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Resume templates

Put your best qualities on display with professional, customizable resume and cv templates. no matter your line of work or length of professional history, you'll find resume and cv templates that'll help you get the gig..

Download free resume templates

Land your dream job with free, customizable resume templates. Showcase your potential to recruiters and stand out from other candidates with a professional template. Whether you're applying to corporate positions or creative roles, go with a sleek design or show your creativity with bold colors .

Resumes don't need to look boring—add flair to your professional experience with a creative resume template. There are plenty of resume designs to choose from, like simple resume templates and modern resume templates. Each resume template is fully customizable in Microsoft Word , so you can personalize each design element and add your own text. Using a template also makes it easier to customize your resume for each position you apply to.

Print out as many copies as you'd like or download the template for free to share digitally when applying online. These professional resume templates are perfect for any stage of life or career. Whether you're a high school student, actor, or seeking a career in nursing, you can find any format for any job type.

There are also a variety of free CV (Curriculum Vitae) templates to choose from. A CV is often longer than a resume and contains an in-depth look at your education and professional accomplishments. Like our resume templates, these CV templates are also customizable in Word.

Remember, your next job is only a template away! Once you've customized your resume, explore free cover letter templates to help you land the job.

• Resume Templates
• Resume Examples
• Free Resume Builder
• How to Write a Resume
• Resume Format
• Resume Packs
• Cover Letter Templates
• Cover Letter Examples
• Free Cover Letter Generator
• How To Write a Cover Letter
• CV Templates
• CV Examples
• Free CV Maker
• Resume Help
• Cover Letter Help
• Job Interview
• Career Advice

Free Resume Templates

Download in Word, Google Docs, PDF 

Today is a great day to level up your resume.  Free resume templates in every style, format, and design you can imagine. 

Discover 180+ Resume Templates

Professional Resume Templates

Professional resume templates for job seekers with ample work experience. Showcase your skills and qualifications. Browse our best free resume templates to give your resume the glow-up it deserves. 

• Sleek, functional layout 
• “Sells” you as a strong candidate
• Suitable for all job titles 

Modern Resume Templates

Modern resume templates for Microsoft Word provide stylish, crisp, fresh design elements that will help you grab a recruiter’s attention in just six seconds. The right resume template for candidates in the tech and startup industry. 

• Chronological resume templates
• Made for readability and skimming
• Instant, free download

Simple and Basic Resume Templates

Uncluttered editable resume template with minimal styling. Choose a time-tested basic resume design to avoid any faux pas with employers or applicant screening software. 

• Editable and printable resume design 
• Easy customization in Word 
• Suitable for all resume formats

Creative Resume Templates

Don’t want a bland, blank resume template? These creative resume templates offer a perfectly balanced mix of personality, professionalism, and playfulness to make a strong first impression. 

• Free editable resume templates
• Unique personal branding
• Creative layout and formatting

Free CV Templates

Professional CV templates, perfectly suited for academic and federal jobs in the US and any type of job application in Europe. An impactful selection of the best CV templates with proper layout and formatting. 

• Full CV layout and formatting
• User-friendly design 
• Instant download CV templates 

ATS-Friendly Resume Templates

Clean and compelling resume design that sits well with applicant tracking software and hiring managers alike. Optimized fonts, clear formatting syntax, and optimal layout for readability.  

• Compatible with popular ATSs 
• One-column layout 
• Suitable for all experience levels 

Resume Templates With Photo

Put a face behind the name to make a memorable first impression. Resume templates with photos to land a dream job in acting, modeling, or creative professions. 

• Editable headshot space
• Optimized section layout 
• Brandable styles 

How to Choose The Best  Resume Template? 

Not sure which resume design works for your profession? Go with a professional resume template if you’re an experienced worker applying via email. Or download a basic resume template if the company uses an ATS — this way, your resume won’t get filtered out. 

Gunning up for a job in a creative industry or a hip startup? Try out one of the modern resume templates or a creative resume design to give your job application a unique, brandable flair. Resume templates with photos also work great! 

Or better yet, test-drive several free resume templates to see which one gets you the most positive responses! 

Resume Templates for Different File Formats

Get a free editable resume template in your preferred format — Microsoft Word (.doc), PDF, or Google Docs. 

Free Word Resume Templates 

The best resume templates for Microsoft Word. Our most downloaded and top-rated designs in .doc and .docx format are the ones you have seen on this page until here, so make sure to scroll back to the top if MS Word format is what you are looking for.

Google Docs Resume Templates 

Discover attention-grabbing resume templates for Google Docs. Download and edit your new resume design in the cloud, then share it with others with one click. 

Free Resume in PDF 

Use our free tool to make a resume online in PDF format. Write your resume faster with contextual tips and instantly generate a PDF copy for free. No account is required. 

Check our free resume builder

Resume Templates By Professions 

Get done with writing faster by downloading a pre-filled resume template for your position. Take advantage of the pointers and sample texts created by a professional team of resume writers.

Our remarkable set of role-based resume templates includes the optimal visual layout paired with text snippets you can use to model your own resume.

