In today’s competitive job market, a well-organized resume layout sets the tone for success. Outline your career highlights with the right strategy. In this article, we showcase the best resume layout, along with examples and expert formatting tips so you can stand out with an impressive resume. We also feature a bonus resume layout tool to maximize your chances of landing the job.

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Or view our sample resumes made with our beautiful resume templates

The Basic Resume Layout

The way you organize your resume will vary depending on which of the three resume formats you choose. However, there are five main parts of a resume that structures your basic resume layout:

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  • 1Contact information

    The contact section should be at the top of your resume and include your first and last name, city and state, email address and phone number. You can also add your LinkedIn or digital portfolio.

  • 2Professional summary or objective statement

    A resume summary outlines the skills and abilities that align with the position you’re applying for. They consist of a few sentences used as a professional introduction.

    Meanwhile, an objective statement consists of two to three sentences that outline your career goals. It gives the employer an overview of your short-term professional goals and explains what makes you qualified for the job.

  • 3Relevant skills

    List any relevant skills that align directly with the job description. This is an excellent opportunity to show off a mix of hard and soft skills to help you stand out.

  • 4Work history

    Strengthen your experience section with your top three work accomplishments that match the position you seek. Include the companies you’ve worked for and the title you held at each company. You can also include additional achievements or awards you’ve received in previous jobs.

  • 5Educational background

    List your education and any academic achievements or awards. Include the name of the college you attended, the degrees you completed and the honors or achievements you earned. If your highest level of education is a high school diploma, include your high school education information. Otherwise, leave it out and start with your highest degree earned.

    When it comes to formatting and spacing, here’s a quick simple guide to keep your resume professional and easy to read.

Resume Layout formatting

Pick the right Font

Use clean, minimalistic fonts, such as:

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Keep your font between 11–12 point size. The minimum is a 10 point font size, but do not go any lower.

Set the Margins

Ideally your margin size is 1 inch. You can change the size or the margins if you need to, but shouldn't make them smaller than half an inch.

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Line Spacing

Go for single or 1.15 line spacing (double line spacing after subheadings.)

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The Best Resume Layout Examples

For recruiter-friendly resumes, your layout needs to be clean and easy to scan. Let’s take a closer look at how other professionals structure their resumes. For that, we put together our best resume layout examples.

Professional Resume Layout

Professional Resume Layout

Our professional resume template lays out your qualifications in a clean and elegant structure. These resume layout templates are suitable across all industries and experience levels.

Modern Resume Layout

Modern Resume Layout

These unique template designs feature cool color patterns and modern two-column resume styles to make your credentials stand out!

Simple/Basic Resume Layout

Simple/Basic Resume Layout

This simple resume template uses a minimalistic structure and color scheme to distinguish your professional accomplishments.

Creative Resume Layout

Creative Resume Layout

This artistic template style is designed to highlight your personality and professional career. It features two-column template layouts and fully customizable headers, fonts and color scheme to make your resume stand out.

Resume Layout for Word

Resume Layout for Word

Many Word resume layouts are free to download and offer a perfect balance of white space and elegance to showcase a robust career.

Professional Resume Layout
Formats Examples

The order in which you organize the parts of your resume will depend on the type of resume format you choose. There are three resume formats: chronological, functional and hybrid/combination. Each format has a specific strategy it executes. Here’s a simple breakdown to help you choose the format that is best for you.

Chronological resume

If you have over 10 years of experience, this format demonstrates your steady and consistent work history. The chronological resume places your employment information in reverse-chronological order and makes it the centerpiece of the resume.

Functional resume

If you’re entering the workforce for the first time or have less than three years of experience, this is the format for you. The functional resume shifts the focus from your experience to your skills, making it great for entry-level job seekers and for anyone with long employment gaps.

Combination/hybrid resume

If you have three to eight years of experience and wish to showcase skills and work history equally, this format is ideal for you! A hybrid resume has the best strategies of the functional and chronological formats in one. It also works best for applicants seeking a career change or with a great deal of experience and transferable skills.

Combination/hybrid resume

Bonus Resume Layout Tool

JobHero features the ultimate job application hacks with the latest digital tools so you can generate a professional resume quickly and easily. Our Resume Builder includes recruiter-friendly resume templates and a bonus resume layout tool, so that your resume has the right structure and perfect layout.

We also feature auto-generated industry-specific keywords and phrases to power up your resume with actionable words. Designed by experts, our resources include 1000+ resume examples to outline how other professionals structure their resumes. Pair your resume with a cover letter and take your career to the next level!

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