Free Resume Templates to Customize & Download in 2023

What is a professional resume template?

A professional resume template is a ready document format that demonstrates your skills, work experience, achievements, and education to employers in an attractive & organized way. The most professional resume templates are those designed by career experts, as they follow the current recruiting standards and are easily scannable by applicant tracking systems (ATS)—tools currently used in over 75% of recruitment processes.

All the resume templates you can find in the Zety resume builder meet this criteria, which guarantees you can quickly create a professional resume.

Should you use a template for a resume or not?

You can make a resume all by yourself, but you risk spending hours working on it and still making mistakes that will kill your chances of landing that job interview. That’s why we recommend using a premade professional resume template online. This way you will have the right layout, colors, and fonts for your resume from the get-go. All you will need to do is fill in the blanks with your information.

Remember to tailor the text content of your resume to your job title and industry. And we’ve got you covered here as well: you can use built-in content and suggestions in our resume builder, or check out our free resume examples for 500+ job titles from all industries.

What is the best resume format in 2023?

There are three main resume formats you can use for your resume, but the choice depends on your career path. The most popular one is the reverse-chronological resume format, which displays your current or most recent job at the top, followed by previous ones. This is the best resume format for candidates with consistent work history. The second most popular is the functional resume format (focusing on transferable skills and experience rather than work history), and the third is the combination resume format (which is a blend of the two previous types).

Which is the best template for a resume in 2023?

The best template for a resume in 2023 is one that looks professional and modern, yet simple. All resume templates available at Zety allow you to put your best foot forward, showcasing your most impactful work experience, achievements, and skills in an eye-catching way. Unsure what resume template to choose? Check out our list of the best resume templates, along with top picks for specific positions and industries.

What should a resume look like in 2023?

Your resume has one goal: get you the job. Now. Resume writing has evolved a lot in the past few years, and some ‘best practices’ of the past are now considered mistakes. You need to avoid typical resume-writing pitfalls, like too much text, irrelevant details, or crazy colors. Read more on what the best resume looks like in 2023 here to check how to make sure your resume boosts your employability. If you still don’t know which resume template design is the best for you, check out all available resume styles here.

How long should a resume be?

How long your resume should be depends on your level of experience. A typical resume is one-page long, but experienced candidates may need more pages to demonstrate their expertise and skills properly. In extreme cases, a resume can be even 10 pages long, but the average resume length is between 1 and 3 pages. All resume templates available at Zety are flexible and fully customizable so you can be sure your resume will look professional no matter the page count.

Should you use a PDF or a DOC resume template?

A resume saved as PDF is the best file format for your job application. It ensures your resume stays intact across all devices and operating systems it’s viewed on. Go for PDF if it’s not specified in the job description what resume file format you’re supposed to use.

But also keep in mind that some employers may ask you to send a resume in DOC/Word format. It’s rare, but it may happen. If that’s the case, resume templates in our builder are available for you to download both as PDF or DOC files.

Does Zety have free resume templates?

All our resume templates are free to use, free to customize online, and free to download if you pick the .txt format. Create as many resumes as you want and pay only for the PDF or Word download once you’re satisfied. Zety follows the “try before you buy” rule and will never make you pay before you’re 100% certain your resume template is pixel-perfect. And even with the free .txt download option, you have unlimited access to our resume autofill features that will populate your resume with content created by Certified Professional Resume Writers for any job or industry.

How much does a professional resume template cost?

Professional resume templates offered by commercial resume writers or agencies can cost anything from a dozen or so to two or three hundred dollars. With Zety resume templates and builder, you can create your resume online for free, get tips from career experts, and use pre-written resume content from certified resume writers (CPRW) inside the app. You only need to invest a few bucks to export the ready document and make your career skyrocket with a professional resume created in no time.

Where can I get a free resume template?

There are plenty of free resume templates available to download in DOC, PDF, and other formats. You can check out these resume templates for MS Word or, as an alternative, consider these free Google Docs resume templates.

Bear in mind, however, that while they seem professional and convenient to use, they’re typically created by graphic designers or amateurs—people without an HR background. So these free resume templates can look attractive, but they won’t meet the current recruiting standards, dramatically decreasing your chances of landing the interview. We strongly recommend using modern resume templates designed by career experts instead.