Heritage
A classic single-column resume with centered serif headings and traditional double rules, built for law, finance, analyst, and other conservative business fields.
Free Simple Resume Templates
A simple resume template is a one-column layout with standard headings, one readable font and no graphics, so recruiters and applicant tracking systems read it in the right order. Every template below is single-column; edit any of them online, no account needed.
Laurel
A traditional single-column serif resume with a centered header and thin rules, perfect for academics, researchers, and conservative executive roles.
Vellum
A centered single-column resume in clean monochrome sans-serif type with airy whitespace, ideal for sales, business, and any candidate wanting a distraction-free, ATS-safe layout.
Pewter
A clean single-column resume in muted slate-gray with bold headings and rounded skill chips, well suited to teachers, administrators, and generalist professionals seeking near-monochrome polish.
Regent
A traditional single-column serif resume with a centered header and horizontal rules, tailored to executives, operations, and finance leaders in conservative corporate fields.
Pillar
A single-column monochrome resume with a distinctive vertical timeline spine and dotted section markers, ideal for project managers and operations professionals who want structure without color.
Barrister
A refined single-column serif resume with a centered letter-spaced title and clean rules, tailored to attorneys, finance, and executive candidates.
Indigo
A clean single-column resume with a bold sans-serif name and indigo accent, well suited to product, tech, and startup professionals who want a modern, ATS-friendly layout.
Garnet
A centered single-column serif resume with an elegant burgundy accent, ideal for executive assistants, legal, and finance professionals who want a classic, polished look.
Reef
A clean single-column sans-serif resume with a fresh teal accent, well suited to engineers, developers, and tech professionals who want a contemporary, ATS-safe layout.
Parchment
A monochrome centered serif resume with traditional rules and generous whitespace, best for physicians, clinicians, academics, and other conservative professions.
Meridian
A fully centered, monochrome single-column resume with generous whitespace and a light serif name, ideal for candidates who want an understated, highly ATS-friendly classic document.
Simple resume templates put your qualifications first: one column, standard section headers and nothing for an applicant tracking system to misread. Here is the simple resume format, twelve templates compared, and when to use one.
9 minute read
A simple resume template is a one-column layout with standard section headings, one readable typeface, black or a single dark accent, and no photo, icons or graphics. It puts every line in the order a recruiter reads and an applicant tracking system extracts: contact details, summary, experience, skills, education. All twelve simple templates on this page follow that format; they differ only in type, rules and spacing.
Simple is not the same as sparse. The design is quiet so that the content does the work, which is why simple layouts suit high-volume applications, entry-level roles and any field where the resume is read for facts. Edit any template online without an account, then check the PDF with the free ATS resume checker.
Why plain layouts read better: 3,313 resume PDFs checked on OwlApply, September 2026
- 27.7%
- had no layout finding at all; a simple one-column template removes the most common ones by design
- 17.2%
- used two columns or a sidebar, the most common expensive finding, about 15 points lower in our checker
- 10.6%
- used icons, emoji or decorative bullets that extract as unknown characters
What is a simple resume?
A simple resume is a resume written in a plain, text-first format: one column, standard headings, one or two fonts, consistent spacing and no visual elements that carry information (no skill bars, icons, photos or charts). It is usually reverse-chronological, so your most recent job comes first. "Simple" describes the layout, not the content: the bullets still need numbers and the summary still needs a target role.
Recruiters skim. In Ladders' 2018 eye-tracking study, the average first look at a resume lasted 7.4 seconds, and the layouts that held attention were the ones with clear headings and a simple structure; cluttered pages and multiple columns did worst. A simple template makes the first seven seconds easy: title, last employer and best result are where the eye lands.
