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CV or Résumé: Which Does the Employer Want?

2 min read · Updated 13 September 2026

Short answer

In the US, a résumé is a one to two page summary and a CV is a long academic document. In the UK, India and most of Europe, CV means the short document. When applying internationally, send the two-page version and call it whatever the ad calls it.

The words mean different things in different places, and remote hiring crosses all of them.

The regional split

  • US and Canada: résumé is the short document; CV is academic and long
  • UK, Ireland, India, most of Europe: CV is the short document
  • Academia everywhere: CV means the full publication record

What to actually send

For any non-academic remote job, send a one or two page document. Name the file with your own name and the word the ad used. Nobody has ever been rejected for the filename, but matching it removes a small friction.

The one real difference to observe

Some regions expect a photo, date of birth or marital status on a CV. Most English-speaking employers do not want any of them, and including them can create legal awkwardness. Leave them off unless the ad asks.

Common questions

Should I put a photo on my CV?

Not for US, UK, Irish or most remote-international applications. Some European and Middle Eastern employers still expect one.

Is a CV longer than a résumé?

Only in the US sense, where CV means an academic document. Elsewhere they are the same thing.

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