CV and BiodataResume for the United States
In the United States the job document is a resume, the full street address has dropped away, and a headline under the name does the work of an Indian "objective".
Source. CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Resume Writing Guide ("Top section"), read on 12 November 2026: www.careeronestop.org. This page summarises that official advice in our own words. It is careers advice, not law; employers differ, and the page may have changed since we read it.
The source
CareerOneStop is a careers site sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. Its Resume Writing Guide walks through each part of a resume: top section, work experience, education, optional sections and formatting. We read its "Top section" page; what follows on contact details, headline and summary is from that page, in our own words.
Contact information
The guide lists these, and only these, for the top of the resume:
- Name: your full name or the name you prefer to be called. A work-related designation can follow it.
- City and state. The guide says there is no need to include your full street address.
- Personal email address, which should look professional.
- LinkedIn or portfolio link, if you have a complete profile that you keep up to date.
- Phone number.
The list contains no date of birth, photograph, marital status, nationality or parents' names. For an Indian applicant, the simplest rule is to include nothing personal beyond this list.
Headline
Below the contact details the guide recommends a headline: an attention-getting statement that identifies your focus. It can be just a job title, or a very short tagline of about ten to twelve words describing your key qualification. The guide stresses the reason: it says the typical time employers spend scanning a resume is under ten seconds, so the top must make a good impression.
Summary
An optional summary follows the headline. According to the guide it highlights top skills and accomplishments related to the job, using keywords from the job posting, in three to four sentences or three to five bullet points. The guide advises:
- Use numbers to create a picture of your experience.
- Include personal qualities relevant to the job.
- Mention recognition, such as repeated promotion or top sales.
- Avoid "puffed up" phrases and jargon.
- Skip the summary if you have little experience (about three years or less) or your work history shows a clear, consistent progression.
- For career changers, use the summary to show how experience carries over.
This is close to the advice on our neighbour site's summary and objective page, with one difference worth noting: the US guide treats the summary as optional for people with little experience.
The rest of the resume
The guide's other chapters cover work experience, education, optional sections and formatting, and CareerOneStop also explains applicant tracking systems and keywords. We did not read those pages in full, so we do not summarise them here; open the guide itself from the link in the source box. Its site also says, in its general resume pages, that responding to the job posting and using strong keywords are critical.
What this means for an Indian applicant
| Indian habit | For a US resume |
|---|---|
| Full postal address | City and state only |
| Date of birth, photo, marital status, father's name | Not among the contents the guide lists; leave out |
| "Career objective" paragraph | A headline, and an optional factual summary |
| Calling it a CV | Call it a resume; "CV" there means the long academic record |
| Dates as 05/07/2024 | Write the month in words; numeric dates are read month first in the US |
Practical points
Use American spelling. Explain Indian degrees, grades and employers briefly. Federal government jobs in the United States have their own application system and resume requirements, which differ from private-sector practice; read the instructions on the official federal jobs site for those. Work authorisation is a separate legal matter.
A single-column, one-page resume without photo or personal particulars, as produced by the builder on resume.shareyourgroup.com, fits the contact, headline and summary pattern described here.
Questions people ask
Do US resumes include a street address?
CareerOneStop says city and state are enough; there is no need for the full street address.
What is a resume headline?
A short statement under your contact details that identifies your focus: a job title or a tagline of about ten to twelve words.
Is a CV the same as a resume in the US?
No. In the United States "resume" is the short job document; "CV" usually means the full academic record.
Other countries
CV guides
General guidance. This page gives general suggestions, reviewed in November 2026. If an institution, employer or country gives its own form, format or instruction, follow that. Every person, institution and publication in our examples is invented. Nothing here is legal, immigration or professional advice.