How to Use Your Free Editable Resume Template 

• Select a design you fancy and download a free copy to your computer. 
• Open the template in Microsoft Word or Google Docs to personalize. 
• Fill in the blanks using your personal details. Refer to relevant resume examples for ideas and tips. 
• Review and edit your resume. Include strong verbs and adjectives to add persuasion. 
• Save and name your document: Resume – First name and Surname. 
• Create a PDF resume version to send via email. PDFs help avoid formatting issues. 

How To Write A Resume

A resume template is the best cure for the blank page syndrome. You’re halfway done — all that’s left is to fill in the blanks in the resume template and hit save. 

Select The Right Resume Format 

The 3 most popular resume formats are chronological, functional, and combination resumes. 

• Chronological resume organizes the information like LinkedIn does – from the latest position to the first one, with education, interests, and additional info listed later. It’s the most popular resume format, preferred for recruiters. Go for it unless you’re entry-level or changing careers. 
• Functional resume keeps the focus on your skills and experience, rather than employment history. It’s the go-to choice for candidates with employment gaps and those without much hands-on work experience.
• Combination resume takes the best of both worlds and allows you to spice up your “dry” employment history with some juicy details about your skill set and achievements. Startups and edgier companies may prefer this. 

Create a Compelling Summary 

A resume summary is a two-sentence statement highlighting your key qualifications, skills, and value proposition for the role. It sits in the header area, right after your name and contact details. Think of it as a teaser to a movie — you should put your most marketable skills upfront to immediately capture the hiring manager’s attention and get them interested in reading the full copy. 

Add Work History 

List your employers in reverse chronological order. Each entry should include the employment date, job title, company name, key responsibilities, and achievements listed in bullet format . Include 3 to 5 bullet points for each position. Don’t get long-winded — your resume must fit into one page. 

Include Marketable Resume Skills 

With skills-based hiring on the rise, you must demonstrate specific competencies rather than just tenure and educational credentials. Showcase your best hard and soft skills in a featured sidebar section, plus your resume summary and work experience entries.

Check the following posts for ideas:

• Business acumen skills for resume
• Critical thinking skills for a resume 
• Conceptual skills for a resume
• Leadership skills for a resume 
• Organizational skills for a resume 
• Technical skills for a resume  
• Childcare skills for resume 
• Nursing skills for a resume 
• Transferable skills for a resume 
• Retail skills for a resume  

List Education 

Unless you are a recent graduate, don’t dwell on this section too much. Simply list all your degrees (highest to lowest), the name of your educational institution, and your graduation date. But if you’re still in college, you can also add your GPA , dean’s list , or research .  

Learn more from our ultimate guide to writing, styling, and formatting a resume . 

FAQs about Resume Templates 

Your popular Qs about our free resume templates answered. 

How can I format my resume for free?

Download a free pre-formatted resume template from Freesumes.com in your preferred format (Word or Google Docs). Open a copy in the word processing software and edit the blank sections with personal details. Click save, and you’ll have a professionally formatted resume in no time.

Is there a truly free resume builder?

Yes, Freesumes resume builder is 100% free to use. No account registration is required. Using our free generator, you can make a resume in PDF using one of the six free templates and contextual writing prompts created by expert writers.

What is the most popular resume template?

The most popular resume templates are chronological resume templates. You can find several dozen popular, professional resume templates on Freesumes in Word and Google Doc formats. Our templates have been downloaded over 4 million times! 

How to get a free resume template?

Head to freesumes.com and check our collection of 180+ fabulously free resume templates in different styles and formats. Select a design you like and click the download button to get an instant free copy in .docx format without any account registration. 

Do employers not like resume templates?

Employers don’t mind resume templates as long as they are professionally made and properly formatted. A sloppy or too vivid design, however, will make you look amateurish. Choose a simple, well-structured resume template in neutral colors, and you’ll always get a positive impression from a prospective employer. 

Is it better to make your own resume or use a template?

This totally depends on you. If you have an eye for design and know information architecture best practices, you can make a stellar resume on your own. Otherwise, you can save heaps of time by using a premade professional resume template to avoid any mishaps with layout or font selection.

Resume Templates

Each resume template is expertly designed and optimized to get your resume through ATS filters. Stand out and get hired faster with tried and true resume templates.

Professional and elegant resume template with a timeline structure.

Powerful modern resume template with bold section highlights.

Modern minimalist resume template structure with graceful clarity.

Perfect balance of fresh and functional resume template design.

Classic full-page resume template with sizable resume sections.

Striking modern header, professional two column template structure.

Tech-inspired design, minimalist page, skill-point visuals.

Classically structured resume template, for a robust career history.

A touch of personality with a well-organized resume structure.

Modern and eye-catching resume template. Beautiful contrasting structure.

Rated 4.6 out of 5

Free resume templates.

Hey there. So you're looking for a job? Your resume is your first opportunity to make an impression on the hiring manager. For most job applicants, it is their last. Did you know that ATS (Applicant Tracking Software, used in over 75% of recruitment processes) automatically filter out 3 of 4 resumes? These 75% of resumes are never seen by a human because they're filtered out for incorrect formatting or missing keywords. 4 out of 5 applicants who submit a resume never get to interview. Hiring managers spend on average only 6 seconds looking at a resume. Does your resume have the right keywords to pass through ATS filters? Does it have the visual polish to catch the Hiring Manager's attention in those crucial few seconds?

