Best Resume Layouts and How to Format Them [Examples, Guide & Tips]

A CV or resume is the first impression the recruiters will obtain from applicants. It is important to know that the main purpose of a CV or resume is to get yourself an opportunity for an interview. 

Since most recruiters only spend limited time scanning for piles of resumes, it is even more important to make your resume stand out from the rest. And a key to a well-structured and eye-catching resume mostly depends on the resume layout.

The resume or CV layout generally decides where all the information should be located, in what order they will be best presented. A good CV or resume layout makes your CV or resume easy-to-read without leaving out any essential information.

A successful CV or resume layout does not need to be sophisticated. The fact is recruiters love CV or resume layout that is organized and easy to follow.

Here are some advice on how to make your CV layout more structured and professional:

🖋 Fonts

A professional CV layout adopts smart font usage that makes the whole CV layout looks tidy and clean. The key is to keep the fonts’ format consistent in one CV. Use only one type of font. You can choose between a Serif or Sans-serif font type.

• Standard serif font choices include: Cambria, Calibri, Times New Roman, etc.
• Standard san-serif font choices include: Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, etc. 

🖋 Margins

The layout of a resume for a job needs to have a sufficient margin so that the recruiters would not have difficulty reading through the resume. A professional resume layout should have at least a one-inch margin on the four sides of the resume.

🖋 Spacing

Proper resume layout should be able to find a balance between text and spacing. Make sure not to overload the resume with texts.  The go-to resume layout spacing is 1 or 1.5, and double spacing for after subheading or title.

🖋 Alignments

The resume headings section that contains personal information could be center-aligned. You could also try different styles of alignment for this section. The main text for a professional CV layout should be justified to the left to make them more easy-to-read. 

🖋 Length

The length for a proper resume layout should be around 1-2 pages. Typically, resume single-page format is the most common one. Should you really have additional information that could be helpful to prove your qualifications, a resume 2-page format could be your alternative. Page layout for resume should not exceed 2 pages.

Now you might be wondering how to make the right resume format. The first steps to a basic resume or CV layout are to include these 5 sections in your resume or CV.

Resume Header

The resume header is the section where your basic information such as name, professional title, contact number, email address, linked in, and personal website if available. 

Here’s a resume header example:

Resume Summary

A resume summary is a short paragraph of 2-3 sentences at the top of the resume which describes your qualifications, and whether you have the relevant experience and skills for the position you are applying for.

Here’s a resume summary example:

Work Experience

The work experience section is where you allocate previous working experiences that are relevant to the current position. You could follow the basic resume layout by listing out your previous working experience from the latest to the oldest. 

Here’s a work experience example: 

Skills

The skills section is also a very important section in a resume layout. Before listing your skills, please go through the work description to match the requirements. Aside from listing out the professional technical skills, it is also important to include soft skills to boost up your character. 

Here are some examples of skills:

Education

Similar to the work experience and skills section, the education section is also a very essential section in a resume layout. 

Here’s an example:

In the job searching industry, there are five best resume layouts and formats that might land you a perfect job:

1. Chronological Resume
2. Functional Resume
3. Combination Resume
4. Creative Resume
5. Simple Resume

1. Chronological Resume

Chronological resume format is the most mainstream resume format layout, not to mention the most preferable resume layout by recruiters. 

This CV or resume layout arranges your working experience sections from the latest to the oldest. Also, this CV layout is also compatible with Applicant Tracking System (ATS) that is used to scan resumes. 

If you are a job seeker with progressive and stable growth in working history, this might be the perfect CV layout. 

2. Functional Resume Layout

Functional resume format and layout is perfect for those with little working experience but has relevant skills that the company might need. You could also list any transferable skills set that were acquired during previous club activities or volunteering experiences. 

For these reasons, functional resume layout might as well be the go-for resume layout for freshers.

3. Combination Resume Layout

The combination resume layout combines both working experiences and skills when describing work experiences. It often comes with a skill set that is supported with relevant working experiences.

Combination resume layout is the executive resume layout that is mostly used by professionals with abundant working experiences and skills. In other words, this might not be the first that comes to mind when thinking of resume layout for the first job. 

4. Creative Resume Layout

If by any chance you are bored with the three basic resume or CV layouts mentioned previously, you can also opt for a creative resume layout. 

As the name says, a creative resume or CV layout utilizes creative resume layout ideas such as infographics, pictures, and icons into the resume. This is an option if you are looking for a position in a creative field where you might as well integrate some of your creativity and personal touch into the CV layout design.

5. Simple Resume Layout

Simple resume layout smartly positions all information into one single column. This will give the CV layout a cleaner look. A simple resume or CV layout also comes with some simple icons beside each subheading to make them easier to navigate. 

This simple CV layout design is suitable for both freshers and experienced job seekers as it offers versatility to the design.

💡 Make use of bullet points.

Using bullet points could allow the whole resume to look more organized. It could also help the recruiters to navigate through certain points quickly and efficiently.  

💡 Arrange the resume sections in the right order.

The basic resume or CV layout should include and follow these orders:

• Resume Header
• Resume summary
• Work experience
• Education
• Skills
• Additional information (Achievements, awards, certifications)

💡 Keep the resume concise and relevant.

The next resume or CV layout tip is to keep the content concise and relevant to the job description. The best way to do this is to read through the job description and include keywords that are mentioned in the requirements.

💡 Make the resume layout design simple and easy to read.

Most importantly, do not overcomplicate things. Keep the whole CV layout design simple and easy to read. It is also recommended to go through CV or resume layout examples available on the internet to get more CV layout ideas.

💡 Tailor the resume layout to the ATS.

Since most competitive companies have been using ATS as their screening method, it is very important to tailor your resume layout to the ATS format. The most promising way to do this is to use the chronological resume layout. The second tip is to include all relevant keywords that are mentioned by the hiring company. ATS often searches for applicants with the most relevant keywords.

💡 Use quantifiable results.

When going through the working description and achievements section, it would be best to use numbers to show more impact. Recruiters love numbers and facts, and it could give them a clear idea about what you have achieved previously.