
Free Resume Templates: The Ultimate Collection for 2023
The best things in life are free. That applies to free resume templates, too—browse our hand-picked free resume template collection and download your favorites straight away!
Want to choose the best resume format? First, you must understand the differences between the three main types. See examples of various resume formats and make an informed choice.
Recruiters don’t read resumes carefully. They merely skim them for the most relevant information. Only the very best resumes will get more attention. From those job seekers that use an elegant, professional resume format and proper resume formatting.
Let me show you an easy way to make a resume like that in no time.
In this guide, you’ll get:
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Table of Contents
What Are the 3 Main Resume Formats?
How to Choose the Best Resume Format
Reverse-Chronological Resume Format
Chrono-Functional (Combination) Resume Format
Sample Pre-Formatted Resume Templates
Frequently Asked Questions about Resume Formats
The reverse-chronological resume format is best to:
The functional resume format is best to:
The combination resume format is best to:
Having a proper resume format is all about dividing your resume into specific sections and putting them in the correct order. Below, you'll see a breakdown of how each of these resume formats works. You'll also get further recommendations for choosing the best resume format for you.
Expert hint: When should you use a resume, and when is it better to use a curriculum vitae? It depends. CV and resume have different meanings across languages. Read about the difference between a resume and a CV.
The best resume format is the reverse-chronological resume format. It puts emphasis on your work experience and education, showcasing your career progression. This resume format starts with your most recent jobs and ends with your earliest successes.
What is the main thing to include on a resume with a reverse-chronological format?
Work experience. And that’s exactly why it’s so popular amongst jobseekers and valued by recruiters. Recruiters focus mostly on name, job title, current and previous positions, and education when reviewing resumes. The reverse-chronological resume format makes all that information easily available.
The reverse-chronological resume format consists of
Let’s check how the reverse-chronological resume format works in practice:
Personal Information
Sue Bolander
PMP, IT Specialist
Phone: 508-312-7122
E-mail: sueqbolander@gmail.com
sueqbolander.com
linkedin.com/in/sueqbolander
twitter.com/sueqbolander
Summary
Strong IT Project Management Professional with 6+ years' experience, looking to improve quality, cost, & time for Dennison-Height Global. At Accurit, cut costs by 28% in 5 months and received the Shingo Silver Medallion. At RBM, cut waste by 20% and trained 78 employees in Lean Principles. PMP-Certified.
Experience
IT Project Manager
Accurit International, Inc.
2014–present
IT Project Manager
Rigas-Bratland Manufacturing
2012–2014
IT Specialist
Rigas-Bratland Manufacturing
2011–2012
Education
B.S. in Computer Science, UMass Boston
2007–2011
Hard Skills
Agile, Scrum, Business Process Improvement, Vendor Management
Soft Skills
Leadership, Collaboration, Communication
Conferences
This resume format gives you an additional edge: it’s sure to pass an Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) scan. Like recruiters, the ATS bots are familiar with this resume format, so they’ll extract your data without glitches. A report has shown that almost 98% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS in recruitment. You can use an ATS-friendly resume template to make it past the bots.
This resume format focuses on the candidate’s skills instead of work history. It includes a skill summary section designed to highlight their essential skills required for the position. It also showcases achievements related to those skills.
The key ingredients of the functional resume format are:
See the example to get an idea:
Personal Information
Thomas Blumenthal
Public Relations Specialist
Phone: 502-555-0173
E-mail: thomas.j.blumenthal@gmail.com
WWW: www.thomblumenthalcreative.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/me/thomblumenthal81
Twitter: twitter.com/thommybloom81
Objective
Results-driven Penn graduate in Journalism and Social Communications seeking to leverage two years of internship and freelancing PR experience with Newton Software Communications Team. Experienced in producing engaging online content (see my portfolio here) and press releases for tech start-ups and local IT companies. Non-profit blogger at www.pr-matters.wordpress.com. Interested in modern digital PR solutions.
Skills Summary
RESEARCH
Able to work with many kinds of clients in various fields. Excellent at researching clients' brands, industries, and markets very quickly and efficiently.
WRITING
Skilled at writing all types of Public Relations texts: press releases, blog posts, bulletins, and campaigns (outreach emails, sales emails, engagement emails). Able to produce up to 3,500 words of great, unique content on a daily basis.
CREATIVITY
Able to develop innovative solutions to all types of problems and crises. Excellent in designing and implementing both ATL and BTL Public Relations and Marketing campaigns in collaboration with graphic designers and art directors.
SOCIAL MEDIA RELATIONS
Proficient at managing social media relations across all major social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Google+.
TIME MANAGEMENT
Able to juggle multiple clients and projects. Have mastered prioritizing deadlines and tasks. Great at physical office administration and organizing paperwork.
