Free Resume Templates

What is a Resume Template?

Free resume templates are especially helpful in creating the best and most effective resumes. Using templates is important because a resume is the first step in selling oneself to a prospective employer, and a nicely formatted one can definitely yield superior job application results. Resume templates provide a format that enables the applicant to highlight their most impressive points and special skills.

How to Create a Resume

Creating a resume sounds like an easy task, but easy doesn’t always guarantee great results. There are several things to consider when creating one because the resume can either make or break the applicant’s chances for employment.

1. Choose the best format

There are three basic formats for a resume — functional, chronological, and combination. A functional resume highlights the applicant’s skill set and qualifications for the job; chronological features the job experience, written in reverse chronological order; and the combination is, of course, a mix of the first two formats. Choose the type that will feature your qualifications in the best way possible.

2. Organize the content

Before plotting the content on the resume, the applicant needs to make a draft first and list everything that is relevant to applying for the job. The list may include educational background, past jobs, training and professional development, and skills that match the job.

The applicant should also look at the specific job requirements and aim to write the resume around that.

3. Choose a resume template

A good resume template will make writing the resume easier while ensuring that everything essential is included. Margins are set, font type and size are fixed, indentation is handled – in short, a template enables you to focus on the content of your resume since the design is already taken care of.

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Main Types of Resume Templates

Basically, free resume templates are classified into four types: the modern resume template, professional resume template, creative resume template, and simple resume template.

1. Modern resume template

Such a resume template can be useful when applying for “modern”, or technical, jobs. Using the modern template portrays a tech-focused applicant who is serious about business.

2. Professional resume template

Professional is perfect for people who are applying for a position with a major firm, or applying for any executive or managerial position. The professional resume looks more formal — it has clean, straight lines and easily recognizable sections.

3. Creative resume template

When applying to a job that requires one’s creativity, such as graphic design, then the creative template is the best one to use. It lets the applicant exhibit their creativity within a resume format that is still professional in appearance. Ideally, the appearance of your resume itself will convey to your prospective employer something about your artistic skills.

4. Simple resume template

Simple is just what its name implies — simple. It contains all the necessary information but within a minimal formatting framework. It’s a popular choice that may prove most effective in situations where the employer or hiring manager is known to be a “no nonsense” kind of person.

Other Types of Resume Templates

There are numerous types of free resume templates available online. Here are some of the most common:

1. Template with a photo background

We are not talking about putting a photo of the applicant on the resume. This template instead uses a photo as the resume’s background. This can be especially effective for photographers and graphic artists, as provides them with an opportunity to showcase their talent.

2. Visual resume template

Instead of using a lot of text in presenting one’s skill set and qualifications, the visual resume template uses infographic elements to present your information. It’s a refreshing departure from the norm and can certainly make your application stand out from the crowd. Therefore, you might consider using it in a scenario where you know the hiring manager is going to be sifting through a large volume of applications.

3. Color-accented resume

A color-accented resume is similar to a creative resume. Adding a simple color to accentuate or highlight certain parts of your resume can be helpful without being too “loud”.

4. Bold classic resume

The bold, classic resume is considered the original of all resume templates. Its headings written in bold are an eye-catching device that can be used to communicate a theme that relates your resume to the specific job.

5. Resume with pops of primary colors

Adding several primary colors while maintaining an overall formal tone allows the user to add accents that can help fill up some empty space. This makes it a good choice for new graduates who don’t have a lot of prior jobs to list.

6. Center-aligned resume

Sometimes, recruiters get bored from looking at the usual formats of resumes. Using a center-aligned format can make your resume stand out as one that offers a refreshing change of pace. The content emanates from the middle of the page. Center-aligned can also be a good choice if your resume isn’t very long, as it enables you to “fill up” the page with less material.

How to choose the best template

In order to help you pick out the perfect resume template, here are some points to consider:

• What is the culture of the company? Are they traditional or modern?
• Who reads my resume? Is it a young recruiter or a traditional, older manager?
• What do I want to showcase in my resume? Is it that I am creative, energetic, or the serious type?

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