RESUME TEMPLATES | FREE DOWNLOAD

Do resume templates work? 

Yes, they do. Resume templates are an extremely effective way of creating a basic resume that shows off your skills and experience. A template can be tailored for different jobs, can save you time, and helps you ensure you look professional to potential employers. Another key benefit of using a template is that it makes it much easier to prioritize and remember to include essential information. Basically, for most professions, resume templates are very professional-looking and a super-easy way to apply for more jobs in a shorter time. 

Begin by choosing one of our editable resume templates. Free download in Word.

Who can check my resume? 

Before sending out your resume, it’s important to check it for any spelling or grammar mistakes and to make sure it’s well-written and easy to understand. If writing isn’t your strong point or English is not your native language, you might decide to get someone else to check your resume for you. You might have a friend or family member you trust to check your resume. If so, you can ask them to do this. If not, you can hire a professional freelance editor or proofreader on a freelancing platform like Upwork or Fiverr. If you decide to proofread your resume yourself, always make sure you check it thoroughly for any errors. For great tips on checking your own resume, take a look at our guide here. 

How long should my resume be? Can a resume be two pages? 

Your basic resume should be a comprehensive career summary, similar to your LinkedIn profile. For some professions, this may be up to 3 or 4 pages. However, if you’re sharing your resume, we recommend limiting it to a maximum of 1 or 2 pages. As a rule, if your career is ten years or less in length, this should be presented on a single page. This means you may need to tailor it before submitting it to reduce the length – sometimes significantly. If you need a 2-page resume, check out our premium packages. 

Should my resume be word or pdf? 

Most of the time, you are better off sending your resume in PDF format as, unlike word, doing this will preserve the format. But, it’s important to be aware that some recruiters use ATS – applicant tracking system – and this sometimes cannot scan PDF files. It’s up to you to decide which option you think is best overall. 

Should my resume include a photo? 

Using a headshot on your resume can help it to stand out to recruiters. But, when deciding whether it’s appropriate to use one or not depends on a number of factors. For example, one benefit of adding a photo is that it humanizes you and this is appealing to many hiring managers as many are drawn to images. Plus, in Europe, Japan, and China, adding a photo is more common, so it’s something you should consider if you’re applying for jobs in these regions. However, in the US, photos are not a part of the standard resume format, so you can risk looking unprofessional. Also, it takes up more space on the page, which can be a problem if you have a lot of text to fit in. If you do decide to use a photo on your resume, check out this article for more tips on how to do this in a professional manner. 

Should my resume be in chronological order? 

It depends. Using a chronological order for your resume is the best option if you want to show your career growth, or if you think the recruiter will be impressed by your most recent employer or position. However, this type of resume doesn’t work as well if you have large gaps in your work history, if you have taken a long career break, or if you have changed jobs often. If this is the case, a skills-based resume is usually a better choice. This will show off your transferable skills and is perfect for graduates or those with limited work experience. Alternatively, you can use a combined resume, which shows off specific skills rather than positions held. This works well if you’re making a career change, but, again, it should be avoided if you have large gaps in employment.