Professional resume template

What makes a resume look professional

Mostly restraint. The layout does a few things consistently and leaves the rest to your words:

• One accent colour, used for the band, the headings and the employer names, and nowhere else.
• Clear headings with a thin line under each, so the eye jumps from section to section.
• Job titles in bold with dates and places aligned on the right.
• Short bullet points that start with what you did and end with what changed.
• Generous margins and line spacing, so the page never looks crowded.

Writing the top of the page

The band is the first thing anyone reads, so make each line count. Use your full name as it appears on your documents. Under it, put the job title you are applying for rather than your current one if they differ: Operations Manager, not Senior Operations Coordinator Level 2. Then one phone number, one email address you check every day, your town and country, and a portfolio or profile link if it shows your work.

Leave your full street address, date of birth and nationality out unless the employer asks. They take space in the most valuable part of the page.

Example bullet points

• Managed a portfolio of 35 business accounts and kept renewals above target for three years running.
• Cut month end reporting from five days to three by standardising the regional spreadsheets.
• Led the move to a new booking system for a team of 22, with training sessions for every shift.
• Answered patient and visitor questions at a busy front desk and kept waiting times visible on a board.

Numbers help when they are true and you can explain them. When you have none, a precise sentence about scale or result works too.

Colour, fonts and spacing

The band comes in royal blue. The Design panel has ten colours that print well, including navy, teal, emerald, burgundy and charcoal, and a picker for any colour you like. Dark colours keep the white text easy to read; the template switches to dark text automatically if you pick a very light colour. You can also change the fonts, text size, line spacing and margins, and the preview updates as you click.

How long a professional resume should be

One page for up to around ten years of experience, two pages for longer careers or roles where publications, projects or certifications matter. Keep the last ten years in detail. Older roles can shrink to a title, an employer and dates, which still shows a steady career without filling the page.

A profile that sounds like a professional

The profile sits right under the band, so it is the first thing anyone reads after your name. Keep it to three or four lines. Start with what you are, not what you are looking for: Finance manager with nine years in manufacturing and retail. Add the one result you are proudest of, and finish with the kind of role you want next. Avoid lists of adjectives such as dynamic, passionate and results driven; the reader has seen them on every resume that day.

If you are changing direction, say so plainly and connect it to what you already do: Customer service team leader moving into training and development, with three years of running induction for new starters. One honest sentence about the change is more convincing than hiding it.

A cover letter in the same style

When an employer asks for a cover letter, a matching one looks considered. Use the same name, contact details and colour, keep it to one page, and say three things: why this role, why this employer, and the two pieces of your experience that fit it best.

Questions about this template