For international roles or global companies, an English CV is the standard. We walk you through the differences, section-by-section examples and translation tips, step by step.
An English CV is not a word-for-word translation of a local one. International hiring has its own conventions: photos and personal details are dropped, the language is more direct and results-driven, and date formats and terminology change. A poorly translated CV reads as 'not local', even when the content is strong.
Most international companies also scan applications with an ATS (Applicant Tracking System). The ATS looks for keywords from the English job posting; a CV full of local terms or machine translation gets filtered out. This guide helps you write an English CV that works for both the human reader and the ATS.
The most commonly confused points — use this table as a checklist.
| Aspect | Typical local CV | English CV / Resume |
|---|---|---|
| Photo | Often included | Not included (discrimination risk in US/UK) |
| Personal info | Birth date, marital status, ID may appear | Only name, phone, email, city and LinkedIn/portfolio |
| Length | 1-2 pages | Usually 1 page (2 if senior); US resumes are kept short |
| Header section | Short 'About me' | 'Professional Summary' — 2-3 result-driven sentences |
| Tone / wording | More formal, descriptive | Short, strong action verbs (Led, Built, Increased); no pronouns |
| Date format | DD.MM.YYYY | Month YYYY (e.g. 'Mar 2023 – Present') |
| References | May be listed | Even 'References available upon request' is now unnecessary |
Add your name, phone (with country code: +90…), a professional email, city + country and a LinkedIn/portfolio link. Skip full address, birth date and photo. A target job title under your name helps: e.g. 'Frontend Developer'.
In 2-3 sentences say who you are, how many years of experience you have and your strongest result. Avoid generic phrases like 'hardworking team player' — be concrete.
Example"Frontend developer with 4+ years building React applications. Improved page load time by 40% and led a 3-person UI team."
List in reverse-chronological order. Start each bullet with a strong action verb (Led, Developed, Increased, Reduced) and include numbers where possible. Use active verbs like 'Managed…' instead of 'Responsible for…'.
Example"Increased checkout conversion by 18% by redesigning the payment flow and running A/B tests."
State your university, degree and graduation year. Add your GPA only if it is high. Write university names in their official English form. High school is usually not needed.
Match skills to the terms used in the posting. Use an international scale for languages: 'English – C1 (Advanced)', 'Turkish – Native'. Prefer CEFR (A1–C2) over vague words like 'good/fair'.
The ATS looks for words from the posting in your CV. Open the job ad, note the repeated skills and tools, and match them honestly to your own experience. These are strong action verbs that work in any field:
These mistakes make even a strong CV look weak:
Build your CV in the AcceptCV editor, then convert it to English (or German, French, Spanish, Italian) with the AI-powered translation feature. The translation follows resume terminology — not word for word, but the language recruiters expect.
Build your CV in the editorFor US, UK and Canadian applications, no — photos are avoided to prevent discrimination and some ATS cannot read a CV with a photo. In parts of continental Europe (e.g. Germany) photos are still common; decide by target country.
In the US, a short, job-specific document is a 'resume'; a 'CV' is the long, academic one. In the UK and most of Europe, 'CV' is the general term. Use the term of the country you apply to.
One page is ideal for junior/mid profiles. With 10+ years of experience or an academic background it can go to two pages. Make sure every line adds value.
Use the CEFR scale: A1-A2 (beginner), B1-B2 (intermediate-upper), C1-C2 (advanced-native level). Write 'English – C1 (Advanced)'; 'good' or 'fluent' is vague.
No. Machine translation misses terminology and cultural differences (photo, pronouns, date format). AcceptCV's translation feature translates for resume language, but still review the result against the rules in this guide.
Use the official English name of universities. Company names are usually not translated, but if a company is not well known you can add a short note in parentheses (e.g. 'Trendyol (leading e-commerce platform in Turkey)').
ATS-friendly templates, AI-powered text and one-click English translation — all in one place.
Start free