The simple resume format: section order, fonts and margins
Use this format whether you start from one of our templates or a blank document. It is the layout every parser was built around and the one most US employers expect.
| Element | Simple resume format |
|---|---|
| Layout | One column, left-aligned body text, reverse-chronological |
| Section order | Contact line, Summary, Experience, Skills, Education, then Certifications or Projects |
| Students and first jobs | Contact line, Summary, Education, Projects, Experience, Skills |
| Fonts | One family for body and headings, or a serif name over a sans-serif body; body 10 to 12 pt, name 18 to 24 pt |
| Margins | 0.5 to 1 inch on US Letter (12 to 25 mm on A4) |
| Headings | Plain words: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications |
| Dates | One format throughout, for example Jan 2024 – Mar 2026 |
| Bullets | Plain round bullets or hyphens, 3 to 6 per recent job, each starting with a verb |
| Length | One page under about ten years of experience, two pages above |
| Color | Black, or one dark accent for headings and rules |
| File | Text-based PDF unless the posting asks for .docx |
Font size matters more than font family: in our data 15.2% of resume PDFs set body text below 9 pt, and MIT Career Advising recommends 10 pt or more in a common font. The best font for a resume guide lists the families that extract cleanly.
Simple resume format (copy and fill)
FIRST LAST
City, State | (555) 010-0000 | [email protected] | linkedin.com/in/firstlast
SUMMARY
[Target title] with [N] years in [field]. [Best result with a number]. [Specialty that matches the posting].
EXPERIENCE
[Job Title], [Company], [City, State] | Jan 2023 – Present
- [Verb] [what you did] [result with a number]
- [Verb] [what you did] [result with a number]
- [Verb] [what you did] [result with a number]
[Job Title], [Company], [City, State] | Jun 2020 – Dec 2022
- [Verb] [what you did] [result with a number]
- [Verb] [what you did] [result with a number]
SKILLS
[Group]: [skill], [skill], [skill]
[Group]: [skill], [skill], [skill]
EDUCATION
[Degree], [School] | [Year]
The twelve simple resume templates, compared
Every template below is one column with no photo. Click a name to open it in the editor with sample content.
| Template | Type and details | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Vellum | Centered monochrome sans-serif, airy spacing | Sales, business, any role |
| Meridian | Fully centered, light serif name, generous whitespace | HR, administration, generalists |
| Pewter | Muted slate headings, rounded skill chips | Teachers, administrators |
| Pillar | Monochrome with a vertical timeline spine | Project and operations roles |
| Indigo | Bold sans-serif name, one indigo accent | Product, tech, startups |
| Reef | Clean sans-serif with a teal accent | Engineers, developers |
| Heritage | Centered serif headings, double rules | Law, finance, analysts |
| Laurel | Centered serif header, thin rules | Academics, researchers |
| Regent | Serif, horizontal rules | Operations and finance leaders |
| Barrister | Letter-spaced serif title, clean rules | Attorneys, finance |
| Garnet | Centered serif with a burgundy accent | Executive assistants, legal |
| Parchment | Monochrome centered serif, generous whitespace | Physicians, clinicians, academics |
Expert tip
Choose between sans-serif and serif by field, not by taste. Sans-serif (Vellum, Indigo, Reef) reads as current and fits tech, sales and startups; serif (Heritage, Barrister, Laurel) reads as traditional and fits law, finance and academia. Both extract equally well.
OwlApply Team
Career Development PlatformOwlApply
When should you use a simple resume template?
- Online applications in volume. One column and plain headings are the lowest-risk file for any portal.
- First jobs and students. With little experience, design draws attention to the gaps; a simple layout keeps the focus on education, projects and skills. See resume formats for freshers.
- Conservative fields. Government, finance, law, healthcare administration, logistics and education expect a plain document.
- Career changers. A simple layout with a strong summary and a skills section near the top lets you lead with transferable skills without a functional format.
- When you are unsure. A clean one-column resume is never the wrong file.
Choose something else when the resume itself is a work sample: designers, art directors and some marketing roles are expected to show visual judgment. Use a creative template for those, and keep a simple copy for portals.
