CV Template

The right template does one job: get out of the way so a recruiter can find your experience in seconds. Different industries and experience levels call for different styles.

Which template style fits you

• Classic / traditional — clean lines, no color blocks, conservative fonts. Best for finance, law, government, and academic applications where the norm is formal.
• Modern — a single accent color, clear section dividers, slightly more visual hierarchy. Works well for most corporate and office roles.
• Creative — more visual structure, icons, or a sidebar layout. Suited to design, marketing, and media roles where some visual flair is expected — but avoid this style for conservative industries.

What every good template gets right regardless of style

• One font family, two sizes maximum (headers and body text)
• Consistent spacing between sections
• Enough white space that the page doesn't feel cramped
• A layout that survives being opened in an applicant tracking system without breaking

Don't over-design

A template with too many colors, icons, or graphics can actually hurt you — some ATS software struggles to parse graphics-heavy layouts, and hiring managers in conservative fields may read heavy design as a lack of seriousness. When in doubt, choose the more restrained option.

Try the templates yourself

Our generator includes 16 templates across all three styles above — pick one, fill in your details, and download a formatted PDF. See a completed layout on the CV example page.

Choose your template