Free resume templates for Google Docs and Word

How to open a template in Google Docs

1. 1Click Download under the template you want. The .docx file saves to your Downloads folder.
2. 2Go to docs.google.com and open any document, or start a blank one.
3. 3Choose File > Open, select the Upload tab, and pick the .docx file.
4. 4The file opens in Google Docs. To keep working in Google's own format, choose File > Save as Google Docs.
5. 5Replace the placeholder text. When an application asks for a PDF, choose File > Download > PDF Document (.pdf).

How to open a template in Microsoft Word

1. 1Click Download under the template you want.
2. 2Double-click the .docx file, or open Word and choose File > Open. It works in Word for Windows and for Mac.
3. 3If a yellow Protected View bar appears at the top, click Enable Editing. Word shows it for any file downloaded from the internet.
4. 4Replace the placeholder text and save. To send a PDF, choose File > Save As (or Save a Copy) and pick PDF as the format.

Filling in the template

• Replace every placeholder, including "City, State" and the dates. Search for 20XX (Ctrl+F, or Cmd+F on a Mac) to catch any you missed.
• To add a job, select the whole block (title line, company line and bullets), copy it and paste it underneath. The styles, bullets and date position come with it.
• Dates sit at the right margin because of a tab stop. Keep the single Tab between the job title and the date rather than adding spaces.
• Delete any section you don't need, but keep standard headings such as Experience, Education and Skills so applicant tracking systems recognize them.
• Press Enter at the end of a bullet to start a new one. Keep it to one page unless you have more than about ten years of relevant experience.
• Save one copy per job you apply for, named with your name and the role, for example Your-Name-Resume.docx.

What makes these templates ATS-friendly

Applicant tracking systems pull your name, contact details, job titles and dates out of the file before a recruiter sees it. These files are built so that step has nothing to trip over:

• One column, read top to bottom. No tables, text boxes, columns or images.
• Your name and contact details are in the page body, not in the header area, which some parsers skip.
• Section titles use the Heading 1 style and your name uses the Title style, so they show up in the document outline in Google Docs and the navigation pane in Word.
• Bullets are real bulleted lists, not typed symbols, so they stay lined up as you edit.
• Only Times New Roman, Arial and Calibri, which come with Word and are in the Google Docs font menu.
• An automated test extracts each file's text the way a simple parser does and checks that it reads in order, from your name to the last section.

Frequently asked questions