Experience
Public Relations Intern
Adidas Originals, Philadelphia, PA
2017-09–present
Office Assistant
Ogilvy and Mather, Philadelphia, PA
2015-06–2015-08
Education
MA in Journalism and Social Communications, University of Pennsylvania
2012-08–2017-05
As you can see, there's minimum information about your work experience section in this resume format. Just the bare facts, such as names of positions, company names, and dates of employment, are enough. It’s a big plus if you’re a freelancer or have gaps in your work history.
The main disadvantage of this resume format? Recruiters aren’t familiar with it. It’s more difficult to navigate than the typical reverse chronological resume.
Expert hint: Avoid using a functional resume format unless you work in a creative field or are transitioning from the military. In these cases, a portfolio or detailed military job descriptions may be more important than a traditional resume.
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In the combination resume format, the top of your resume is also focused on skills. But verifiable, quantified proof backs up every single skill listed. The work experience section is less detailed than the reverse-chronological format but still shows your career progression clearly.
The combination resume format is made up of
Bringing theory to practice:
Personal Information
Katherine Wharton
IT Manager
Phone: 505 555 0177
E-mail: katherine.w.wharton@gmail.com
WWW: katherinewharton.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kathy-wharton
Twitter: twitter.com/kathywhartonofficial
Summary of Qualifications
Programming and App Development
Leadership
Business Management
Additional Skills
Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, CRM platforms, Google Analytics, Google AdWords
Experience
IT Manager
Apple, New York City, NY
2012–present
Senior IT Specialist
BCD M&E, Newark, NJ
2006–2012
Programmer
Oracle, Redwood City, CA
2002–2005
Education
MS in Computer Science, Distinction
The City College of New York, New York City, NY
2002
BS in Computer Science
University of California, Berkeley, CA
2001
A good resume format helps recruiters find what you want them to see and shows your best strengths and accomplishments. Here's how to achieve that.
Save your resume in PDF or Doc format. It will help to ensure everything looks well on other screens.
Here are a few resume format examples. Our online resume builder formats the templates for you, so you can focus on writing great descriptions of your experience.
Cubic is a modern resume format designed for confident professionals who aren’t afraid to showcase their achievements. It’s neat, organized, and can hold a ton of information without looking crowded or overwhelming.
Modern uses subtle color accents to guide the reader’s eye straight to the key sections. This is what a great resume looks like. It's perfect for creative and professional, office based fields. No wonder this professional resume format is so popular among our users!
You just can’t go wrong with Nanica! This simple resume format is like a Zen garden: it creates a minimalist, lightweight look with lots of white space. This is one of the best resume formats for professionals who prefer sleek, distraction-free resumes.
If you want a simple resume template that oozes confidence and authority, try Squares. It’s the ideal resume format for business jobs because it gives your resume a calm yet assertive look. As a nice bonus, you also get a personal logo with your initials.
Some things never go out of style. The Vintage resume template is one of them—this professional resume format is as timeless as a power suit. It relies on subtle accents to create structure and highlight what’s important.
Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.
Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.
Here’s a recap of the main points from this guide:
As of 2023, there are three main resume formats:
The reverse-chronological resume format is the standard and best resume format to use in 2023. In a reverse-chronological resume, you list your work experience and educational background, starting with your most recent jobs and ending with your earliest successes.
Here’s why it’s the golden standard:
Most employers and hiring managers prefer the reverse-chronological resume format. It’s a resume that lists your work history and education in reverse chronological order, with bullet points that show what you achieved while working for each employer. This resume format is ATS-friendly
Unless the job ad clearly asks for a specific resume file format, it’s best to go with a PDF file. The reason is that a PDF resume looks the same on every device, so your resume will always look perfect, no matter if the recruiter opens it on a PC, a Mac, or a phone.
However, keep in mind that some companies use applicant tracking software that doesn’t support PDF files. In this case, the job ad will specifically ask for resumes to be submitted as DOCX or even TXT files.
Applicant Tracking Systems are primarily designed for reading reverse-chronological resumes. Other resume formats might confuse the software and lead to your resume getting rejected.
Here’s how you can make sure you have an ATS-friendly resume:
The reverse-chronological format is best for a student's resume. Just put the education section of your resume above the work experience section. A resume with no experience should highlight academic achievements or other relevant accomplishments, such as volunteer work or personal projects.
Applying for an academic position or writing a grad school resume? Forget what you’ve just read and go with an academic CV rather than a job resume.
If you want to make a resume from scratch without relying on resume templates for Word or resume templates for Google Docs, these are the resume formatting rules to follow:
However, making a DIY resume can be difficult, so we recommend using a high-quality resume template for your favorite word processing software or a dedicated resume builder.
Got more questions about resume formatting? Need further help writing a resume? I’m here to listen and assist. Drop me a line in the comments. Let’s chat!
The best things in life are free. That applies to free resume templates, too—browse our hand-picked free resume template collection and download your favorites straight away!
Your resume layout needs to be clean and scannable. Otherwise, recruiters will reject your resume in 7 seconds. Luckily, this guide will show you how to do it right.
You’ve just come across a modern resume template treasure trove. Now, take your time, look around, pick the modern resume you like most, and make a job-winning resume.