Fortunately, our free resume builder software can ensure your resume will be 1 of those 5 that makes it to interview. Made by Design and Resume Writing professionals, NextLevelResume gives you an optimized resume to beat ATS filters and stand out to Hiring Managers. Simply fill out your profile and we will generate a perfect, professionally designed resume. If you have LinkedIn, our LinkedIn import makes it a breeze to pull your information into your profile. Our content recommendations make filling out your profile as easy as online shopping. Simply point and click on suggestions from our bank of example skills and phrases proven to catch the attention of hiring managers and pass ATS filters.

As you fill out your profile, you can preview in any of our free, professionally designed resume templates. Generally, free MS Word resume templates break shortly after you start filling in your information. But not NextLevelResume. Not only will NextLevelResume make your resume more likely to get you the job you're applying for, it makes the process of creating your resume much faster and easier!

Once you've finished filling out your profile and selected a resume template that suits you, you can download to PDF format for free! PDFs are recruiters' and hiring managers' preferred file format for resumes. Resumes in other file formats can easily be changed on accident (and are often ruined) as different people in the recruitment process open or forward the resume between one another. With a PDF resume, you can be certain the recruiter or hiring manager will see on their screen exactly what you have crafted on yours.

The Top 10 tips below are meant to guide you through picking the best resume template to land not just any job – but a dream position that will open new doors to a meaningful career. Let’s go!

Top 10 Tips For Picking a Resume Template

• Understand the standards of your industry
• Familiarize yourself with the tone of your company
• Decide on the self-image you want to present
• Reflect on which sections are most important for your career
• Think about where you’ll need to add the most writing
• Evaluate the presentation and attractiveness of the template
• Pay attention to whether icons and color are appropriate for your industry
• Check if you’ll have space for a photo or logo if it’s needed
• Assess the most eye-catching section and make sure it matches your needs
• Choose the resume that captures your personal style and feels right for you!

If there was one resume template that worked for everyone – well, our website would be much, much smaller. But the truth is, a variety of templates are important to help capture the uniqueness of each candidate. And as beautiful as each resume template might be, a hiring manager doesn’t want to see the same one 100 times in a row. At the end of the day, the choice comes down to you. It’s important to evaluate the level of professionalism in your industry and at the company you’re applying to and decide if a modern, stylish resume or a more traditional one would be in line with those standards.

Beyond that, it’s about highlighting the experiences and abilities that make you unique. In some industries, a pop of color or a friendly photo can do the trick. In others, you’ll have to rely on your expert writing to sell yourself as a top candidate

Let’s say you pick a template but find out the skills section just doesn’t have enough space for all your talents. The best part about using our resume creator is that you can switch between templates with ease. So go on, pick a resume template and test it out . Changing your mind is never a problem.

What makes the best resume template

Most resumes contain the same basic elements: contact info, a profile summary and sections for experience, education, skills and achievements. While our builder tool makes it easy to add or delete sections based on your industry and needs, it’s a good idea to start with a resume template that offers you the best chances at customization. The best layouts make your information attractive and clear, with the right balance of text and white space. Color and icons should be used depending on the best practices for your industry, and whether or not to include a photo often depends on the country where you intend to work.

Our resume templates are expertly designed so that all your information fits on one page (strongly recommended for most industries and experience levels), without looking crammed or cluttered. Our resume builder tool, along with our guides, will help you create the best layout that makes the most of each element.

The job hunt is a fierce competition, and you’ll want to take on this challenge from all angles. That means applying to multiple positions at once. Tailoring your resume for each and every opening is not only highly suggested, it’s the reality of the 22st century hiring process. But that doesn’t mean it has to be time consuming. With our subscription service, you can edit, update and change your resume as many times as you’d like and download each new version as a .pdf to make the application process run even smoother.

CV Templates for every career

As a candidate, you are a unique individual with the skills and experience to get the job done. So why shouldn’t your resume be just as interesting as you are? When it comes to convincing an employer to hire you, your resume is the best way to tell your story and make a strong first impression. That’s why we’ve curated a collection of dozens of expertly-designed CV templates to fit a variety of fields and career levels. To make choosing a template even easier, we’ve divided our collection into five types: professional, modern, creative, simple and basic. These groupings offer a great starting point to explore the CV templates best suited for your field. Then, if nothing catches your eye, try another collection to find the right style and add your personal flair.

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Free Resume Templates [Download & Print]

Customize your resume like you’d customize your favorite coffee order. Step into the limelight with a professional, simple, and ATS-friendly resume template designed to capture and keep the attention of recruiters and hiring managers.

Elegant – Best for senior and mid-level candidates

There’s plenty of room in our elegant resume template to add your professional experience while impressing recruiters with a sleek design.

Official – Best for candidates with 3+ years of experience

With your job experience and a stunning resume layout, recruiters will be ready to give your application the official stamp of approval.

