The six elements of a resume layout
A layout is the answer to six choices, and most layouts you see are different answers to the same list. Margins: between half an inch and an inch on all sides keeps text from crowding the edge and still fits a page. Columns: one column reads straight down, while two columns split the page into a main area and a narrow side area. Section order: what comes first, which is the single most important layout choice because it decides what the reader sees in the first few seconds. White space:the gaps between sections and lines, which make the page scannable. Emphasis: how bold, color and size are used to separate headings from body text. Typefaces are a sixth element with their own rules; see the best font for a resume guide. Resume design is mostly these six decisions made once and applied the same way to every section.
Six resume layout examples and what each is good for
Professional resume layouts differ in how they use columns and bands, not in the content they hold. The six below cover nearly every case.
| Layout | How it looks | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic single column | Name and contact at the top, then sections in one column, newest first | Almost everyone: the default for professional resumes | Can look plain unless spacing and headings are even |
| Single column with a header band | A shaded or colored block holds the name and contact line above one column | Marketing, sales and client-facing roles where a little polish helps | A dark band may print badly in black and white |
| Narrow sidebar | Main column plus a slim column for contact, skills and languages | Recent graduates and people with a short work history and many skills | Some screening software reads two columns in the wrong order |
| Skills first | A summary and a skills block above the experience | Career changers and returners, whose recent titles are not the strongest proof | Skills without proof read as claims; back them in the bullets |
| Project layout | Selected projects with a line of context and a result each, then a brief work history | Designers, developers and writers, who are hired on the work | Too many projects; three to five is enough |
| Long academic format | Education, publications, grants and teaching in full, over several pages | Researchers and academics applying for posts | Only for roles that ask for a full record; others want one or two pages |
If you are unsure, start with the classic single column and add polish with spacing. For the order of sections inside each layout, see the chronological and functional format pages, and for fitting everything on one page, the one-page resume guide.
Resume icons, photos and graphics
Small icons beside a phone number or email look tidy, but they carry a risk: they are images or special symbols, and software that reads your resume as plain text may drop them or turn them into stray characters. The words beside them are what the reader needs, so a plain line such as (555) 010-0151 · sam.okoro@example.com is safer. The same goes for skill rating bars, star ratings and pie charts: they take space, a reader cannot verify them, and a screening tool cannot read them. A photo is expected on resumes in some countries and discouraged in others, including the US and UK; the country guides, such as the resume format by country pages, say which. If a design needs an icon or a graphic to make sense, the layout is probably doing too much.
Color, white space and the best looking resumes
The best looking resumes are usually the plainest. Use one accent color at most, for headings or a thin rule, and keep body text a dark shade on white. Check the contrast: pale gray or yellow on white disappears when printed or viewed on a phone. Leave a line of space between sections and a little more above a heading than below it, which tells the eye where each group begins. Align everything to the same left edge, make all dates and job titles follow one pattern, and use bold only for headings and job titles. A resume that is calm and consistent looks professional; the effort to look designed is what makes many resumes look amateur.
How to choose a layout in four questions
- Does your best proof sit in your work history? If yes, use the classic single column. If it is in projects, use a project layout.
- Is your history short or unusual? Use skills first, or a sidebar if the roles are few.
- Will the first reader be software? Use one column, real text and standard headings, and check the file with the ATS resume checker.
- Will anyone print it or open it on a phone? Test both; if either fails, simplify.
In the UK this document is a CV, usually two pages; its layout rules, including a student CV layout, are in the CV format guide. When you have chosen, pick a template that matches rather than designing from scratch; the resume templates at CVEmber are made for the document, and the ATS-friendly templates follow the single-column layouts above.
Sources
Checked on 12 October 2026.