Vocations · Career Resources

A CV that reads right
where you are applying

What counts as a good CV changes at the border. A photo expected in one country is left off in another; one page is plenty here and too short there; even the paper size differs. Pick the country, enter how your CV is set up, and see each choice against common practice there, with flags for the slips that mark an application as out of place.

Add an applicationWhat you get

Applications abroad

The worked example is made up: a tester applying in Germany, a student taking a U.S.-style résumé to the United Kingdom and a draft for Japan. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Vocations · Career ResourcesFree

What you finish with
A record per application: the role, employer and country; your CV’s pages, photo, date of birth, marital status, references, paper size, date style, phone, profile line and languages; seven checks; each choice compared with common practice there, and a printed country checklist.
Who it is for
Students, graduates and job seekers applying for work or internships in another country, and the career advisers and teachers who help them.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per application. Prints a country checklist, the record, every application in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Career Resources space in Caveat Vocations.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Pick the country or format.
  2. Enter how your CV is set up.
  3. Read each flag against local practice.
  4. Fix the CV itself.
  5. Print the checklist to keep beside it.

Add an application

The same CV, seven ways

Common practice by countryWherePagesPhotoBirth datePaperU.S. and Canada1 to 2Leave offLeave offLetterUK and Ireland1 to 2Leave offLeave offA4German-speaking1 to 3OptionalOptionalA4France1 to 2OptionalOptionalA4Europass1 to 3OptionalOptionalA4Australia and NZ1 to 3Leave offLeave offA4Japan2 to 4ExpectedExpectedA4Common practice by countryU.S. and CanadaPages: 1 to 2Photo: Leave offBirth date: Leave offPaper: LetterUK and IrelandPages: 1 to 2Photo: Leave offBirth date: Leave offPaper: A4German-speakingPages: 1 to 3Photo: OptionalBirth date: OptionalPaper: A4FrancePages: 1 to 2Photo: OptionalBirth date: OptionalPaper: A4EuropassPages: 1 to 3Photo: OptionalBirth date: OptionalPaper: A4Australia and NZPages: 1 to 3Photo: Leave offBirth date: Leave offPaper: A4JapanPages: 2 to 4Photo: ExpectedBirth date: ExpectedPaper: A4
Common practice, not law: the employer’s instructions in the posting always come first.

Why the differences exist

In the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, anti-discrimination practice means employers prefer CVs without a photo, age or family details. In German-speaking countries a photo is still common but optional, and applications often include certificates and reference letters from past employers. In Japan the standard résumé form asks for a photo and date of birth.

Small things that travel badly

A date like 03/04/2024 means March 4 in the United States and 3 April almost everywhere else, so write the month as a word. Give your phone number with its country code. Use A4 paper outside North America. Explain degrees and grades a reader abroad may not know, and rate languages on the CEFR scale where employers use it. When the posting says otherwise, follow the posting.

Sources

  1. European Union. Europass: create your CV and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages self-assessment grid (europass.europa.eu).
  2. National Careers Service (England). How to write a CV (nationalcareers.service.gov.uk).
  3. Make it in Germany, the German government portal for skilled workers. Application documents in Germany (make-it-in-germany.com).
  4. Australian Government, Your Career. Résumés and referees (yourcareer.gov.au).
  5. U.S. Department of Labor, CareerOneStop. Résumé guide (careeronestop.org).

The worked example is made up, including the people and employers. Conventions are common practice drawn from public career guidance, not rules; they shift by industry and over time, and the employer’s own instructions always come first. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.