Standout – Best for professionals eager to make a mark

Looking for one of the best resume templates? Your accomplishments are sure to stand out with these bold lines and distinct resume sections.

Professional – Best for jobs requiring a traditional resume

A professional resume like this one communicates a more formal tone, but it’s unique enough to still leave a favorable first impression.

Classic – Best for mid and entry-level candidates

Our classic resume template is anything but basic. A classic look can bring out your best work—whether for projects or traditional experience.

Minimalist – Best for resumes with multiple roles

This minimalist resume template curtails lines and color, so it can maximize your job experience and highlight your professional achievements.

Compact – Best for professionals light on experience

Lacking experience doesn’t mean you can’t make a good resume. A compact resume template can spotlight projects, internships, and school.

Modern – Best for careers that encourage creativity

Browsing for creative resume templates for graphic design, photography, or event planning? Make a statement with this modern resume.

Built to Pass Through the ATS

When you enter our AI resume maker , you can have total confidence that the resume template you choose is ATS-friendly. Get the green light from the bots so real people can see what an incredible candidate you are for their company.

Creative & Professional Templates

Whether your industry calls for a creative design and a bold pop of color or a more subdued and traditional resume style, we have you covered. Our standout resume templates are all professional while giving you the freedom to choose.

AI-Powered Tools to Make Life Easy

Kill two three birds with one stone. When you select a resume template, you can build a resume (and customize it) with the help of AI, score your resume with feedback to improve, and put a bow on it with our free AI cover letter generator .

Designed with Your Profession in Mind

No matter the resume template you pick, you can fully tailor it to the job you want. Start editing a template to leverage our bullet point generator for job-specific examples of responsibilities and achievements to inspire your resume.

Fully Loaded Customizable Templates

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe—Don’t like your template? Pick a new one! Want a different color or font? There’s plenty for the choosing. Need to add a custom section to your resume? Add it, title it, and re-arrange it to make it your own.

Download & Print in PDF or Word

A resume template is only as good as the finished product. Downloadable free resume templates in PDF or Word make it a cinch to print for a pixel-perfect career story that’s sure to snag the attention of recruiters and hiring managers.

Resume Templates by Format & Style

Sometimes you need a traditional resume, and sometimes you need a resume that’s particular to a certain circumstance or job. Whether you need to showcase your work on the stage or apply for a scholarship, you can download free resume formats to support your specific goals.

Resume Templates by Experience & Life Situations

Download our free resume templates that support you at any stage of your career journey. From a high school student to a retiree and an entry-level candidate to a career changer, find the inspiration you need to showcase your unique experience, talents, and achievements.

Resume Templates by Profession & Role

Different career types have different resume requirements. A nurse applying to a large, old-school hospital is going to need a different resume template than a programmer applying to a tech company. Download a resume template (PDF) to make that selection process easier for you.

Job Seekers Are Finding the Perfect Resume Template

Customers love our attractive resume templates and say our customer service is unmatched.

Choosing the Best Resume Template

Sections of a resume template, resume templates faqs.

Lots of job seekers are concerned about their resumes passing through both the ATS and human eyes—and rightly so! You can find impressive resume templates with a quick Google search, but how do you know if it’s a template that will work for you? It can feel like rocket science, so we break it down below.

Think about your industry or job type

While all our resume templates are professional, consider whether your job leaves a lot of—or a little—room for creativity. Professions in graphic design, art, web development, architecture, etc. may lend themselves more to a creative resume template.

On the other hand, jobs in academia, consulting, finance, law, etc. may be better represented in a more basic and simple resume template.

Think about the company culture

Just like you should consider your industry, you should also research the company you’re interested in working for to understand its culture.

Does the company use a conversational or formal voice in its messaging? Do employees dress casually or in business attire? Do benefits include traditional healthcare plans and PTO or more unique options like gym access and bringing your pet to work?

This should give you insight into whether a more modern resume template or something like an executive resume template would serve you best.

Think about your experience level

The less experience you have, obviously the less you have to put on your resume! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you’re looking for your first job out of college, it might make more sense to use a compact resume template.

Conversely, if you’re a seasoned vet in your field, you probably need a reverse-chronological resume template that showcases your growth over time.

Consider a few more things

• Look for one-page resume templates: It’s a proven fact that recruiters spend mere seconds on a resume to determine whether that candidate is a potential match. Don’t end up in the trash pile simply because your resume has too much content. Keep your resume to one-page by including your most recent and relevant positions with tailored bullet points that address the job description.
• Opt for an updated resume template: Even if you’re in a more formal field, such as legal work or investment banking, it doesn’t mean your resume has to be boring to look at with microscopic font. We vehemently oppose the microscopic font and encourage you to choose a modern resume template that’s easy to scan and read.
• Focus on readability and scannability: Speaking of microscopic font, if you have to squint to make out what your resume says, the recruiter will, too, and it’ll be an automatic toss in the trash bin. Besides ensuring a reasonable font size, pick a resume template that leverages white space, uses basic bullet points and icons that won’t be a blocker for the ATS, and gives you some creative freedom to play with colors and arrange sections.

