Resume format

Choose your resume length, section order, and file type.

One page or two, which sections lead, and whether to send a PDF or a DOCX.

Resume format planner

Five answers, one plan

Nothing is saved or sent.

Your section order, length and template appear here.

What the planner gives you, and what the product does

Length, section order and file type are three decisions you make once; the margins, the dates, the headings and the page size are held the same way on every document you make here.

01

This planner, in your browser

  • Takes your career stage, your years of history and whether you have publications, then suggests an order for your sections and a length to aim at.
  • A plan computed from the answers you gave. It reads nothing else, sends nothing and stores nothing.
  • No template is applied here; the plan is yours to carry into any resume.
02

After you sign up

  • Length and section order are decisions you carry out in the document: cut a line and the page reflows rather than clipping.
  • The template, base text size and punctuation preference are set once in Document defaults and hold for every new resume.
  • Both the PDF and the DOCX are format-checked after rendering, on Letter-size pages.
The finished resume for one posting, open in the editor with its template picker, revision control and download button above the formatted page.
The finished resume in the editor, on the template and type size the defaults hold. A fictional applicant.

Deciding once, then keeping it

  1. Make the three decisions

    Length, which section leads, and file type. The planner above walks through each one against your own situation.

  2. Set the defaults once

    Template and base text size in Document defaults, plus a greeting and sign-off for letters. New resumes start there instead of being styled one at a time.

  3. The rest is held for you

    Contact header, employment metadata, dates, margins and page size render the same way every time, so nothing looks improvised.

Decide the format once, then stop thinking about it.

Length, order and file type are yours to choose. Margins, dates, headings and page size are held the same way every time.

Format my resume

2 complete application sets free, at the same quality as a paid plan. No card required.

Formatting advice here is general, and every export is format-checked. Employer requirements vary; we say ATS-friendly and parse-checked, never ATS-proof, and make no interview guarantees.

Practical format choices

Should my resume be one page or two?
One page suits most applicants; two is reasonable for a longer record. There is no page-count setting to flip: you decide by editing, and the document reflows as you cut or add rather than clipping at a boundary. The length guide covers when each is right.
Which parts of the format can I actually set?
The template, the base text size, and whether generated files prefer plain hyphens and familiar punctuation, all in Document defaults and applied to every new resume. Cover letters add a default greeting and sign-off. Length and section order are not settings; they are decisions you carry out in the document.
Which section should come first?
Experience, for most people. Lead with education if you graduated recently, or with skills if you are changing field and your recent roles do not show the relevant work.
PDF or DOCX?
Whatever the employer requests. With no preference, a text-based PDF is a reliable default; DOCX suits recruiters who edit submissions. Both export here and both are format-checked.
Can I use a two-column or creative format?
Not by design. Multi-column body text and decorative layouts are the formats that break parsers, so the document model uses one reading order on purpose.

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