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US Resume Format (American Style Resume Samples)

Land of the brave, home of the free. You’re free to do as you like here! Apart from the US resume format. Turns out Americans are pretty attached to it.

Dave Rygielski
Dave Rygielski
Career Expert
US Resume Format (American Style Resume Samples)

Do you think life would taste better if you were allowed to carry a Colt .45 on your belt at all times? Or perhaps you can’t live without the NYC pizza slice, or the LA traffic? All valid reasons to move to America.

 

The American resume format doesn’t differ that much from CVs around the world, but American CVs are something else and reserved mainly for academic position applications. The US resume format is pretty straight forward, so—alright, this is America, time is money. 

 

In this guide you'll see:

  • An American resume samples better than most.
  • How to make the US resume format.
  • Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing a job with usa resume.

 

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Looking for US resume templates for certain positions? See:

 

Haven't found the job you're looking for? Check our resume examples for over 280 jobs.

 

US Resume Sample You Can Copy and Use

 

Carol J. Grier

932 Hickory Heights Drive

Baltimore, MD 21234

443-885-1957

CarolJGrier@dayrep.com

 

Personable waitress with 3+ years of fine dining experience in a dynamic Baltimore location. Used to handling 300+ orders a shift with 100% accuracy, managed to maintain a 99.8% guest satisfaction score and win Waiter of the Month four times in a row. Looking to apply proven skills and friendly persona to provide world-class service at Gaucho’s.

 

Work Experience

 

Waitress

The Lobster, Baltimore

May 2017—Present

  • Fine-dining waitress in a high-traffic Baltimore location with $4m in annual revenue.
  • Handling 300+ orders a shift, maintaining 100% accuracy.
  • Maintained a 99.8% guest satisfaction score for 20 months in a row.
  • Achieved “Waiter of a month” four months in a row.
  • Taking care of 10+ tables at once, meeting standards of the restaurant.
  • Trained 5 crew members, checking their menu knowledge once a month.
  • Implemented new menu introduction strategy, increasing customers purchases of desserts by 20%.

 

Skills

 

  • Interpersonal skills
  • Teamwork
  • Employee training
  • Wine and food pairing
  • Multitasking

 

Education

 

BA in Food and Nutrition, 2015-2017

University of Maryland, College Park, US

 

Languages

 

  • Spanish (fluent)
  • Portuguese (intermediate)
  • German (basic)

 

Certifications

 

  • First Aid, CPR, BLS (American Red Cross)

 

Seems easy enough, right?. But before we dive in let's learn what American resume exactly is: 

 

US Resume Format

 

A typical American resume is a one-page document that closely resembles a CV. The format of resumes in the US presents information in reverse-chronological order, meaning you start with your most recent job and work backwards. Most American resumes begin with a heading statement, followed by sections on experience, education, and skills.

 

Now, let's see what you should put on your USA resume:

 

1. US Resume Format Details

 

There are only a few specific things about American resume you should know about, but overall it's very similar to the international CVs. 

 

Both are used when applying for job and shows your experience, skills and interested personalized to the job you're applying for. 


But there ara a few things you should be aware of when comes to the US resume format:

 

  • Most US resumes are one-page long. If you have more than 7 years of experience or have a lot of relevant accomplishments, you can go for a longer one.
  • You should use American English on your American Resume.
  • Don't add your personal information such as photo, marital status, birthday, religion, race, etc. while formatting your US resume. 
  • Unless asked, don't add referenreces in your US resume
  • Don't include your Authorization to Work in the US on a resume. It's illegal for employers to ask for proof of your eligibility to work in the US until after giving you a job offer.

 

Okay, we've covered the basics. Now let's learn how to write an American resume

 

2. Use the US Resume Format 

 

Most American resume templates order your experience in the reverse-chronological resume format. This brings the most recent stuff to the top, and creates an easily skimmable structure.

 

If you’re undergoing a career change, or you are at the very beginning of your career, you could opt for a skills-based resume, also called a functional resume format. This will shift the spotlight to your chosen skills and will help justify any employment gaps or other positions.

 

Now let’s run through all the relevant US resume sections.

 

3. Add a Proper Header

 

Of course, you don’t need to be told that you need to include a resume header, however, it’s important you check you haven’t missed anything important. It should include your address, phone number you can always be reached on, and email address, at the very least.

 

For office and corporate jobs (careers), most people add a LinkedIn profile. This allows you more depth and information (if they want it), without exceeding acceptable resume length (more about that later).

 

For specialist jobs, portfolio links are needed, for example, Behance for graphic designers, GitHub for programmers, etc.

 

Be sure to omit things we've mentioned before (also more on that later) on your US resume, since it can harm your resume at the very beginning. 


Here's how it should look on your US resume: 

 

American Style Resume Header

Good Example

Carol J. Grier

932 Hickory Heights Drive

Baltimore, MD 21234

443-885-1957

CarolJGrier@dayrep.com

4. Write a Resume Profile

 

After all the organizational details, we come to the resume profile. This is a place on your US resume, where you're outlining who you are and why you are applying for the job—the ‘why’ being your 2-3 biggest achievements, not ‘because I have rent to pay and 2 kids’!

 

For someone with substantial experience and some achievements, a resume summary is best. If you’re early in your career, and you want to focus on your transferable skills and ambition, you should use a resume objective.

 

USA Resume Profile 

Good Example
Personable waitress with 3+ years of fine dining experience in a dynamic Baltimore location. Used to handling 300+ orders a shift with 100% accuracy, managed to maintain a 99.8% guest satisfaction score and win Waiter of the Month four times in a row. Looking to apply proven skills and friendly persona to provide world-class service at Gaucho’s.

