CAREER RESOURCES

Resumes

Our resume templates are designed to give you the best chance at getting an interview. If a job gets 500 applications, the person hiring might only fully read a few dozen resumes.

Resume Creation Apps

Almost all resume creators aren't free, even if they say they are. Once you try to download or share your resume, they ask you to pay for a subscription. The only free resume creators we've found are Resume.com and Indeed.

Resume.com Indeed

  • Choosing a Resume Type

    Learn the difference between resume types and which one you should use.

    Resume Types

  • AI Resume Guide & Prompts

    Tips for using AI, plus prompts you can copy and paste into an AI chat.

    AI Tips

  • Resume Do's and Don'ts

    What to do (and not do) with formatting, fonts, and content.

    View Checklist (PDF)

  • Cover Letters

    A basic cover letter template you can copy and fill in.

    Cover Letters

Resume Templates

Not sure which one to pick? Read Choosing a Resume Type.

We recommend Google Docs for resumes and cover letters because:

  • Your documents save automatically to the cloud.
  • It's easier to use on a phone than Microsoft Word.
  • It's 100% free. Microsoft Word is not.
  • It's simpler to learn than Microsoft Word.
  • It's easier for us to help you if you share your document with us.

Don't have a Google account? You can make one for free with the email you already have. You don't need Gmail. How to make a Google account with your current email

Choose how you want to work:

Google Docs

You'll make your own copy in your Google account. You can edit it, and it saves automatically.

On a computer:

  1. Find the template you want below.
  2. Click its Copy Google Doc button.
  3. If Google asks, sign in to your Google account.
  4. Click Make a copy.
  5. Your copy opens. It's saved in your Google Drive.

On iPhone and Android:

  1. Find the template you want below.
  2. Tap its Copy Google Doc button.
  3. If Google asks, sign in to your Google account.
  4. Tap Make a copy.
  5. If your phone asks, open the copy in the Google Docs app. The app is free in the App Store and Google Play.

Microsoft Word

You'll download the file and edit it in Word. Word is best on a computer. On a phone, we recommend Google Docs.

To keep your resume, email the file to yourself, save it to a flash drive, or upload it to your Indeed profile or CalJOBS account.

On a computer:

  1. Find the template you want below.
  2. Click its Download Word File button.
  3. Open your Downloads folder, then open the file.
  4. If you see a yellow bar that says Protected View, click Enable Editing.

On a phone:

  1. Tap the template's Download Word File button.
  2. Open the file in the Microsoft Word app. You'll need to sign in with a Microsoft account to edit.

Our templates follow these rules for a reason. To be successful, a resume must pass these tests, in order.

Test 1: Make It Past the Applicant Tracking System

Most employers use software to sort resumes before a person ever sees them.

What Is an ATS?

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is like a digital filing cabinet. Employers use it to manage hiring. It works like a search engine for the employer's hiring department.

Which Employers Use an ATS?

  • More than 90% of recruiting and staffing companies, and Fortune 500 companies
  • More than 70% of large businesses
  • Around 30% of small and midsize businesses, and that number is rising fast

What an ATS Does

  • It "reads" your resume. It strips away formatting to find your contact information, work history, skills, and education.
  • It ranks your resume against the job description. It looks for keywords from the job posting and gives your resume a score for how well it matches.
  • It filters out applications, so employers can focus on the best matches.

Test 2: Rank High Enough to Reach the Recruiter

If the ATS can read your resume, it also needs enough of the right keywords to rank high and get passed on to the recruiter.

Test 3: Get Past the Recruiter's First Glance

Recruiters don't read every resume that reaches them. They glance at it first. Within about 8 seconds, they decide whether to keep reading or move on. Recruiters lean toward resumes that are easy to scan quickly.

Recruiters decide based on:

  • How easy it is to spot the important information: keywords, skills, employment dates, job titles, and education or certifications. Most recruiters scan in an "F" or "Z" pattern, the way we usually scan printed pages.
  • Snap judgments about how the resume looks.
  • Whether the information that catches their eye shows you're worth a closer look.

Test 4: Avoid Unfair Judgments

Some information can be left out of a resume, and it's often better to leave it out. A recruiter may judge you on things that have nothing to do with the job, like your age, ethnicity, or employment gaps.

Test 5: Show You Have the Skills They Want

Include what the job posting asks for. The quality of your formatting and writing matters too. If the employer wants someone detail-oriented with good writing skills, your resume needs to show that, with no typos or grammar mistakes.

Want all the rules in one place?

Do's and Don'ts Checklist (PDF) Do's and Don'ts Reference Table (PDF)