What order should the sections go in?

Header; then Summary, two sentences; then Experience: three to five bullets on recent roles, one on older ones; then Skills; then Education, one line. Move something up only when the specific posting makes it the most relevant thing about you.

PDF, unless the form asks for a Word file. A PDF looks the same everywhere and modern parsers read it fine. The exception is agency recruiters, who sometimes want an editable file so they can add their own header.

Should I use a template at all?

Use a structure. A structure tells you what each section is for and in what order; a template hands you a layout that was designed around someone else's history. The moment you find yourself cutting real content to fit a box, the template is making the decision instead of you.

Resume template

One-Page resume template

Everything that matters, on one page, because the second page is read far less often than people assume. Here is the section order, the reader it is built for, and the situation where it quietly costs you the interview.

Section order

1Header
2Summary, two sentences
3Experience: three to five bullets on recent roles, one on older ones
4Skills
5Education, one line

Best for: Anyone with under about eight years of experience, and most people above it too.

What a one-page resume is

Everything that matters, on one page, because the second page is read far less often than people assume. Anyone with under about eight years of experience, and most people above it too. The format is not decoration: section order decides what a reader sees in the six seconds they give the page, and that is the whole reason to choose one deliberately. Everything after the header is ordered by how much it helps this particular reader decide, which is why the same history belongs in a different sequence for a different job.

When a one-page resume is the right choice

A format is right when it puts your strongest evidence where the reader looks first. For this one, that means:

You can cut older roles to a single line without losing the argument.
The recent work is strong enough to carry the page on its own.
You want the reader to finish the document, which on one page they usually do.

When it costs you

Every format has a failure mode, and most people meet theirs without ever finding out. For this one:

Fitting one page means shrinking to 9pt and removing all white space. Two readable pages beat one unreadable one.
You are in a field where a full publication or project list is expected.

How this format handles applicant tracking systems

Length is irrelevant to a parser. This is purely about the human, who has about six seconds.

One column parses reliably. Two columns often do not.
Use standard headings: Experience, Education, Skills. Invented headings get skipped.
Keep dates in one consistent format on the same line as the job title.
Never put contact details, or anything else you cannot lose, inside an image or a text box.
Submit a PDF unless the form explicitly asks for a Word file.

Building one

Start from the content, not the file. Write the bullets first, in plain text, then pour them into the layout. Doing it the other way round produces a document that is designed around empty space.

Write every role's bullets before you open a template. Verb first, number in the middle.
Order the sections as above, then move only what the specific job makes more relevant.
Read it once at 50% zoom. If the shape does not tell you what the person does, the layout is not working.
Export to PDF and open it in a plain text viewer. What you can read there is roughly what a parser sees.

FAQ

Is a one-page resume good for applicant tracking systems?: Length is irrelevant to a parser. This is purely about the human, who has about six seconds.
Who should use a one-page resume?: Anyone with under about eight years of experience, and most people above it too.
What order should the sections go in?: Header; then Summary, two sentences; then Experience: three to five bullets on recent roles, one on older ones; then Skills; then Education, one line. Move something up only when the specific posting makes it the most relevant thing about you.
PDF or Word?: PDF, unless the form asks for a Word file. A PDF looks the same everywhere and modern parsers read it fine. The exception is agency recruiters, who sometimes want an editable file so they can add their own header.
Should I use a template at all?: Use a structure. A structure tells you what each section is for and in what order; a template hands you a layout that was designed around someone else's history. The moment you find yourself cutting real content to fit a box, the template is making the decision instead of you.

Other formats

ATS-Friendly resume template Modern resume template Simple resume template Professional resume template Creative resume template Two-Column resume template Reverse Chronological resume template Functional resume template Combination resume template Entry-Level resume template Internship resume template Career Change resume template Executive resume template

See it filled in

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Put this to work

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Every bullet stays inside what your history actually supports.
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