes sharper: domain + seniority + proof.
\nLead with competency clusters mapped to the new field. Keep a complete dated employment list so the CV does not look evasive.
\nLead with education and research. Publications formatted consistently. Teaching and service visible. Industry consulting listed separately if relevant.
\nYou probably need a resume. Use the free resume template linked above, keep it concise, and reserve “CV” for academic applications.
\n| Goal | \nTemplate | \n
|---|---|
| UK/EU professional role | \nClassic chronological CV | \n
| Career change | \nSkills-based CV + dated history | \n
| US industry role | \nOne- or two-page resume | \n
| Faculty / research role | \nAcademic CV | \n
| Creative portfolio role | \nPlain CV/resume + strong portfolio link | \n
Do not paste sensitive identifiers into a public portfolio PDF. Include right-to-work statements when helpful and truthful. For EU applications, minimize unnecessary personal data. For US applications, omit protected-class details that do not belong on a resume. When in doubt, mirror the employer’s application form fields instead of inventing extra biography on the CV.
\nProduct analyst with three years in B2B SaaS. Built Looker dashboards used weekly by sales leadership; SQL and dbt for warehouse-to-decision pipelines. Seeking a remote analytics role with clear ownership of a metrics stack.\nRecent MSc graduate in Human-Computer Interaction. Capstone redesigned onboarding for a campus tool used by 200 students. Looking for UX research or junior product design roles in London.\nReplace every claim with yours. Empty polish without evidence wastes the template.
\nIllustrative only. A London-based product analyst applying to a UK scale-up sends a two-page CV with a personal profile, fuller education detail, and “right to work in the UK” noted under additional information. The same person applying to a US SaaS company sends a one-page resume with a tighter summary, less module detail, and no photo or date of birth. The evidence is shared; the packaging changes. Forcing one file into both processes is how strong candidates look careless.
\nIf you are also building an online presence, keep the public headline consistent with whichever document you are actively sending. Use resume keywords when the US resume needs tighter tool language, and keep UK spelling consistent across the CV if that is your target market.
\nMaintain the long academic CV for faculty or research roles. Create a separate industry resume that translates publications into outcomes (“first-author paper on X” becomes “designed experiment and analysis for X used by Y lab partners”) without dumping the entire bibliography. Hiring managers outside academia rarely want a ten-page CV in the first upload.
\nPublish the same target role and skills on a profile so UK, EU, and remote employers can find you outside inbox applications.
\nprofile.headline: UX researcher, mixed methods, London\nprofile.skills: user interviews, figma, survey design, sql\nprofile.location: united kingdom\nprofile.open_to_work: true\ndigest: roles matching skills + location eligibility\nDigest shape: { role, company, location_constraint, matched_skills }. Review openings on /jobs and keep the public profile aligned with the CV you send.
Reverse chronological is the most common recommendation because recent experience appears first and is easy to scan. Use skills-based when changing fields, and keep dates visible.
\nContact details, profile, experience, education, and skills. Academic CVs add publications, teaching, grants, and service.
\nNot always. In many UK/EU contexts, CV means the standard application document. In the US, CV often means a long academic record, while industry uses a short resume.
\nIt depends on market and purpose. UK professional CVs often use two pages; US resumes stay shorter; academic CVs grow with the scholarly record. Prefer relevance over a universal page count.
\nYes. Plain Word or Docs templates you control are enough. Prefer clarity over decorative galleries when applying through online portals.
\nYes when transferable skills matter more than linear titles, such as career changes or mixed freelance histories. Still list employers and dates.
\nDheeraj Kumar, founder building Parlel, an open professional network for people, companies and jobs. Find him on his Parlel profile.
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