Single column

Single column resume templates

A single column resume runs every section in one stack from top to bottom: header, summary, experience, education, skills. Because the text has only one possible reading order, it is the layout least likely to be scrambled when an applicant tracking system pulls it apart, and the quickest for a person to skim.

ResumeFinch has 10 one-column templates, compared below by header style, default spacing and fonts. The preview shows Beacon, the most expressive of them, filled in for a communications manager. The same templates serve as a single column CV template if you are applying somewhere that says CV and means resume.

Use this template Start from this example

Free to build and preview. Downloads are a one-time payment, no subscription.

Microsoft Word and Google Docs are trademarks of their respective owners; ResumeFinch is not affiliated with either company.

Maribel Szymanski

Communications Manager

maribel.szymanski@email.com | (555) 742-0516 | Milwaukee, WI | linkedin.com/in/maribelszymanski | maribelwrites.com

Summary

Communications manager with 9 years in member-facing organizations, from a regional credit union to a multi-clinic health group. Writes and edits everything from rate-change notices to crisis statements, runs a 4-channel content calendar, and turns member feedback into plain-language copy.

Experience

Communications ManagerFeb 2022 – Present

Northcove Credit UnionMilwaukee, WI

•Run member communications for 11 branches: monthly email newsletter, app notices, lobby signage and the annual report.

•Rewrote 30 account disclosures and fee notices at a 7th-grade reading level with the compliance team's sign-off.

•Led messaging during a 2-day online banking outage, publishing hourly updates and a follow-up FAQ the next morning.

•Raised newsletter open rate from 24% to 37% by splitting the list by product and shortening subject lines.

Marketing SpecialistJun 2018 – Jan 2022

Fernbrook Health PartnersMadison, WI

•Wrote patient-facing copy for 6 clinic locations, including service pages, flu-season reminders and new-provider announcements.

•Coordinated the switch to a new patient portal, producing how-to videos and a printed guide for front-desk staff.

•Pitched local TV and radio on clinic events and placed 14 stories in two years.

Communications CoordinatorAug 2016 – May 2018

Pellham Outdoor Co.Madison, WI

•Drafted product launch emails and in-store event flyers for a 5-store outdoor gear retailer.

•Kept the shared brand style guide current and checked every outgoing piece against it.

Skills

Member and customer communications •Crisis communications •AP style editing •Plain-language writing •Media relations •Mailchimp •Canva •Adobe InDesign •Google Analytics 4

Education

B.A. in Journalism and Strategic Communication2012 – 2016

Harrow Lake UniversityDuluth, MN

Editor of the campus weekly newspaper for two semesters.

Volunteer Work

•Newsletter editor and board member, Eastbank Neighborhood Association, 2020 to present

Beacon resume templatePolished with a confident accentATS-safe · 1 column

All 10 one column resume templates

Every template here keeps all of its text in one column, so each one carries the ATS-safe label in the builder. They differ in the header, the spacing and the type, which the table lays out.

Template	Header	Default spacing	Fonts	Best for
Harbor	Name over a contact line, centered	Balanced	Georgia throughout	Finance and accounting; Law and government
Meridian	Name over a contact line, left-aligned	Balanced	Arial throughout	Tech and product roles; Marketing
Slate	Name over a contact line, left-aligned	Compact	Calibri throughout	Students and new grads; Entry-level roles
Summit	Name over a contact line, left-aligned	Balanced	Georgia headings, Arial text	Managers and directors; Operations
Keystone	Name over a contact line, centered	Compact	Georgia throughout	Software engineers; Data and analytics
Campus	Name over a contact line, centered	Compact	Georgia throughout	College students; New graduates
Beacon	Two-weight name, centered	Balanced	Arial throughout	Marketing and communications; Sales and partnerships
Regent	Accent bar above the name, left-aligned	Balanced	Georgia headings, Arial text	Directors and VPs; General managers
Linen	Name over a contact line, left-aligned	Airy	Calibri throughout	UX and product design; Writers and editors
Banner	Name on a color band, left-aligned	Balanced	Georgia headings, Arial text	Healthcare and nursing; Teaching and education

Spacing and fonts are only defaults: any template can switch to Compact, Balanced, Airy spacing and any of the 4 font pairings.

Why one column is the safest layout for ATS

An applicant tracking system does not look at your resume. It extracts the text and tries to split it into fields such as name, job title, employer and dates, and for that it needs the words in a sensible order. A PDF stores text as positioned fragments, and the parser has to decide which fragment follows which. With one column there is only one sensible answer: top to bottom.

