5 Modern Resume Templates

Are you looking to overhaul your resume? Are you wondering how to find the right template to suit your needs? If you’re considering a modern resume template, we’re here to help you find the right one.

A modern resume template can be a serious asset, depending on your industry and on where you are in your career. But there are so many options out there that it can be hard to know where to start looking! And once you’ve picked the template of your dreams, it can be tough to know how to make it your own.

To help you out, we’ve put together this guide to the modern resume template – why it’s effective, where it works best, and which templates will give your resume the boost it deserves. Read on, and you’ll be an expert on the modern resume in no time!

What Makes a Resume Template Modern?

A modern resume template blends the classic, straightforward structure of a traditional resume with some elements of brightness and creativity in the layout. Modern resume templates usually make use of a streamlined and minimalist design, with sans-serif fonts for ease of reading. But they also feature eye-catching design elements including pops of bright color, lines to delineate columns or resume sections, and even a few sleek graphics to call attention to vital information.

Modern resume templates are designed to be streamlined, and to avoid packing in too much dense information on a single page. A modern resume template will keep your resume easy to skim, so that hiring managers can get a sense of who you are at a glance.

But design isn’t the only thing that makes a resume template ‘modern.’ A modern resume template should also be compatible with applicant tracking systems, which filter out resumes based on whether or not they include key words drawn from the job description. That’s why modern resume templates are designed to be machine-readable, so you won’t be ruled out of the application process before a hiring manager has even seen your resume.

As you can see, a modern resume template brings together design and utility to maximize the strength of your resume.

Why Use a Modern Resume Template?

So why should you consider using a modern resume template? If you’re wondering whether it’s the right move for you, read on – here are some of the best reasons to consider a more modern layout for your resume.

Be More Concise

It’s a common problem when writing a resume: you want to account for everything, so you find yourself over-explaining as you write. It’s totally understandable to want hiring managers to understand you and your application better! But getting too wordy is actually counterproductive, if that’s what you’re going for: it means hiring managers are more likely to get bored or frustrated as they read, and set your application aside.

Hiring managers, in general, want to be able to skim your resume quickly and easily, and pick up all the information they need that way. They usually have too many applications to read, which means that the more concise you can be, the better chance you will have of holding their attention. But if you’re struggling to edit yourself down, what can you do to improve your chances?

A modern resume template can force you to be more concise. These resumes are designed to be as pared-down and streamlined as possible, so if you try to work against the templates and build in too much information, you’ll struggle. Working with the templates, on the other hand, will be a lot more intuitive – so you’ll find yourself producing a more streamlined resume!

Beat the ATS Software

ATS software is helpful for hiring managers, but it can be a serious pain for applicants. Nobody wants to put hours of work and effort into a resume, only to have it set aside unceremoniously before a human being has even glanced at it. If your resume template isn’t optimized for machine reading or online submission, you could run into that problem even if you’ve taken care to include as many key words from the job description as possible.

Fortunately, modern resume templates avoid this problem. They are usually built for machine reading, so you can trust that they won’t fail at the first hurdle after submission. Their more streamlined layouts make getting past ATS software an absolute breeze – provided, of course, that you take the time to optimize the content on your own.

Even if you’re not sure that a modern resume template is right for you, you don’t have to worry about ATS software when you work with VisualCV! All of our resume templates are professionally designed to be legible by ATS software – even the ones with intricate, multi-column layouts. While you’ll still need to make sure that the substance of your resume is ready for an ATS screening, you can be confident that any template you choose will be a help, not a hindrance, to your application.

Let Your Personality Shine

A modern resume template is a comfortable mid-way compromise between the tried-and-true ‘traditional’ resume design and the more out-there approach of creative templates. It maintains the structure of a traditional resume layout, while employing some of the most effective design tricks of a creative resume template. It allows you to present yourself in a format that hiring managers across a wide range of industries will recognize, while still using that format to show off a little more of who you are.

Modern resume templates usually have scope for you to play with color palettes, adding a little more spark to the design. You may even be able to include your own logo, if you have one! They offer an amazing way for you to blend information with style and personality, giving hiring managers a more complete picture of yourself as a candidate.

Best Industries for a Modern Resume Template

Of course, all of the above reasons are heavily dependent on the industry you’re hoping to work in. Not all industries have the same priorities when it comes to applicant resumes. While some may be keen to see more of your personality, others may be more interested in your ability to adhere to a set of strict, traditional workplace norms.

