Resume templates

Which resume format to use

A format is a decision about what a reader sees first, not a decision about how the page looks. Each one below states its section order, who it suits, and how it behaves when a machine reads it before a person does.

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ATS-Friendly resume template

A single-column, plain-text layout built so an applicant tracking system parses every field correctly.

5 sections · Anyone applying through a company's own application form, which is most people, most of the time.

Modern resume template

A clean contemporary layout: generous spacing, one accent colour, and a typographic hierarchy that guides the eye.

5 sections · Startups, technology companies, and any team that reads design as competence.

Simple resume template

The minimum viable resume: one typeface, one column, no ornament, nothing between the reader and the content.

4 sections · Experienced candidates whose history speaks for itself, and anyone who wants zero risk of a parsing problem.

Professional resume template

The conservative standard: serif or neutral sans, clear rules between sections, no colour, no surprises.

5 sections · Finance, law, healthcare, government, consulting, and large corporates generally.

Creative resume template

A designed document where the layout is itself a work sample - used carefully, and almost never alone.

5 sections · Designers, art directors, illustrators, and motion designers.

One-Page resume template

Everything that matters, on one page, because the second page is read far less often than people assume.

5 sections · Anyone with under about eight years of experience, and most people above it too.

Two-Column resume template

A sidebar for skills and contact details, a main column for experience. Space-efficient, and the riskiest common layout.

2 sections · Candidates sending the file directly to a person, in fields with long tool lists.

Reverse Chronological resume template

Roles in order, newest first. The default, and the one recruiters expect to see.

5 sections · Anyone with a continuous history in one direction, which is most people.

Functional resume template

Organised by skill rather than by job, with employment history reduced to a list at the bottom.

5 sections · Rare cases: a long absence, a portfolio career, or work that genuinely does not map to job titles.

Combination resume template

A short skills section up top, then a full reverse-chronological history. The functional format's benefit without its cost.

5 sections · Career changers, and anyone whose most relevant evidence is not in their most recent job.

Entry-Level resume template

Built for someone whose evidence is education, projects, and internships rather than employment.

6 sections · Students, recent graduates, and career starters.

Internship resume template

A one-page document for someone with no full-time history yet, where coursework and side projects do the work.

5 sections · Students applying for internships and placement years.

Career Change resume template

A document whose job is to make experience from one field legible to a reader in another.

5 sections · Anyone moving industry, function, or both.

Executive resume template

Two pages, opening with scope and results rather than responsibilities, aimed at a board or a search firm.

5 sections · Director level and above, and anyone with P&L or org-level ownership.