A second column creates a second possible order. A parser that reads straight across the page can join the end of an experience bullet to a skill in the sidebar and produce a line that belongs to neither. Newer systems usually detect columns, but you rarely know which system a particular employer runs.

ResumeFinch checks reading order for every template it offers. The text of each PDF and Word file is extracted the way a parser would extract it and checked to come out header first, then the main content, with no line interleaved. One-column templates pass with nothing to work around. That is a test of our own files, not a promise about any specific employer's software.

The human reader benefits in the same way. A recruiter skimming on a laptop or a phone moves down one column exactly as the parser does, and a single column survives being printed, forwarded or pasted into an email without falling apart.

One column or two? A decision table

Your situation	Pick	Why
Applying through a large employer's online portal	One column	You cannot see which tracking system will read the file.
Emailing a PDF straight to a hiring manager	Either	A person reads it first, so choose the design you prefer.
Handing printed copies to people at a career fair	Either	Paper has no parser; scannability is what counts.
A long list of tools, languages or certifications	Two columns	A sidebar holds short lists without pushing experience onto page two.
Long, detailed bullets are your strongest material	One column	Full-width lines give each bullet room to breathe.
You will keep editing in Word or Google Docs	One column	The Word file of a sidebar template is rearranged into one column, so it will not match the PDF.
Finance, law, government or other conservative fields	One column	A conventional layout matches what readers in those fields expect.

When the answer is Either, switch between templates in the builder and compare; your content stays put.

If the table points you to two columns, the two-column resume template page compares the six sidebar and margin designs and explains how each one handles reading order.

Choosing among the single column templates

Color without a second column: Banner puts your name on a full-width band of color, and Regent sets a thick accent bar above it.
Fitting a long history on one page: Slate, Keystone and Campus default to Compact spacing, with 40 pt page margins (0.56 in).
Restraint: Linen defaults to Airy spacing (0.78 in margins), gray section labels and no rules, so the words carry the page.
Education first: Campus suggests moving Education above Experience as soon as you pick it, the order university career offices teach.
Personality inside one column: Beacon uses a two-weight name and headings that open in your accent color. It is the template in the preview.
Serif and traditional: Harbor, Keystone and Campus set Georgia throughout under a centered name, the most traditional look in the set.

Worked example: the communications manager sample in Beacon

A few choices in the preview are worth copying. Numbers in the sample's bullets are placeholders; put your own in their place.

Skills sit directly under Experience, above Education. After nine years of work, the tools a communications job asks for matter more than the degree. In a one-column template you set that order by dragging sections, and nothing is moved into a sidebar for you.
The volunteer newsletter role is a custom section at the bottom. In a sidebar template, a list that short would move into the narrow column; here it stays in line, exactly where you put it.
Her portfolio site sits in the contact line next to LinkedIn, because writing samples are part of how this job is judged.
Each bullet starts with the channel or audience (members, patients, local TV) so a skim down the left edge tells the reader whom she writes for.

Single column resumes in Word and Google Docs

A one-column template downloads as a .docx with the same section order and spacing as the PDF, since there is nothing to flatten. If you expect to keep editing in Word or Google Docs after downloading, this is the main practical argument for one column: the file you edit looks like the page you previewed. Pages are US Letter size (8.5 x 11 in) in both files.

Frequently asked questions

Is a one column resume more ATS-friendly than a two column resume?

Yes, as a rule. With one column there is only one order the text can be read in, so there is nothing for a parser to get wrong. Many modern systems handle two columns too, but when you are uploading to a portal you know nothing about, one column removes the risk.

Which single column template fits the most on one page?

Slate, Keystone and Campus start at Compact spacing, the tightest setting, with 0.56 in page margins. You can also switch any other template to Compact in the design panel, and the builder suggests fitting to one page when a second page is barely used.

Can a single column resume still use color?

Yes. All 10 one-column templates take any of the nine accent colors, and Banner carries it in a full-width header band. Color in headings and bands does not change how the text is read by a parser.

Does a one column resume look too plain to hiring managers?

Not if the header and headings do some work. A two-weight name, an accent color and clear section headings give a page character without adding a column. Hiring managers mostly judge the content; the layout's job is to get out of the way.

What is the difference between a single column resume and a single page resume?

Single column describes the layout: one stack of sections instead of a main column and a sidebar. Single page describes the length. A one-column resume can run to two pages, and a two-column resume can fit on one. The one-page resume template page covers trimming to a single page.