Simple vs modern, creative and professional templates
| Simple | Modern | Creative | Professional | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columns | One | One or two | Mostly two | One or two |
| Color | Black or one dark accent | One bright accent | Several, or a colored header | Navy, gray, burgundy |
| Photo | No | Some | Often | Some |
| Best read by | Portals and recruiters | Recruiters in tech and marketing | People who judge design | Corporate and senior readers |
| Portal risk | Lowest | Low in one column | Higher (sidebars, graphics) | Low in one column |
How to make a simple resume in OwlApply
- Open a simple template from the gallery above. No account is needed to start.
- Bring in your content. Type over the sample, or import a PDF or Word resume or a LinkedIn profile URL.
- Keep the defaults. The template already sets one column, the headings and the type. If you change anything, change the accent color or the heading font, not the structure.
- Fit the page. Fit to 1 page tightens spacing, margins and font size step by step and stops at readable sizes. Choose US Letter or A4 under paper size.
- Check it. The editor's ATS tab shows a live score. After you download the PDF, the free ATS resume checker shows the exact text a parser extracts.
Need help with the words rather than the layout? The resume summary generator drafts the two-line summary and the bullet point generator turns duties into results; both write into the same editor.
Common mistakes with simple resumes
Do this
- Lead every bullet with a verb and end it with a number: "Cut invoice errors 40% by..."
- Use the posting's own words for skills and job titles
- Keep one date format and one bullet style throughout
- Print your LinkedIn address in full: linkedin.com/in/name
- Let white space separate sections instead of boxes and lines
Avoid this
- Don't mistake simple for short: an empty-looking page reads as thin experience
- Don't shrink the font below 10 pt to fit one page; cut a bullet instead
- Don't put contact details in the page header or footer
- Don't list soft skills ("hard-working", "team player") as the skills section
- Don't use the same resume for every posting; adjust the summary and skills
How to check that a simple resume is really simple
Copy all the text from your PDF and paste it into a plain-text editor. If it reads top to bottom in the order you wrote it, with your name and email in the first lines and every job showing a title, an employer and dates, the format works. If lines from different sections mix, something in the layout (usually a hidden table or text box from an old Word file) is breaking it.
Simple resume templates: FAQ
Short answers about simple and basic resume templates.
What is the simplest resume format?
A one-column, reverse-chronological resume: contact line, a two-line summary, experience with your most recent job first, a skills list and education. One font, plain headings, no graphics. It is also the format applicant tracking systems read most reliably.
Are the resume templates free?
Choosing a template, editing it, previewing your resume in every other design and switching between them costs nothing and needs no account. You can also import an existing PDF or Word resume or a LinkedIn profile. Downloading the finished PDF is part of Pro. There is no Word export; the download is a text-based PDF.
Is a simple resume template ATS-friendly?
A simple template in the sense used on this page is: one column, contact details in the body, standard headings and real text are exactly what parsers need. All twelve simple templates here are single-column. Test any final file with the free ATS checker, which shows the extracted text.
Will a simple resume look boring?
Not to a recruiter. In Ladders' 2018 eye-tracking study, simple layouts with clear headings held attention better than designed ones. What makes a resume look weak is thin content, not plain type. A single accent color or a serif name adds enough character.
Should a simple resume have a photo?
In the US, UK and Canada, no; most employers do not expect one. None of the simple templates here has a photo slot. If you apply in a market where photos are expected, pick a professional template with a photo, or keep the simple layout and ask whether the employer wants one.
How long should a simple resume be?
One page under about ten years of experience, two pages above. Fit to 1 page in the editor tightens spacing and type without going below readable sizes; if the content still does not fit, it tells you to shorten it.
Can I make a simple resume in Word or Google Docs instead?
Yes. Use one column, put contact details in the body rather than the header, avoid tables for aligning dates, and keep the headings plain. The copy-and-fill format above works in any editor.
What is the difference between a simple and a basic resume template?
Nothing meaningful: both describe a plain one-column layout with standard sections. Some sites use "basic" for completely unformatted documents; a simple template still has deliberate type, spacing and rules.
Start with a simple template
Open any simple template in the editor, import your current resume or LinkedIn profile, and switch to another design at any time without retyping.
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