So what are the industries best suited to a modern resume template? We’ve put together a quick guide to some of the fields where this type of resume will serve you well. If you’re hoping to work in one of these industries, a modern resume template may be right for you!

Marketing

As a career, marketing is all about presenting ideas and products in the most appealing, eye-catching and accessible ways. All this makes it a great fit for a modern resume template, which works according to the same basic principles. It blends efficient professionalism with smart design choices, which works well with the culture and priorities of marketing as an industry.

Media

So much of the media industry is driven by personality – it makes sense that a more design-led resume template would be a good approach to take here, since it allows you to include more of yourself than a more traditional template! But it’s also true that many media companies have held onto a degree of traditionalism over the years, which means a creative resume template may put off hiring managers. A modern resume template is a solid compromise between the two sides of this industry, allowing you to bring both poise and personality to your application.

Start-Ups

As a general rule, start-ups tend to be younger companies, less beholden to traditional ideas than more established workplaces. Whatever the industry your start-up of choice works in, it may be the perfect fit for your modern resume template – a resume which allows you to blend your qualifications and professional attitude with that all-important spark of personality. When you apply to a start-up with a modern resume template, there’s no real risk that the color and flavor of your resume will alienate a hiring manager.

Tech

There’s a lot of overlap between start-ups and tech companies! But even the more established tech companies can offer an opportunity for you to use your modern resume template of choice. While a more creative resume template may not show off your qualifications and expertise to best advantage, a modern resume template will allow you to showcase all of that crucial information without compromising on design or personality – both of which are important to companies at the cutting edge of new technology.

Our Favorite Modern Resume Templates

Now that you’ve decided to use a modern resume template, it’s time to choose the specific template you want! To give you a head start, we’ve picked out some of our favorites from our pool of resume templates.

Remember, all of VisualCV’s resume templates are designed by professionals and capable of getting past ATS software. They’re also heavily customizable, so you can make each design your own! Take a look through our template catalog and choose the design that suits you best.

Modern

When it comes to this elegant two-column template, the clue is in the name! It brings stylish, contemporary formatting to a traditional layout, offering the blend of approaches that makes the modern resume template so popular. A sans-serif font keeps your resume looking sleek and readable, while the design elements in the right-hand column present you as a thoroughly modern candidate.

This template allows you to customize the color palette, so you can really make the design feel like your own. There’s also plenty of room for a photo of yourself, incorporated in a way that doesn’t cut into the space set out for your skills or work history.

Slate

This modern-feeling one-page resume template will encourage you to be as concise as you can when you write. It offers a classic two-column layout in a streamlined and minimalist style – while the look of your resume will feel reassuringly familiar to hiring managers, it will still look fresh and exciting. There’s even room for a small photo of yourself, despite the constraints of the one-page format.

One-page resumes have to be tight and tidy to succeed, and this template is no exception. It includes all the information you’ll need without unnecessary visual interference, making it easy for hiring managers to skim through when you apply.

Arya

Arya brings the modern resume template’s trademark elegance and style to a single-column resume layout. It’s sleek and minimalist, making it easy to read in a hurry, without compromising on aesthetics or design. In fact, its bright pops of color lend a splash of personality to a text-led, stripped-down template.

Single-column resumes tend to put the focus on information over design, and that’s true of Arya, too. But the little touches of style and personality that do appear on this template go a long way. They help the understated layout to feel intentional and purposeful, giving an overall impression of professionalism and poise.

Elegant

The Elegant template takes a bolder approach than many other modern resume templates! But don’t be fooled by its splashy header or its intense pops of color. The underlying layout is a simple, traditional two-column layout – easy to read in a hurry, all while standing out visually from the rest of the pile.

This template uses a striking blend of fonts, drawing on modern ideas about design to build an eye-catching resume. It offers scope to customize the color palette, allowing you to express yourself through your resume’s design. And it marries confident, exciting design choices with a recognizable and accessible resume layout, like any good modern resume template.

Denali

Denali is another template that isn’t afraid to stand out. It leans into the two-column resume format with a bold color palette, setting each column apart right away. Those color choices underpin a standard reverse-chronological work experience section, blending the familiar with the striking and new.

This template uses smart, minimalist visual cues to introduce each section, including an elegant timeline-style layout for the work experience section. It’s easy to parse without being bland, offering every opportunity for you to bring your personality to the table.