There are four main sections that a good resume template will have. These are non-negotiable, so make sure the template you choose has the following resume sections:

• Contact header: Besides spelling your name correctly (yes, misspelled names are a common faux pas), make sure a recruiter or hiring manager can reach you! Provide a good phone number and a professional-sounding email address.
• Work Experience: The debate’s been settled on this one—this section is the most vital on your resume template. If your experience doesn’t tell a story that relates to the job description, the odds are definitely not in your favor.
• Skills section: And this is arguably the second most important resume section. It’s fine if your resume template doesn’t leave a ton of space for a skills section because you want to cap it at about 8 to 10 skills anyway. Any more than that, and you may be giving off red flags.
• Education: Where you place education usually depends on your experience level and whether the job description emphasizes it. But no matter how you slice it, education is a section that should be on any basic resume template.

Optional resume sections

When you make a resume with us, you’ll have plenty of freedom to customize your resume sections. Besides getting what we’ll call the “Core Four” resume sections mentioned above, you’ll be able to re-arrange them as it makes sense.

You’ll also be able to add and create new sections, such as

• an objective or summary statement
• projects or volunteer work
• certifications

A job resume is a short, sweet, and to-the-point document that spotlights your professional experience. It’s basically a summary.

Whether you’ve been in the workforce for 15+ years, have no job experience, or are somewhere in between, resumes have been sparking fear and dread in job seekers since approximately 1482 when Leonardo De Vinci drafted what became known as the first resume .

Resumes are what just about any place of employment requests when you apply for a job. Companies—big and small—wanna know:

◉ What skills do you bring to the job? ◉ Do you have relevant work experience for the role? ◉ Do you want to work for them?

A good resume answers those questions—and isn’t so unlike De Vinci’s resume that honed in on how he could meet the specific needs and challenges of the Duke of Milan.

Happy dance! Yes, our BeamJobs templates are absolutely free.

You can download our eight resume templates at no cost in Word and Google Docs formats. Edit BeamJobs-created resume templates for free in our builder. Only pay for premium features if you like what you see (hey, we gotta make a living, too!).

We also update our site from time to time with fresh Google Docs resume templates and Word resume templates , which will always remain free for you.

The best resume template is the one that complements your personality and allows the space you need to highlight your finest work, top achievements, and job skills.

Every resume template you see on this page has been thoroughly vetted by hiring experts to ensure they include everything you need to help you land your next job. Whether you’re applying to a funky tech startup or looking to join the ranks of a reputable law firm, you’ll find a professional resume template that speaks to you. You can get a resume template download on the resumes above, or get a free resume template download using our  AI resume builder .

Hunting for a new job is incredibly stressful as there’s a lot of uncertainty in the process. And while these resume templates won’t alleviate all stress, they’ll ensure your resume has everything you need to sail through an applicant tracking system (ATS) and impress hiring managers.

In most cases, recruiters and hiring managers want to see your resume formatted in reverse-chronological style. This is because it gives a clear timeline of your work history and what you accomplished in each role.

On occasion, someone might find it worthwhile to try a functional resume or a hybrid (aka as a combination) resume. A functional resume format focuses on your skills in action, minimizing work history. This can be effective at downplaying job hopping or gap years.

A hybrid/combo resume places equal emphasis on skills and work experience and should only be used by a candidate who has extensive expertise in the field and wants to spotlight specific skillsets and achievements that directly relate to the needs and desires of the role.

BeamJobs resume templates are naturally formatted to support a reverse-chronological style, as 99 percent of the time, it’s the right choice to make. It’s what recruiters are naturally expecting to see and it’s straightforward and easy to make heads and tails of your professional history.

However, if you’re the one percent who decides a functional or hybrid resume template is the way to go, you can easily re-arrange and add your own sections to support the format of your choice.

The best resume templates come packaged with a free resume builder that lets you customize your resume for the job and any ATS software a company may use. You’ll find the BeamJobs resume builder does this and more in an intuitive user interface that guides you one step at a time with professional resume templates to help you land your dream job.

If you’re wondering how long a resume should be , you’re far from alone! There’s a lot of conflicting advice out there, but as a general rule of thumb, you’re best sticking with a one-page resume.

If a recruiter is only spending mere seconds looking at a resume before determining if it’s worth a deeper look, don’t you think it stands to reason that a one-page resume template is going to fare a lot better than one that spills onto a second (or third) page?

It may be daunting to think about how you can squeeze your career history onto one page, but keep in mind that you don’t need to list every job you’ve ever had, nor do you need a novel of job description bullet points for each role.

Three to four work experiences with four to six bullet points each will help you target the job description and keep your resume template at a page.

Try saying “applicant tracking system” 10 times fast, and you’ll know why it got shortened to ATS.

At its core, an applicant tracking system puts the gas on hiring. Typically, when folks think about ATS software, they think about it weeding out resumes that don’t include the right skills or qualifications.

That’s certainly true enough, but the ATS also helps HR and recruiters organize and sort job candidates, keeps track of communication with job seekers, sets up interviews, and does a host of other not-so-fascinating things.

