For international students

Your home-country resume
won't get past US ATS.

American recruiters expect a specific format, and an applicant tracking system rejects a two-column CV with a photo before anyone reads it. Apply Leaf converts your resume to US conventions and tailors it to each job you apply to — matching the keywords the posting asks for, using only your real experience. Built for OPT, CPT, and visa-sponsorship job searches.

Home-country resume → US: what changes

  • Colour → Color, organise → organize

    Spelling converted to American English

  • Photo removed automatically

    Avoids discrimination-liability rejection

  • Date of birth removed

    A personal detail US recruiters actively avoid

  • US norms, flagged

    Date style and the one-page convention — noted for you to apply, never silently rewritten

The problem

Qualified. Skilled. Still auto-rejected.

International students face a resume problem domestic candidates don't. Your resume was built for a different market — different formatting, spelling, and expectations about what belongs on the page. A US applicant tracking system doesn't care how qualified you are if it can't parse your document, and a generic resume gets filtered on the keywords it never mentions. Strong candidates get screened out before a recruiter sees their name.

Apply Leaf was built for exactly this. Upload your home-country resume, paste the US job you want, and it converts the format to US conventions and tailors the content to the posting in one pass — matching the keywords the role asks for, in American English, with every change shown for you to edit. Nothing invented, only your real experience.

How it works

From home-country format to a resume tailored to the US job

Upload your resume

Your existing resume — home-country format and all. Apply Leaf reads it as text, the way a US applicant tracking system does, and structures it into clean, editable fields.

Paste the US job description

Paste the posting you're applying to. Apply Leaf converts your resume to US conventions and finds the keywords the role is asking for that you're missing.

Review each change, then export

See every change — US format, US spelling, the role's keywords — edit any line, then download a clean, ATS-safe PDF or Word file. No watermark, no paywall.

AI resume tailoring

Paste a US job description and get your resume rewritten to lead with what the role asks for, in American English — using only your real experience.

Tailor my resume

Convert to US format

Happens as part of tailoring: the photo and personal details US recruiters avoid come off, spelling goes to American English, and US norms like date style and length are flagged for you to apply.

Convert as you tailor

See what's missing

A plain read of which of the role's requirements you already prove and which keywords from the US posting you don't — the honest gaps, never a fake score.

Find the gaps

Matching cover letters

Every tailored resume can carry a cover letter written from the same facts — aimed at the same US posting, in your voice, never boilerplate.

Tailor with a cover letter

ATS-safe formatting

Single-column layout, standard section headers, real selectable text — built to pass Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, and every major US applicant tracking system.

Build yours — free account

Free ATS-safe export

Download a clean PDF and Word file with real selectable text and no watermark on your first tailored resume — no paywall at the finish line.

See pricing

Questions international students ask

My resume uses my home country's format. Will it work for US jobs?

Probably not on its own. Countries differ on date formats, spelling, and what belongs on a resume at all — photos, age, or marital status that US recruiters actively avoid for legal reasons. Apply Leaf removes what doesn't belong, converts the spelling to American English, flags US norms like date style and length for you, and tailors the resume to each posting in one flow.

Do I need to remove my photo for US applications?

Yes. A photo on an American resume can get you auto-rejected — recruiters remove resumes with photos to protect against discrimination liability under equal-employment law. Apply Leaf strips the photo and other personal details US employers don't expect when it converts your resume to US format.

How do I tailor my resume for OPT, CPT, or visa-sponsorship jobs?

Upload your resume, paste the US job posting, and Apply Leaf shows which of the role's requirements you already meet and which keywords from the job posting you're missing, then rewrites the weak lines to match — in American English, using only your real experience. Address work authorization in the application form, not the resume itself.

I'm on an F-1/OPT visa. Should I put my work authorization on my resume?

Generally, keep it off the resume and answer it honestly in the application form or ATS screening questions. Your resume should stay focused on your qualifications and how they match the role. We never invent or misstate your status.

Is it free to tailor and convert my resume?

Your first tailored resume is free, full quality, with no watermark — the US format conversion and the ATS-safe PDF and Word export included. Beyond that, Pro (monthly or lifetime) unlocks unlimited tailoring. See the pricing page for current details — we never make a 'free forever' promise.

Turn over a new leaf

Ready to tailor your resume to a US job?

Convert your resume to US format, tailor it to the posting, and export a clean, ATS-safe PDF — free to start, no credit card, no watermark.