Guide
The simple resume, done properly
A simple resume is not a plain resume. It is a resume built so that both a machine and a busy human can read it without effort — one column, clear headings, no graphics in the way. Here is what it is, when it beats a designed CV, and the exact structure to follow.
The basics
What a simple resume is
A simple resume presents your experience in a single column of clean text: your name and contact details at the top, a short professional summary, your work experience in reverse chronological order, then education and skills. Headings are standard words — “Experience”, “Education”, “Skills” — set in a readable font at a readable size.
What it leaves out matters as much as what it includes: no sidebars, no text boxes, no skill bars or rating dots, no tables, no icons, and no photo. Those elements look sharp on a screen, but they are exactly the things that automated screening software tends to misread, reorder or drop entirely.
When a simple resume wins
Most medium and large employers route applications through an applicant tracking system (ATS) before a person sees them. The ATS extracts your text and makes it searchable. A resume it cannot parse cleanly is a resume a recruiter may never find, whatever your experience.
A simple resume is the right choice when you apply through an online portal, a job board, or any “upload your CV” form — which is most applications. A designed resume still has its place: when you email a person directly, hand a CV over in person, or work in a visual field where the document itself is part of the portfolio. Many candidates keep both: the simple version for portals, the designed one for people.
Structure
The structure to follow
Six blocks, in this order. Keep each one scannable: short lines, dates aligned consistently, and bullet points that start with what you did and end with what changed.
Name and contact details
Your name in large type, then email, phone, location and a portfolio or LinkedIn link — as plain text the ATS can copy, never inside an image.
Professional summary
Two or three lines: your role, your years of experience, and the strongest evidence you have. Write it for the job you are applying to, not your life story.
Experience
Most recent job first. For each role: title, company, dates, and bullets that carry numbers where you honestly can — users, revenue, time saved, team size.
Education
Qualification, institution and dates. Add honours or relevant coursework only while they are recent enough to help.
Skills
A plain list of the tools and skills the job advert names — spelled the way the advert spells them, and only the ones you genuinely have.
Languages and extras
Languages with an honest level, plus certifications or licences the role asks for. Leave out anything that only takes space.
In this builder
How our Pure ATS template maps to it
Our Pure ATS template is the simple resume above, implemented exactly: a single column, black-and-white, with labelled contact details and a bold date column, and a text layer that extraction tools read in the right order — we verify that with automated checks on every release. It is one of the free templates: free to build and edit, like everything here; exporting the finished file is the Pro step.
If you are applying in Europe, the Europass template follows the official European format instead, including the CEFR language grid. And when the application goes straight to a person, the designed templates — such as Maroon Sidebar — carry the same content with more presence.
Questions
Simple resume FAQ
Is a simple resume better than a designed one?
For online applications, usually yes: the simple version survives automated screening intact, and recruiters read it faster. For direct email or in-person use, a designed resume can present you better. The content matters more than either — a weak experience section loses in both formats.
Should a simple resume have a photo?
No. Photos are one of the elements screening software handles worst, and in many markets recruiters prefer CVs without one. If a specific employer asks for a photo, use a designed template for that application instead.
How long should a simple resume be?
One page while you have under roughly ten years of experience; two pages after that, if every line earns its place. Length is not the goal — a complete, relevant, readable record is.
PDF or DOCX for a simple resume?
Follow the job advert. PDF keeps the layout exactly as you made it and extracts cleanly from a well-built file; some older systems handle DOCX better. This builder exports both with Pro, from the same content.
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