Basically, when you choose an ATS-friendly resume template from BeamJobs, you can rest easy knowing that the document itself will make it through the software

When it comes to your resume, it will house these staple sections:

◉ Contact info (Triple-check the spelling of your name; see the question about “how to make a resume” for a cringe-worthy BeamJobs blunder.) ◉ Work experience ◉ Skills ◉ Education

Depending on your occupation and years of experience, you could add these optional resume sections:

◉ Resume summary or resume objective ◉ Hobbies and interests ◉ Projects (an umbrella term for things like volunteer experience, academic or personal projects, etc.)

The more relevant job experience you have, the longer the “work experience” section of your resume should be since that’s what employers care about most. On the other hand, when you’ve recently graduated and don’t have much (or any) experience, things like education and projects can take up more real estate on your resume.

Whatever your professional background, our resume maker lets you re-arrange, remove, and add sections as needed to your resume template.

Not to blast our own horns, but we’ve reviewed tens of thousands of resumes in the last few years. Would you believe we’ve actually seen resumes without a name ?! Besides discovering disheartening news like that, we’ve figured out  how to make a good resume .

There are plenty of resume tips we could give you, but here are three that, when followed, will most increase your chances of snagging an interview:

1. Use numbers to showcase your impact in past roles. Your work experience should focus on your measurable accomplishments, not on job responsibilities.

2. Tailor your resume for each job you apply to, which means reading each job description carefully. As you read, see if any prior work projects come to mind. Include those projects on your resume.

3. Avoid grammar and spelling errors. We know, you’ve heard it before. But you’d be aghast (fun word) at the number of folks rejected for a job because of this. (C ough cough We won’t say his real name, but one of our team members whose title rhymes with re-bounder once sent out 20 resumes with his name spelled ‘Stepen.’)

Our mission is to create practical tools and content that makes the process of landing a new job seamless and un ambiguous. While we try to give you tips and advice that won’t bore you to tears, we aim to cut the fluff so you understand exactly what you should be doing each step of the way.

Our ATS-friendly resume templates give you confidence that the ATS won’t be a bottleneck for you, and our AI resume builder has undergone many updates to bring you an intuitive step-by-step experience so you feel supported and empowered to write your best resume.

To top it off, our customer support truly does operate to serve you. You’re not just a number, and we’re committed to making sure that any concerns or questions you bring to us are answered in a timely, kind, and solution-oriented manner.

Definitely! You can generate a free cover letter that’s customized to your resume and the job description. Just as we give you options for free printable resume templates, we’ll invite you to choose a matching cover letter template you can download and print.

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Free resume templates and how to use them

Best free resume templates in 2022.

The best free resume templates, with tips and examples

The best free resume template is the one that gets you the job.

Different companies and industries have different expectations for what makes a great resume. Some large corporations will prefer a simple, old-fashioned resume template that suits their company culture. Smaller or newer companies, however, might prefer a colourful resume that shows your personality.

Even if you decide to use a traditional resume template, however, it’s important to find ways to stand out from the crowd. Hiring managers receive dozens–even hundreds–of resumes when sourcing candidates, and you need to make sure that your resume catches their eye. A bland or poorly formatted resume will lead you straight to the rejection pile.

To make sure your resume is well-designed and well-formatted, use a resume template. A resume template will allow you to focus on the content of your resume, rather than the appearance, and the difficult work of designing an attractive resume will be done for you.

The 5 best free resume templates

With VisualCV , you can sign up for free to test out all resume templates. The best resume template for you will depend on the application you are preparing. To get started, here are the best free resume templates you can take for a test-drive:

1. Standard resume template

The Standard template is a traditional one-column template with clear headings, simple structure, and plenty of whitespace. This template is ideal for job-seekers looking for a traditional professional resume that will appeal to old-fashioned industries and modern disruptors alike.

The Standard template will look similar to resume templates you have seen before, with its black text, bold headings, and straightforward organization. It is sophisticated and simple, and will work well in any industry. When you use the Standard template, you will have a well-organized template that showcases your qualifications in a readable and professional way, without looking dated or obsolete. Further, the fonts and heading colours can be customized, so you can give your resume a pop of personality if you think it will help your application.

At the end of the day, you can’t go wrong with a straightforward, readable, and traditional resume template.

2. Corporate resume template

The Corporate resume template is slick and professional, with an authoritative design perfect for corporate industries like finance or law. In a slightly modern twist, it also features two columns, allowing for efficient use of space.

With this resume template, you can use the wider primary column to display your most important qualifications, like work experience and education. In the narrower side column, you can display shorter sections, like your personal summary or professional memberships. This column is ideal for simple lists, like Skills or Core Competencies.

While this template is excellent for corporate positions, don’t let the name dissuade you if you are looking for a more entry-level position. This template supports some more modern and eye-catching features too, like colour customization, a logo, and a portfolio.

3. Gallant resume template

The Gallant template , much like the Corporate template, uses two columns, one wider than the other. In Gallant, the narrower left-side column is a different colour, which both draws the eye and allows you to show a little personality in your resume template. You can customize the colour to match the company’s colours, your personal brand, or just your aesthetic preference.

