What is the 'Best' Resume Template?

Admin
11 minutes ago
5 min read

When creating a resume, many job seekers start with the same question:

"What is the best resume template?"

With thousands of options available online, it is easy to assume that the design of a resume is what helps someone get hired.

While appearance does matter, a resume template is not what gets someone an interview. A well-designed template simply makes it easier for employers to find and understand the information that matters.

The best resume format is the one that clearly presents your qualifications, matches your industry, and helps highlight your strongest experience.

Common Resume Formats

There are three primary resume formats. The best choice depends on your experience and career goals.

Chronological Resume

The chronological format is the most commonly used and is often preferred by employers.

It focuses on your work history and lists positions in reverse order, starting with your most recent experience.

This format works well for people who:

Have consistent work experience.
Are staying within the same industry.
Want to demonstrate career growth.
Have a clear employment history.

Because employers are familiar with this format, it is usually the safest choice for most applicants.

Functional Resume

A functional resume focuses more heavily on skills rather than a timeline of employment.

This format may be considered by people who:

Are changing careers.
Have significant gaps in employment.
Have limited traditional work experience.
Have developed skills through multiple types of experiences.

However, functional resumes can sometimes create concerns because employers may want to clearly understand where and when skills were developed.

For this reason, a combination format is often more effective.

Combination Resume

A combination resume includes both skills and work history.

It allows applicants to highlight important abilities while still providing a clear employment timeline.

This can be helpful for:

Career changers.
Experienced professionals entering a new field.
Applicants with a variety of relevant experiences.

As discussed in prior posts, many employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to organize applications before resumes reach a hiring manager. Because of this, overly complicated templates can create problems. A simple, organized resume is often more effective because both software and people can easily understand it.

Some design elements that may cause issues include:

Important information placed inside images or graphics.
Unusual formatting.
Multiple columns that confuse the system.
Decorative fonts that reduce readability.
Headers or footers containing important details.

Resume Sections to Avoid

Some templates include sections that are not useful or may even hurt an application. While many free and paid templates are visually appealing, they often include aspects that can cause issues in the hiring process. Contrary to the belief, including these sections can actually hurt your chances of being hired.

Photos

In many industries, including a photo is unnecessary and may create concerns related to hiring fairness. A photo can open the door to percieved discrimination, hiring biases, and are often not compatible with ATS systems. Avoid including one unless explicitly asked.

Personal information

Details such as age, marital status, number of children, religious beliefs, or other personal information generally do not belong on a professional resume. These are often considered protected classes, and by including them you may unintentionally place the hiring manager in a position to decline because of the information included.

Skill ratings

Some templates use graphics such as skill bars or star ratings to show ability. These often provide little useful information because they rely on personal judgment rather than measurable qualifications. They are often very visually appealing, but they are subjective and do not actually quantify your skills.

Including every job

Some templates leave space for multiple jobs. If they are not relevant to the position, and are not chronological, it likely won't benefit you to include them, especially if you have changed positions often or have a very long work history.

Excessive graphics

Having some icons in the beginning or end may not be an issue, but if the resume has multiple graphics throughout like containers for information, or abstract color themes with distracting font can negatively impact your hiring experience.

Free Templates Can Work

A professional resume does not require expensive software or a paid template.

Many effective resumes use simple formats. A simple resume with strong content will always outperform a visually impressive resume with weak information.

Additionally, most typing programs like Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and Canva include free resume templates.

The important factors are:

Clear organization.
Accurate information.
Professional formatting.
Easy readability.
Alignment with the position

These free templates are just as efficient than paid for templates. Additionally, they can easily be modified to match your current information. In the current job market, you may end up submitting multiple resumes that need to be modified to fit the role, so having an easy to edit template is important.

Simple Template Examples

It can be hard to start a resume from scratch, especially when every format seems to be different. The goal is not to be the most visually appealing, it is to get your point across quickly and in most modern cases, compatible with an automated system.

Here are a few examples of simple, but effective resume templates.

FIRST LAST

City, State | Phone Number | Email Address | LinkedIn URL

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

[Professional title/area of expertise] with [number] years of experience in [industry/field]. Skilled in [skill], [skill], and [skill], with experience in [relevant responsibility or specialty]. Known for [strength] and [strength]. Seeking to bring [relevant value] to a [target position] role.

CORE SKILLS

Skill / Competency | Skill / Competency |

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

JOB TITLE

Company Name | City, State | Month Year – Present

Describe a major responsibility or accomplishment.
Start bullet points with strong action verbs whenever possible.
Include numbers, percentages, dollar amounts, or other measurable results when available.
Describe how you improved a process, solved a problem, supported customers, or contributed to an organization.
Include relevant software, systems, procedures, or technical skills when appropriate.
Focus on accomplishments and results rather than simply listing duties.

PREVIOUS JOB TITLE

Company Name | City, State | Month Year – Month Year

Describe a significant responsibility or accomplishment.
Include measurable results whenever possible.
Describe problems you solved or improvements you made.
Highlight skills that transfer to the position you want.
Include relevant industry terminology and technology.

EARLIER JOB TITLE

Company Name | City, State | Month Year – Month Year

Describe your primary responsibilities and accomplishments.
Highlight transferable skills.
Include measurable accomplishments when available.
Keep older positions shorter if they are less relevant to your target career.

EDUCATION

DEGREE OR PROGRAM

School Name | City, State | Graduation Year

Optional: Relevant coursework, academic honors, projects, or other information directly related to the position.

CERTIFICATIONS & LICENSES

Certification or License — Issuing Organization | Year

TECHNICAL SKILLS

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Use this section only when relevant.

Examples:

Download this template here:

Using simple, ATS friendly templates can also prevent the dreaded failed parsing where your upload your resume, just to have to correct and fill out every section again for a job application. Some of the accessible free ATS friendly templates include these:

Final Thoughts

The best resume template is not the one with the most creative design. It is the one that allows employers to quickly understand your qualifications.

A resume should highlight your experience, skills, and potential while making the review process easier for the person reading it.

Before choosing a template, focus on the information you need to communicate. Once the foundation is strong, the right format simply helps present it effectively.

Next Section: A strong resume can help you get noticed, but the interview is where employers learn more about who you are, how you think, and how you communicate. In the next section, we will focus on Interviews, including how to prepare, answer common questions, and make a strong impression.

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