Target Market · United States
Resume, LinkedIn and Cover Letter Writing for the US Job Market
A US resume works differently from a CV built for almost anywhere else: shorter, faster to scan, and built entirely around what you accomplished rather than what your job description said. Get that shape right and a recruiter can find your value in the first pass.
Quick answer
A US resume is a one to two page, reverse-chronological document in American English built around achievement bullets with numbers, not duties. It leaves out a photo, date of birth and marital status. Chanuka Jeewantha writes US resumes, LinkedIn profiles and cover letters personally, for professionals already in the US and those applying from abroad, from $129 USD.
Format
Resume
Standard Length
One page for most professionals under about ten years of experience. Two pages once your career justifies it. Longer, structured formats apply only to academic CVs and to federal resumes submitted through USAJOBS, which are their own category.
Photo Policy
Leave it off
Pricing Currency
USD ($) Standard
Local hiring landscape
How recruitment works in United States.
US hiring runs at volume, and most resumes pass through an applicant tracking system such as Workday, Greenhouse, Lever or iCIMS before a person ever opens them. That reality shapes the whole document: a clean, single-column layout the software can parse, keywords pulled from the job posting, and bullets that lead with results rather than responsibilities. A US resume is also a sales document in a way a CV rarely is. Recruiters expect you to state your impact in numbers, dollars, percentages or scale, and a resume that only lists duties reads as unfinished. For applicants outside the US, the underlying question is almost always the same one an employer cannot ask directly: can this person legally work here, and does the company want to sponsor that. A resume that is honest and quiet about it, and a cover letter or application form that addresses it properly, removes the most common reason a strong candidate gets passed over.
Crucial US Application Conventions
One page is standard for most professionals with under about ten years of experience. Two pages is normal and expected for senior, technical or executive candidates with more to show. Three pages is rare outside academia. Federal resumes on USAJOBS run longer because the format asks for different information; treat them as a separate document, not a longer version of the same resume.
No photo, date of birth, marital status, nationality or Social Security number. This is not a specific statute banning a resume photo, but EEOC guidance advises employers not to request one, and most companies avoid this information at the resume stage to limit exposure under discrimination law. A resume with a photo reads as unfamiliar with US norms.
Call it a resume, not a CV. In the US, 'CV' usually means the longer academic or medical document used for faculty, research and clinical appointments; using that word for a standard job application resume can confuse an ATS keyword match and a human reader.
Bullets open with a strong verb and end with a result: a number, a dollar figure, a percentage, a timeframe or a scale. 'Managed a team' says less than 'Managed a 6-person support team and cut average ticket resolution time from 48 to 19 hours.' Duty-only bullets are the most common reason a strong background reads as flat.
A single column, standard section headings, no text boxes, tables or graphics that an ATS can misread, and a file name and format that matches what the posting asks for. Workday, Greenhouse, Lever and iCIMS are common platforms among US employers, and each parses cleanly built resumes more reliably than templates with columns or icons.
American spelling (optimize, organize, analyze, program), US Letter page size, and dates written as Month Year, such as 'March 2022 to Present'. Phone numbers use the US format with area code, and city and state are usually written as 'Austin, TX' rather than a full street address.
US employers cannot ask about immigration status on a resume, and a resume should not state it either. If you already hold unrestricted work authorization, a short line can say so. If sponsorship is required, that is better handled through the application form or a direct conversation, not buried or hidden on the resume itself.
Screening criteria
What US recruiters screen for.
- Quantified impact stated plainly: revenue, cost savings, percentages, headcount, timelines
- The exact tools, platforms and methods you use, named rather than implied
- Scope of responsibility: budget size, team size, stakeholders, geography
- A resume tailored to the specific role, using language close to the job posting
- US-relevant credentials and licenses where they apply, such as PMP, CPA, RN licensure or a relevant security clearance
- A work authorization position that is clear enough not to raise a question, without overstating it
In-demand sectors
Active hiring industries.
Popular Roles in United States
United States services
Written for US employers.
US resume writing
Resume Writing Service for US Jobs
A US resume written personally by Chanuka Jeewantha: one or two pages, American English, and every line rewritten from a duty into a measurable accomplishment.
See the service →US LinkedIn optimization
LinkedIn Profile Writing for the US Market
Your LinkedIn profile rewritten for how US recruiters actually search: the right job titles and keywords, a headline built to be found, and an About section that reads like a professional, not a slogan.
See the service →US cover letter writing
Cover Letter Writing for US Applications
A one-page US cover letter that makes the case for one specific role in direct, confident American English, and handles questions like relocation and work authorization before the reader has to ask.
See the service →US career advice
FAQ
Frequently asked about applying in United States.
How long should a resume be in the US?
One page is standard for most professionals with under about ten years of experience, and two pages is normal and expected for senior, technical or executive candidates with a longer track record to show. Three pages is unusual outside academia. Federal resumes submitted through USAJOBS are longer because the format asks for different information, and that is a separate document, not a stretched version of a standard resume.
Should I put a photo on my resume in the US?
No, leave the photo off. There is no specific law that bans a resume photo, but EEOC guidance tells employers not to request one before an offer, and most US companies avoid photos, birth dates and marital status on resumes because using that information during screening could support a discrimination claim. Put your photo on LinkedIn instead, where it is expected.
What is the difference between a resume and a CV in the US?
In the US, a resume is the standard one to two page document used for almost every job application, focused on achievements relevant to the role you want. A CV, short for curriculum vitae, is a longer, comprehensive document used mainly in academia, research and some medical and scientific roles, listing publications, grants, teaching and presentations. Calling a job-application resume a CV in the US is a common, avoidable mismatch.
Can you help if I am applying for US jobs from abroad?
Yes. A large part of this work is converting resumes from Sri Lanka, India, the Gulf and elsewhere into US conventions: cutting length, removing personal details, rewriting duties as quantified achievements, and framing work authorization honestly and briefly. Immigration and visa questions themselves belong with USCIS, the US Department of State or a qualified immigration attorney; the documents are what Chanuka writes.
How much does a US resume cost and what currency do you charge in?
US resume writing costs $129, $189 or $279 USD depending on experience: under two years, three to nine years, or ten years and executive. All payments are taken in USD. Combining any two services saves 20 percent, and all three save 30 percent.
How does the process work if I am not in the United States?
The whole process runs by email, so your location does not matter. You choose a package and pay, complete a written brief and upload your current resume, and Chanuka writes the document personally. You receive a draft, have one revision round, and get final files in editable Word and PDF, usually within 5 to 7 days.
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