CV writing Styles in different parts of the world

While most countries share similar CV (resume) writing styles, there are some differences. In the USA and Canada, you are supposed not to write any personal information except name, address, e-mail. In other countries such as New Zealand, it is optional to write your birth date. In the UK, you write date of birth but you may not write marital status and you should not write your gender and religion. In other countries such as France, Japan, Russia, Poland, Egypt, KSA, and UAE, the CV must contain these personal information. In France and Japan, in most cases you have to include a photo while in the USA it is not included.

In the USA, you are supposed to write an objective at the top of the CV. The objective describes your career objectives in one sentence. In the UK, you are supposed to write your profile instead of the objective. The profile is a short paragraph that describes  your skills and capabilities. In many other parts of the world, you write neither objective nor profile.

In the USA, the cover letter is very important and should explain why this applicant is a good choice for this position. In France, the cover letter should be handwritten and your handwriting may be analyzed. In Egypt, the cover letter purpose is to show the position the applicant is applying for and it is usually short.

Below are some sites that gives some guidance for writing CV in certain countries

Finland   France   UK    UK   Japan   Russia   New Zealand    New Zealand   USA   USA

This entry was posted in General.

3 comments to CV writing Styles in different parts of the world

  1. Tamara Cole says:

    I’m doing research on mexico for business. I was wondering if Mexico have different letter-writing styles than the USA.

    Can u help-or-give me a website to find the info.

    Thanks,

    Tamara Cole

  2. Sameh says:

    This is a good question but unfortuantely I couldn’t find any information about it.
    thanks

  3. Michelle says:

    Thanks Sameh for the difference in writing CV for applying in different locations.

    Tamara-I am not sure which site will give you the exact format. Its good to research and find resumes of professional job seekers worldwide. Additionally I would suggest to learn the employer company, learn the requirements and then create the CV in such a manner that you make the employer realize that you are the one they were searching for!

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