Further, the Gallant template allows for a profile picture, a logo, and a portfolio, so you can add plenty of visual flair to make a strong impression with hiring managers.

Even if you prefer a subtle colour scheme without pictures, however, the Gallant resume template is a great choice. You can leave out the distracting images, and simply use Gallant’s wide main column to showcase your work experience and education, and use the colour column for your skills and other qualifications. No matter your industry, the Gallant template will work for you.

4. Oak resume template

The Oak resume template is popular among executives and other professionals. Its strong section headings, two-column format, and clearly defined sections make it a bold choice for job-seekers looking to make an impression.

Oak’s section headings all feature a coloured highlight, and individual items are distinguished by separate text boxes, making this template visually striking while remaining easy to navigate. Its colours can be customized to suit your individual style, and the template supports a logo so you can include your personal brand.

The Oak template is a great option for displaying your work experience, education, skills, and other qualifications with an eye-catching and impressive design that is sure to impress employers.

5. Rainier resume template

The Rainier resume template is a striking resume template that features not only two columns, colour highlights for each section heading, and distinct text blocks for every job description, but a prominent banner image that you can customize to suit your industry.

With Rainier, the header image is sure to stand out to an employer. The multiple columns and timeline-like work experience section, however, ensure that even though this template is eye-catching, it is still practical. The wider main column is perfect for displaying your previous jobs and academic achievements, and the narrow side column can be used to present your professional summary, as well as your hard and soft skills.

This is an ideal template for showing off your personality, while remaining professional and creative.

What is a resume template?

A resume template is a pre-made design and layout for a resume. It is not the content of the resume, and not the actual words, but the styles, margins, and organization. It might include columns, header design, and fonts. It dictates how information is laid out on page, and how different details are displayed.

If you want to see some resume templates for yourself, VisualCV has more than 20+ resume templates you can try out for free. Just sign up and choose a resume template, and you can easily write your resume inside. You can even swap between templates without losing any of your writing.

Why should you use a resume template?

Why bother looking for a resume template when you can design your own resume for free?

Simply put, a resume template does all the hard work for you. If you can find the best free resume template, you save yourself the trouble of testing out different layouts, structures, and fonts yourself. When you’re a busy job-seeker, you don’t have the time to design a resume on your own. Fighting with Word or Pages to design an original resume that looks good not only on your computer, but on everyone else’s, is no easy task. Using a resume template saves you that trouble.

A tried and tested resume template also ensures that your finished resume meets all the necessary requirements for a successful resume. The best resume template will be stylish, readable, and professional. It will be ATS-compliant and it will have all the resume sections and necessary details laid out for you.

Ultimately, a great resume template will do much of the hard work of creating a resume for you. You just need to fill in your own details and work experience and you will be on your way.

How to use a resume template

A well-designed resume template will have a great design and structure, with clearly labeled resume sections laid out for you. This allows you to open the template, fill out your resume information, and send it to an employer, all without having to worry about the appearance. With the organization and style of the resume template done for you, you can focus your efforts on writing a great resume and customizing your experience to suit the employer, rather than on finding the right typeface.

With VisualCV, you can sign up for free and test out all templates. Then, once you have written your resume, you can upgrade to a Pro account to share or download your resume.

With the best free resume template builders like VisualCV, you can even test out multiple resume templates without writing the same resume over and over. At VisualCV, you can easily swap between templates using your existing resume, so you can test out a whole new look without having to rewrite anything. This will save you time, and allow you to use different templates for different applications.

Your free resume template should have all of the typical resume sections. Standard resume sections include:

• Contact Information
• Professional Summary
• Work Experience

If you use a resume builder like VisualCV, you will also be able to add more sections to your resume if it suits your application. Optional resume sections include:

• Volunteering Experience
• Certifications
• Professional Memberships
• Publications
• Work Samples

The best free resume templates will accommodate all of these sections, as well as all the customization and personalization your application needs.

Writing a great resume

Of course, even if you have the perfect resume template, you still need to fill it out with compelling qualifications. To make sure you are getting the most out of a template, it’s important to learn how to write great work experience inside of it.

To write work experience that gets you the job, use action words and quantifiable achievements when describing your previous roles. This will ensure that each past job is described in a dynamic and measurable way, so your skills seem concrete and verifiable.

For example, action words like spearheaded , demonstrated , and oversaw all imply leadership capabilities that employers will be looking for. Ensuring that you use energetic and professional language to showcase your achievements will be an asset to any resume template.

For even better job descriptions, try to come up with measurable successes in each previous role. Any goal or achievement that can be expressed with numbers will give your work experience credibility. Sales numbers, revenue generation, customer support scores, or the number of clients you managed can all be used to show exactly what you are capable of. Numbers also show that you actively track your performance and will bring that dedication to your next job.

Customizing your resume template

The best resume template won’t need any customization–it will look great already–but that doesn’t mean you can’t customize it, or even that you shouldn’t. You know your career best, and you can always change a font or colour to suit the resume you are writing.

Further, you should always customize the text of your resume for every application. It’s important that your skills and experience match the job you are applying to.

