The word 'CV' means two different documents depending on where you are standing. In the UK, Ireland, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and much of Europe, a CV is what Americans call a resume: one to two pages, tailored per application. In the United States and Canada, a CV is an exhaustive academic record — publications, grants, teaching, conference talks, peer review — that runs to as many pages as your career requires.
This builder handles both, because the underlying career profile stores everything and each document decides what to show.
Sections an academic CV needs that a resume does not
- Publications — journal articles, conference papers, book chapters, preprints
- Research experience, with supervisors and funding sources
- Teaching experience — courses, levels, student numbers
- Grants, fellowships and awards, with amounts and dates
- Conference presentations, posters and invited talks
- Peer review, editorial and committee service
- Professional memberships and societies
- Languages, with a stated proficiency level
- Complete employment history with no gaps omitted
- References, where the field expects them named
Regional conventions that quietly matter
The photo toggle exists for exactly this reason. It is off by default because in the US, UK and Canada a photo invites bias-avoidance screening; turn it on where the local convention expects one.
| Region | What is expected |
|---|---|
| UK & Ireland | 2 pages, no photo, no date of birth, referees available on request |
| Germany, Austria, Switzerland | Photo usual, reverse-chronological, signature and date sometimes expected |
| France, Spain, Italy | Photo common, 1–2 pages, personal details more detailed than UK norms |
| India | 1–2 pages; a short personal details block is still common, though declining |
| United States | Resume for industry, no photo, no age, no marital status; CV only for academia and medicine |
| Middle East | Photo, nationality and visa status frequently requested |
| Japan | Rirekisho and shokumu-keirekisho are separate prescribed formats |
Length is a function of purpose, not seniority
An industry CV in the UK should be two pages even at director level, because it is a screening document. An academic CV can be twenty pages, because it is a record of contribution and completeness is the point.
The builder handles both without fighting you: page controls, section spacing and margin sliders let you compress a career into two pages or spread a publication list across eight, and the live preview shows every page break as it happens.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between a CV and a resume?
- Outside North America, none — they are the same document under different names. In the US and Canada, a resume is a one-to-two page tailored summary for industry, while a CV is a complete academic record with publications, grants and teaching, and has no page limit.
- How long should my CV be?
- Industry CV: two pages, worldwide. Academic CV: as long as your record, typically four to ten pages early-career and considerably more later. Never pad, and never cut a publication to hit a number.
- Should I include a photo on my CV?
- Not in the UK, Ireland, US, Canada or Australia, where it can trigger bias-avoidance handling. Commonly yes in Germany, France, Spain, much of Asia and the Middle East. The toggle is in the design panel.
- Do academic CVs need to be ATS-friendly?
- University HR systems increasingly parse applications, so the same structural rules apply: single column, standard headings, real text. Ironically, the plainest academic CV formats are already close to ideal.
- Can I keep one profile and produce both a CV and a resume?
- Yes, and that is the intended workflow. One career profile, two documents drawing from it, each showing the sections its audience expects.