5. List Your Work Experience

 

When thinking what to include on your resume, obviously work experience is the first thing that comes to mind. However, recording it correctly can be tricky in an American resume 

 

Every work experience section should be structured with your job title, the name of the company you worked for, and the employment dates for each entry. Each of those should contain a list of bullet points describing your responsibilities.

 

However, the perfect resume for the US will follow this job description:

  • Bullet point explaining the primary role, the size and type of company, the type of work, i.e.: ‘Fine-dining waitress in a high-traffic Baltimore location with $4m in annual revenue.’
  • Bullet point explaining your primary responsibility, with numbers, i.e.: ‘Handling 300+ orders a shift, maintaining 100% accuracy.’
  • Few bullet points discussing specific achievements, i.e.: ‘Achieved “Waiter of a month” four months in a row.’
  • A bullet point or two discussing teamwork and mentoring achievements, i.e.:’Trained 5 crew members, checking their menu knowledge once a month.’

 

Avoid discussing boring responsibilities—they know what the job entails. At least 75% of your bullet points should contain achievements or numbers to back yourself up.

 

Here's more job description for US resume tips:

  • Start each bullet point with a resume power words, i.e ‘Implemented’, ‘Improved’, ‘Generated’, etc.
  • Use 6-10 bullet points for your most recent position, and limit yourself to 3 for older positions.
  • Use resume keywords from the job ad and an ATS resume template to make sure your American resume will pass through the Applicant Tracking Systems that look for specific phrases.
  • Only include positions that are relevant, or have transferable skills.

 

US Resume Example Work History 

Good Example

Waitress

The Lobster, Baltimore

May 2017—Present

  • Fine-dining waitress in a high-traffic Baltimore location with $4m in annual revenue.
  • Handling 300+ orders a shift, maintaining 100% accuracy.
  • Maintained a 99.8% guest satisfaction score for 20 months in a row.
  • Achieved “Waiter of a month” four months in a row.
  • Taking care of 10+ tables at once, meeting standards of the restaurant.
  • Trained 5 crew members, checking their menu knowledge once a month.
  • Implemented new menu introduction strategy, increasing customers purchases of desserts by 20%.

The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume builder now.

 

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6. Mention Your Education on a US Resume

 

The importance of the education section on your US resume will differ depending on your industry and amount of experience.

 

Starting from your highest qualification, list the degree or diploma name, and below, school name and location. List a graduation date. If you have a degree, skip the high school stuff.

 

If you don’t have much work experience and this is one of your first jobs, you can list some academic achievements in bullet points below, such as scholarships. If that’s not going to fill much space, you can list coursework that is relevant to your new job.

 

Education on a US Resume Example

Good Example

Education

 

BA in Food and Nutrition, 2015-2017

University of Maryland, College Park, US

7. List Your Skills

 

You will notice that most modern resumes look similar, and contain a skills section, if not fully fledged, then at least in a tab on the side. 

 

Do you have a list of skills to put on your resume? Or perhaps you have some skills that don’t warrant a full bullet point elsewhere, but you’d still like to include? This is where it goes.

 

This will help pass through the ATS systems. Tip: ATS systems don’t look for ‘punctuality’. Focus on real, specialist skills. According to LinkedIn, these are the skills in demand:

 

American Resume Skills

 

Soft Skills

 

  • Creativity
  • Persuasion
  • Collaboration
  • Adaptability
  • Emotional Intelligence

 

Hard Skills

 

  • Blockchain
  • Cloud Computing
  • Analytical Reasoning
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • UX Design
  • Business Analysis
  • Affiliate Marketing
  • Sales
  • Scientific Computing
  • Video Production

 

And this is how this section should be formatted on your resume:

 

Skills Section on American Resumes

Good example

Skills

 

  • Interpersonal skills
  • Teamwork
  • Employee training
  • Wine and food pairing
  • Multitasking

8. Add Additional US Resume Sections

 

Most US resumes will contain a confusing, irrelevant mishmash of stuff in a badly structured ‘Additional Info’ section. It’s one of the most common resume mistakes

 

Everything should be clearly structured, so include bonus resume sections under these clear headings:

 

Extra Sections of US Resume Format

Good Example

Languages

 

  • Spanish (fluent)
  • Portuguese (intermediate)
  • German (basic)

 

Certifications

 

  • First Aid, CPR, BLS (American Red Cross)

Expert Hint: Only include relevant things—remember your US resume is a picture of you as a perfect candidate, not the fullest possible picture of your person. 

9. Format Your US Resume Properly

 

Your resume needs to look the part, too. This why you should follow these US resume format rules:

 

US Resume Format

 

 

These tips will get you a job:

 

10. What Not to Include on American Resumes

There are certain things that you can put on your international CV, but you shouldn't put on your american resume:

 

  • Age
  • Country of origin
  • Date of birth
  • Ethnicity
  • Immigrant status
  • Marital status
  • Number of children
  • Personal identification numbers
  • Photo
  • Race
  • Religion
  • Sex
  • Social Security Number

 

One last thing.

 

Write a cover letter. There’s no better way to get your foot in the door at a target company.

 

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.

 

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Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

 

Key Points

 

For a US resume that gets interviews:

  • Use the reverse-chronological resume format. It's the most common format in US resumes. 
  • Put your achievements in your summary, work history, education, and other sections to show you’ve got what they need.
  • Pick the right skills for the US resume. Look through the job description of interest and check wheat the employer needs.
  • Write a cover letter. Make it stand out by showing your passion and how you’ll really help the store.

 

Did we answer all your questions on the US resume format? Was our US resume template helpful? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply.

 

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

 

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.

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Dave Rygielski
Dave Rygielski
Dave is a career expert delivering a wide range of well-researched advice regarding the job hunting and application process. At ResumeLab, his data-driven resume and cover letter guides help readers capitalize on their potential.

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