To do this, study the job posting. It will have a list of duties and requirements, using specific words and phrases to describe each item. Find the key phrases, and use those exact words in your resume.

Don’t lie, or pretend to have skills you don’t actually have; simply use the exact language of the job description in your own resume when describing your experience. This will make it more likely that your resume stands out as a perfect match.

A general resume, with generic descriptions of your experience, is not going to work for every application. You should always customize your resume, even if you’re using a free resume template, so that is a perfect match for the specific application you are writing.

Which resume template is best for you?

The ideal resume template will depend on your career, the company you are applying to, and your personality.

If you work in a more traditional industry, like banking or accounting, a more traditional resume will likely be your best choice. Old-fashioned resumes with one column, black text, and a white background are likely what employers in that industry expect. If you are applying for a more formal, corporate career, templates like VisualCV’s Monte or Monaco are a great choice.

If you are applying for roles in a more modern field, like graphic design or digital marketing, you might want to demonstrate your visual style with a more modern template. Templates like Baker and Modern , for example, are more creative and eye-catching than a traditional resume, while retaining a professional structure that makes them a strong choice for many job-seekers.

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Farewell to Resume Template Troubles - Use These Best Free Resume Templates

Infographic resume template by fernando baez.

This resume template has made extensive use of icons and has kept the color to the bare minimum black and white.

Careful use of symmetrical architecture and pointers makes it easy for the recruiter to scan through.

You can download a copy of this free resume template here .

Photo Resume Template

This free resume template lends oodles of professionalism to your resume. Its' double column format ensures easy readability and clarity.

It multiplies the chances of getting shortlisted, whereas the subtle shades of pink gives it an elegant appeal.

Simple Black by Hiration

This resume template is a traditional piece of genius capable of incorporating a lot of information.

A simple and minimalist approach is expended in designing the same for professionals in non-arts industries like Finance, Banking, Consulting, etc.

Hiration Pro-Tip: Once you click this link, you will see "Create Resume Now". click on this and you will be redirected to the log-in page. Log-in with any Gmail ID and then select the free content template and free design template available.

Shaded Hues Free Resume Template

This resume template is an artform in itself with flawless use of symbols, timeline and shaded hues.

Executing a truly audacious concept, this resume template displays your name in verticle format.

It comes across as a unique design which would send your dream recruiter into thinking mode.

Black & White Free Resume Template

This unorthodox resume template by Wassim Awadallah goes bold by using the black background and gives an acute sense of layering.

It definitely comes across as a unique design concept and makes your resume stand out from the pile.

Split Style Free Resume Template

We find this resume template informative and useful while informal and lively at the same time.

The designer has tried creating a balance of checkered boxes using pale pinks and whites to render a sophisticated feel.

This resume template surely is going to make a mark for you as soon as it arrives at the recruiter's inbox.

Royal Blue Free Resume Template by Hiration

Fusion of blue color with white background renders a creative yet sober look to this resume template.

Structure : This resume template comes in a single column format with all sections available for you to edit. The sections include the Professional Summary, Key Skills, Professional Experience, Education, Internships and other Miscellaneous sections.

Design : The theme for this document is a 3 color scheme with a professional shade of blue for the document header background and body headings, and a shade of gray for the descriptive text of the document. White has been used as a font color in the Resume header .

Typography : Only a single font i.e. Open Sans has been used in the Resume with just the right amount of white spaces which makes even content heavy resumes easy to read.

Blue Heights Free Resume Template

This resume template by Ikono Me embarks on the journey of personal branding by apt use of personal pictures and stellar display of contact details.

Different shades of blue are used in the text and background to render a corporate feel.

The text is readable and easy to comprehend.

Clean & Crisp Free Resume Template

Guess what? This traditional resume is still very useful with its blend of modern icons and well-organized sections.

Resume showcases ample white space to give a spacious and light feel to the eyes and your only effort goes into the correct resume content writing.

Bulleting Free Resume Template

In this resume template, you are able to see the candidate's picture jutting out, reminding you of the personal branding element.

Conversation literally bobs and weaves around icons, timelines and bullets in this resume template.

It comes across as a hard-hitting resume which is creatively beautiful as well.

Pastels & Pop Free Resume Template

With a jaunty theme displayed, this resume has a pleasant visual appeal for its usage of color hues and accents.

A great deal of effort has gone into designing this bit using soft pastels and wise usage of different shades of pink in the text and background.

• Depending upon your industry, you can choose your free resume template. If you are in creative industry, take up a more jazzy resume template; else go for a sober one.
• Save the file in globally accpeted PDF format unless you are specifically asked for a Word file.
• Print the final resume in textured paper which would add a royal feel to your resume and highlight the craftsmanship of design.

Running out of time? Do not worry, you will get some simple yet useful 19 best free resume templates here at Behance .

Once you have built the resume choosing the right resume template, it is time to apply and grab that dream job.

Visit our Guide on Best Job Sites to apply now!

Go to Hiration career platform which has 24/7 chat support and get professional assistance with all your job & career-related queries. You can also write to us at [email protected] and we will make sure to reach out to you as soon as possible.

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