Resume Layouts: Free Examples & Templates

1Use standard sections.

The typical resume summarizes a decade of experience per page, but most resumes feature the following sections. This uniform approach makes it easy for hiring managers to find your previous experience, skills and relevant education and training.

• Contact information: The contact section should be at the top of your resume and include your first and last name, city and state, email address and phone number. You can also add your LinkedIn or digital portfolio. 
• Resume introduction: Up to three sentences in the form of a skills-focused summary statement or goals-oriented objective statement to persuade hiring managers to read past the average of six seconds they spend on each application.
• Relevant skills: List up to eight relevant skills that align with the needs of the jobs. Prioritize skills unmentioned in the resume introduction or work history sections. 
• Experience: Start the work history section with your most recent job and provide brief, bulleted descriptions of your previous role and responsibilities. Aim to identify and share experiences that match or are related experiences to the new job. 
• Education: Your education section can include formal education, such as degrees or diplomas, career-related training, certifications and relevant coursework. 

2Choose the right resume layout.

There are three main resume layouts based on your experience level: chronological, functional and hybrid/combination. Read on for a description of each to decide which is right for you:

• Chronological layout: This is the most traditional resume format and is best for seasoned candidates with over a decade of experience. Your work history sits high on the page and is the longest section, making it ideal for highlighting promotions and job-related accomplishments. 
• Functional resume layout: The functional, or skills-based, format is a customizable layout highlighting your experience and achievements under related skills sections, not a dedicated work section. This format works best for new job seekers, freelancers, career changers and in-person applicants. Avoid this resume layout if you’re applying online without a direct referral. Applicant tracking systems struggle to parse and grade your information. 
• Combination resume layout: This hybrid format combines the best chronological and functional formats by highlighting your relevant skills and work history. It’s best for candidates with three to nine years of experience because you can show your general skills growth under both sections. 

3Set your margins.

Set your margins to 1 inch. This helps create a visual frame around your accomplishments and avoids a dense, information-laden document that is hard to read. If your resume content spills over to a second page, you can reduce your margins to half an inch on all sides.

4Use white space and line breaks.

Use single or 1.15 line spacing within sections and double line spacing to mark the start of new sections. This creates white space that guides the eyes and reduces reading strain while making the most of a one-page resume layout. 

5Pick the right fonts.

Although word processors have large font libraries, hiring managers prefer resume layouts with minimal, screen-friendly fonts like the these professional fonts.

6Use consistent font size.

Your section headings should be slightly bigger than the rest of your information, but your resume needs consistent font sizes. Set your headings to 14-20 points and the rest of your resume to 10-12, though this may change based on your chosen font. For example, Garamond and Arial are bigger than Calibri.