How to Choose the Best Resume Template (+Examples)

Hiring managers and recruiters often spend just 7–10 seconds scanning a resume before deciding if it’s worth reading further. Out of 100 applications, only a handful make it to the interview stage. That’s why choosing the best resume template is more than just a design choice—it’s a strategic move to get noticed and land the job.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to pick a resume template that fits your career goals, matches your industry, and helps your most valuable skills stand out—plus, we’ll share examples to help you choose with confidence.

Benefits of using a professional resume template

A professionally designed resume template helps you focus on what really matters: your content. Instead of struggling with formatting or layout, you can showcase your skills and experience with confidence.

For You, the Job Seeker:

Save Time – Pre-designed templates eliminate the hassle of layout, design, and formatting.
Professional Appearance – Organized content reflects attention to detail and credibility.
Focus on Content – Highlight your achievements and experience without getting lost in formatting decisions.

For the Hiring Manager:

Clarity – Clean design and structured layout make your resume easier to read and digest.
Scannability – Key information stands out quickly, improving your chances of getting noticed.
ATS-Friendly – Many professional templates are built to be compatible with applicant tracking systems.
Stronger First Impressions – A polished format directs attention to your strengths—not your font choices.

How to choose the best resume template

A resume template will do a lot of heavy lifting for you but must be professionally produced to do so successfully. Consequently, there is a marked difference between free and professionally designed templates. The former is built by graphic designers using styling to grab attention. The latter use styling to direct attention and are constructed by professionals who truly understand hiring managers’ needs.

Pick a visual appearance

that your audience will appreciate. As an outline guide, for traditional positions, pick a classic style of resume, and for creative positions choose a more contemporary template. For example, in a larger corporate environment, hiring managers respect a to-the-point formal style. Small or medium-sized service organizations will appreciate a more elegantly styled resume.

Select your template to best highlight

the features and benefits you offer, relative to what is asked for. For early-career or technical roles, qualifications may be most important to use a template that highlights yours. For other roles, achievements may be key, or skills, or scope of experience, and so on. If a role requires you to be creative and confident, choose a resume template that adds some color and boldness.

Add your content

with your audience in mind, consistent with your chosen resume template style. Corporate organizations expect a more conservative approach; flashy colors and graphics may count against you. This is especially true where they use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) which cannot read the information within graphic elements. To get some insider tips and hit the mark with your content, read our article: How to write a great resume.

Choosing the type of resume template

Classic resume templates

Are ideal for traditional jobs and corporate roles where you’ll take responsibilities seriously. With a clean and clear appearance, they get to the point and give key abilities, skills, experience, and education categories in prominent positions. Choose a classic resume template If you are is unsure.

Related: Classic resume templates

Modern resume templates

Are sleek and contemporary, designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind. They take a ‘summary’ approach and utilize short paragraphs, bold titling, bullet points, and white space. A modern resume template works well in technical roles to show highlights at the start and detail toward the end, once you’ve hooked attention.

Related: Modern resume templates

Elegant resume templates

Provide a sophisticated look. Various colors and styling touch smooth the feel of a classic resume. They look crafted and work well for roles needing higher levels of considered behavior and personal creativity. Elegant resume templates score when applying for executive, management, and supervisory roles, as well as in the ‘creative’ fields.

Related: Elegant resume templates

Professional insights: What recruiters really think

We asked recruiters, HR professionals, and hiring managers to share their honest opinions about resume templates. Here are some of their top tips and warnings:

“Choose a clean, scannable resume template—please! Anything that helps me read faster increases your chances of getting shortlisted.”
“You’ll impress me by matching the job profile, not by using a wildly creative design. Pick your template with the role in mind.”
“Charts and tables can be helpful, but if you’re applying through an ATS, make sure critical content is also included in plain text.”
“Content always wins. A good template should support your message, not distract from it.”
“A resume template has done its job if my attention goes straight to your opening statement—not a decorative element.”
“Avoid blocks of unbroken text. If it’s hard to scan, I just move on.”

These insights emphasize what truly matters: clarity, relevance, and ease of reading. A great resume template doesn’t just look good—it helps your content shine.

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Jon Gregory

Jon Gregory is a career coach and mentor specializing in resume strategy, interview preparation, and career advancement. He is a National Careers Week Ambassador and a Careers Expert Member for The Guardian, where he provides expert commentary on hiring trends, resumes, and professional development.

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