How To Choose the Best Resume Template for Your Industry

Whether you’re starting out on your professional journey or you’re a seasoned career professional looking to advance your career, your resume is an essential tool for your job search.

Your resume is your opportunity to leave a great first impression on the employer. It sets the tone for the following steps in the hiring process: the first interview, the follow-up and employment.

The perfect resume sells your greatest strengths and skills. It does so by making it relevant to the job position you’re applying to. It also catches the attention of hiring managers and impresses potential employers.

Resumes and cover letters allow recruiters to check a job seeker’s skills and qualifications. They do this to determine if candidates are a good match for their company.

Thus, your resume goal needs to focus on how to best showcase your skills. Also, it should showcase your work experience in an easy-to-follow way.

Employers use resumes to get an in-depth look into a candidate’s skills, qualifications and experience. Afterward, they extend an invitation for a job interview to the chosen candidate. For this reason, your resume needs to showcase the following:

• Your soft skills as they relate to the job description.
• Your hard skills as they relate to the industry and job position you’re applying for.
• Your professional achievements in your work history. Also, how your skills and competencies contributed to them.
• Any awards and certifications that are relevant to the job position.
• Your education and years of experience. Also, any other accomplishments that highlight your career goals.

A resume’s design is the first thing that’s noticed by hiring managers and recruiters. It provides the first opportunity to leave a remarkable first impression on your resume.

 

Hiring managers assess the resume’s design before reading a candidate’s skills and qualifications. Also, hiring managers usually take only a few seconds when skimming resumes. So, a visually pleasing resume template that’s scannable and in the correct format is crucial.

 

Most respectable companies usually receive an endless number of applications for their job posts. Thus, sifting through each job application is impossible for hiring managers.

 

To address this concern, companies usually have systems that aid them in their hiring and recruiting needs. These systems help by collecting, organizing and tracking candidates and their job applications.

 

One such system that is most commonly used is the applicant tracking system (ATS). Applicant tracking system software is used by hiring managers to filter out irrelevant resumes. The software reviews all job applications and their resumes. It then pulls out resumes that showcase the skills, competencies and other relevant keywords that the company seeks.

 

Resume writing with professional resume templates and resume builders that have the ATS in mind is crucial. Unfortunately, all too often, job seekers don’t take the ATS into account. They use the first free resume template they come across, and it usually isn’t ATS-friendly.

 

It’s crucial to make sure your resume doesn’t get filtered out and actually reaches the eyes of hiring managers. You can do this by using professional templates that are ATS-friendly.

 

You can use a minimalist, modern, or creative resume template, as long as they’re ATS-friendly. This will improve your chances of landing more job interviews.

 

This article will walk you through the three top resume formats to use and the resume format most employers prefer. We will then explore the top twelve resume templates by industry. Professionals can use these templates to craft a job-winning ATS-friendly resume.

When choosing a template, the first thing you should consider is if it fits the format you’re using for your resume. When it comes to resume formats, there are three standard formats. These resume formats are most commonly used by job seekers and recognized by hiring managers and recruiters. Those three formats are chronological, functional and combination (sometimes referred to as hybrid). Each format takes a unique approach to how they emphasize each resume element. However, all three formats contain the same elements:

• Contact information section
• An introductory section often referred to as a resume summary or professional objective
• A skills section that lists a candidate’s relevant soft skills and hard skills
• An experience section that lists a candidate’s work history
• An education section that lists a candidate’s formal education details

The three resume formats are:

1. Chronological: The chronological resume format is by far the most popular. It emphasizes a candidate’s work history and career progression.
2. Functional: The functional resume format emphasizes a candidate’s skills and achievements. Compared to the chronological format, it focuses less on work history.
3. Combination/hybrid: The combination resume combines aspects of the chronological and functional formats. It emphasizes a candidate’s experience, skills and accomplishments.

The reverse-chronological resume format is by far the most popular resume format. It is the format that hiring managers and employers are most familiar with.

 

The reverse-chronological format starts with the most recent experience and goes back to the oldest.

The reverse-chronological format is most preferred because of its easy-to-follow format. This format allows hiring managers to gather key takeaways of a candidate’s qualifications.

 

Make sure the resume layout is compatible across all devices (mobile, desktop and tablet), regardless of the format.

These 10 resume templates cover virtually all professionals, regardless of their job title. Make the best of your job search by choosing one of the following ATS-friendly professional resume templates:

1. Bilingual Resume Template
2. Minimalist Resume Template
3. Modern Resume Template
4. Simple Resume Template
5. Traditional Resume Template
6. Unique Resume Template
7. One-page Resume Template
8. Two-page Resume Template
9. Perfect Resume Template
10. Infographic Resume Template