Brazil is the largest job market in Latin America and the one that looks least like the US in how people apply. The document is called a currículo, it is written in Portuguese, it opens with a section that does not exist on a US resume, and it is almost always uploaded to a platform that reads it with software before a person does. A carefully translated American resume is still a foreign document if it keeps the US structure.
This guide covers what changes for an English speaker looking for work in Brazil: the document's name and length, the Objetivo line, photo and personal data, degree equivalences and revalidation, how experience is written, job boards and hiring customs, and the mistakes that mark a document as translated from English. The language side (verbs, calques, false friends) is covered in the resume in Portuguese guide.
In this guide
Currículo, not resume: name, length, and paper
In Brazil the document is the currículo (or currículo profissional). "CV" is understood, but job boards and postings say currículo, and so should the file name (Curriculo-Nome-Sobrenome.pdf) and the email that carries it. It runs one to two pages on A4 paper, reverse chronological, experience first when there is any.
The language is Portuguese unless the posting explicitly asks for English, which happens in multinationals and technology. An English-only application to a Brazilian company is read as a lack of adaptation, and a machine translation left unreviewed is worse, because the errors show by the third line. If Portuguese is at an intermediate level, the languages section should say so honestly and cite the CELPE-Bras exam with level and year if it has been taken.
The Objetivo line
The most visible structural difference is a one-line Objetivo placed right under the contact details: the target role or area, stated plainly, with no adjectives and no motivation statement. It works as a job title and the boards have a dedicated field for it.
- Objetivo: Analista de Marketing Digital
- Objetivo: Engenheiro de Dados Pleno
- Objetivo: Atuar na área de Controladoria
Brazilian seniority runs on three levels: júnior, pleno, and sênior. "Mid-level" translates as pleno, and the level often appears in the Objetivo itself. A three-line Resumo profissional with numbers may follow, but it is optional, and the US "professional summary" paragraph does not replace the Objetivo.
Optional photo, no CPF
The photo is optional in Brazil: neither expected as in Spain nor a liability as in the US. Many large employers ask for currículos without photos under diversity policies; when in doubt, leaving it out is the safe choice. The photo on resume guide covers the cases by industry.
On personal data, one rule with no exceptions: never an identification number. No SSN, no passport number, and no Brazilian CPF, which most newcomers do not have yet anyway. Those are requested at hiring. Date of birth and marital status were customary years ago and are now omitted. What does help is one line on immigration status, with no procedural detail: Residente com autorização de trabalho or Visto de trabalho em andamento. The phone keeps its country code until there is a local number, and the address shrinks to city and state.
Degrees: equivalences and revalidation
The trap is the word licenciatura. In Brazilian Portuguese it means a teaching qualification; the general undergraduate degree is bacharelado. A Bachelor's in Business Administration becomes Bacharelado em Administração; an Associate degree, Curso Tecnólogo or Curso Técnico depending on length; a graduate certificate, Pós-graduação lato sensu; a Master's, Mestrado; a PhD, Doutorado. The US MBA stays MBA, but it helps to add the school, because in Brazil "MBA" often names a shorter specialization. The university keeps its original name with the country in parentheses.
In regulated professions (medicine, engineering, law, accounting, nursing) a foreign degree requires revalidação at a Brazilian public university, followed by registration with the professional council (CREA, CRM, OAB, CRC). The process is long and the currículo should state where it stands: Revalidação de diploma em andamento (Universidade de São Paulo) answers the question before it is asked. The broader picture of working in another country is in the first job abroad guide.
Experience: verbs and numbers
Each position lists title, company, city, and dates with month and year, followed by three to five bullets. Brazilian bullets use first-person past-tense verbs (Liderei, Reduzi, Implementei), unlike the subjectless English style, and end in a measurable result. Responsável por describes the function and reads as filler.
- Reduzi o prazo de fechamento contábil de 12 para 5 dias úteis com a automação de conciliações no SAP.
- Liderei uma equipe de 8 vendedores e aumentei a receita da região em 18% em um ano.
US employers unknown in Brazil get a one-line context under the name (Rede regional de clínicas no Texas, 1.200 funcionários). Amounts are labeled with the original currency or converted to reais with aprox.; number format flips relative to English, with a period for thousands and a comma for decimals. Dates read jun/2022 a atual.
Job boards and hiring customs
Gupy is the platform most large and mid-size Brazilian companies use: it works as an ATS, requires a completed profile, and often includes online tests and sometimes a short video introduction. Catho, Vagas.com, and InfoJobs are the long-standing general boards, and LinkedIn and Indeed complete the map. Since Gupy reads the currículo with software, a single column, standard Portuguese headings (Experiência profissional, Formação acadêmica), and single-column resume templates on A4 are the safe base.
The typical process has an automated screen, tests, an HR interview, and an interview with the direct manager. Two customs that surprise Americans: the dinâmica de grupo (a group interview with exercises) is still common, especially for entry-level roles, and pretensão salarial (salary expectation) is asked on the form as a monthly figure, and is expected to be answered. Hiring vocabulary also changes: CLT is regular employment and PJ is contracting through one's own company. Cover letters are rarely requested.
Mistakes that mark a resume as translated from English
| Avoid | Better |
|---|---|
| English resume "because everyone reads it". | Currículo in Portuguese, reviewed by a native speaker. |
| A "Professional Summary" and no Objetivo. | Objetivo: Analista Financeiro Pleno under the contact details. |
| SSN, passport number, or CPF in the header. | City and state, phone with country code, email, LinkedIn. |
| Licenciatura em Administração. | Bacharelado em Administração, University of Texas (EUA). |
| Analista mid-level. | Analista pleno. |
| One Letter page with subjectless bullets. | One to two A4 pages with first-person verbs. |
| Responsável pelo escritório de vendas. | Coordenei o escritório comercial de 12 pessoas. |
Before sending, find three LinkedIn profiles with the target title in the target city and compare section headings, vocabulary, and length. Anything none of them uses is probably a carry-over from the US.
Sample header
For an applicant moving from Austin to São Paulo:
Emily Carter
São Paulo, SP · +1 512 555 0100 · emily.carter@email.com · linkedin.com/in/emilycarter
Residente com autorização de trabalho
Objetivo: Analista de Supply Chain Pleno
A three-line Resumo profissional follows, with years of experience, industry, and two results with numbers, and then the experience section. No photo (or a plain headshot if the industry expects one), no ID number, no date of birth.
Frequently asked questions
Does a resume for Brazil have to be in Portuguese?
Yes, unless the posting asks for English, as multinationals and technology companies often do. An English-only application to a Brazilian employer is read as a lack of adaptation. If Portuguese is at an intermediate level, the languages section should say so honestly.
What is the Objetivo line on a Brazilian currículo?
A single line under the contact details with the target role or area, no adjectives: Objetivo: Analista de Marketing Digital. It works as a job title and the boards have a dedicated field for it. Seniority (júnior, pleno, sênior) usually goes on the same line.
Does a Brazilian currículo include a photo?
It is optional. It is neither expected as in Spain nor a liability as in the US, and many large employers prefer to receive it without one under diversity policies. When in doubt, leave it out.
Should the CPF go on the currículo?
No. No identification number belongs on the currículo: not the CPF, not an SSN, not a passport number. Those are requested at hiring. A short line on immigration status, without procedural detail, is what actually helps.
How is a Bachelor's degree written for Brazil?
As Bacharelado followed by the field, because in Brazil licenciatura means a teaching degree. An Associate degree is Curso Tecnólogo or Curso Técnico, a Master's is Mestrado, and a PhD is Doutorado. In regulated professions, the currículo should state the status of the degree revalidation.