They do have but you can't find it because it's not in the right place, like the stationery section. Now you realise that the entire supermarket is messed up and it will take ages to find the black marker pen. So what's the course of action?
The moment you realise nothing is gonna fix the situation, you immediately switch to the nearby stationery shop for a marker pen.
How does this example resonate to your resume?
The situation is similar to hiring managers when they are unable to find a piece of information (a black marker pen) in your resume (a supermarket). Your resume is chaotic. What are the repercussions? A hiring manager will instantly switch over to another resume, just like you did to find the pen.
The bottom line is to create a resume that is simple and easy to understand. The one who is reading it must never struggle to find the information they need.
We’ll guide you through how to write a simple resume, provide a few basic resume examples for reference, and also show you a sample format so you understand what works best in real job applications.
Before that, we would recommend you browse useful pages that can turn the tables of job search for you. Visit the links below.
What is a Simple Resume?
A simple resume (also called a basic resume) is a straightforward document containing only the essentials: contact information, summary, experience, education, and skills.
The simplest resume does not over-format. It does not overstretch parts that do not need to be stretched and includes distracting design features. Rather, it emphasises what is really important: your professional success, skills, and competencies.
Visit our resume examples collection to read sample resumes from different or the same industry. You can compare them with yours to find and avoid potential resume mistakes.
How to Write a Simple Resume
Since many readers are confused about how to draw a basic resume, we may split it into several steps:
- Begin with contact details: name, phone, email, and location.
- Inclusion of resume summary or objective, brief, not more than 2-3 sentences.
- Record your work experience: latest job at the top, with accomplishments in bullets.
- Insert education letter and degree, school, and year.
- Emphasize skills: technical (hard skills) and interpersonal (soft skills).
- Optional sections: certifications, languages, or volunteer work.
Simple Resume Template (for experienced professionals)
To make a resume readable while keeping it basic in nature, we shall follow a simple resume template. Following a simple template and you can use the same to make your resume.
First & last name
Job title
Phone number
Email address
Location
Blog or website link
Professional Summary
Write three to four sentences describing your job-related skills, professional experience, and achievements. Mention important instances when you accomplished a specific task. To generate credibility, support your claims with numbers and percentages. For example, a 30% increase in productivity or $2 million in sales. With these details, your professional accomplishments also convey to the employer what you will be doing if hired.
Experience (Work History)
Current company name
Job title
location
Years (from-to)
- Mention the recent job and what you are doing in that position.
- Write three to four bullet points speaking about the work you do.
- Formulate work history using actions taken and the results of those actions.
- Tell the employer how you have been performing in this job since being hired.
Past company name (1)
Job title
location
Years (from-to)
- Now mention your previous jobs and the professional achievements.
- Describe how you excelled in a certain role using your professional skills.
- Write three to four bullet points speaking about the work you do.
- Formulate work history using actions taken and the results of those actions.
Past company name (2)
Job titles
location
Years (from-to)
- Match job duties and job descriptions to identify common keywords.
- Make sure to mention the relevant skills in both the job history & skills section.
- Write three to four bullet points speaking about the work you do.
- Formulate work history using actions taken and the results of those actions.
Education
Highest qualification
University/college/high school name
Years (from-to)
GPA and major subjects
Skills
- Hard skills
- Soft skills
- Communication skills
Additional Sections
- Certificates
- Languages
- Training programs
- Published books
- Website link
- Blog link
- Membership
This simple resume example for jobs applicable to all industries of employment since it makes it simple and easy to read.
Visit our resume examples collection to read sample resumes from different or the same industry. You can compare them with yours to find and avoid potential resume mistakes.
Advantages of a Simple Resume Template
Using a simple resume template brings a lot of advantages to job seekers. Here are the primary ones.
- Applicant tracking systems are friends with the simple resume templates.
- You don't have to pay. They are free resume templates, and anyone can use them.
- These templates are identical to the chronological resumes, the modern resume formats.
- Consistency of the content is maintained throughout the resume.
- Resumes made using a simple resume template are easy to proofread.
- Zero distractions make the information clutter-free.
- A simple resume template has ample white space to distinguish each section.
- There's no room for unnecessary details. It's straightforward.
- Above all, a simple resume template keeps the resume limited to a single page.
- It's easy to match employers' demand in the job description with those in the resume.
Obviously, when you have a series of benefits, there's a high possibility of disadvantages since no resume template is perfect. We have discussed the advantages of a simple resume template; let's discuss some disadvantages of using the same.
Disadvantages of a Simple Resume Template
A job description that reads - fashion designer can't go along with a simple resume template. It's contradictory because fashion is not simple. Hence, here are some disadvantages of using a simple resume template.
- A simple resume template is not ideal for creative industry professionals like fashion.
- Job applicants may find it uninteresting when they look at the outcome.
- It is too wordy because you will need to write a lot about professional skills and experiences. The pain of writing a resume can double if you don't have writing skills.
- Single color and the absence of style and formatting will make the resume dull.
Upon comparing both the pros and cons, we can see that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Therefore, making a resume using a simple resume template is advisable. It is a professional template, and there's no problem with it.
Basic Resume Template (for entry-level applicants)
If you’re just starting, here’s a simple basic resume example tailored for students or entry-level candidates.
First & last name
Phone number
Email address
Location
Resume Objective
Here you will write the objective statement (1-2 sentences) in place of a professional summary to appeal to the employer. Include one or two job-relevant skills with past or recent achievements. Write what you know, immaterial of how common it sounds. A hiring manager needs to know what you are capable of doing if hired; therefore, do not shy away.
Education
Highest qualification
University/college/high school name
Years (from-to)
GPA and major subjects
Activities
Don't panic, it's not the employment history section. You don't have to write complex sentences. Mention school or college project work, experience, or volunteer work done. Even apprentice and internship experiences are counted. Hence, include them if you have any. Now, if you don't have a consistent work history, then just skip this section.
Skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Professional skills
- Communication skills
Additional Sections
- Certificates
- Languages
- Training programs
- Website link
- Blog link
- Academic club details
For first-time job seekers, these simple resume examples for jobs show that you don’t need lengthy experience, just clarity and structure.
Advantages of the Beginner's Basic Resume Template
- It is ridiculously easy to compile a beginner's basic resume template.
- Unlike a professional resume, this one is brief in details and shorter in length.
- Since it is for beginners, they don't need to worry about work history.
- You can describe the activity section like a job experience.
- Enough space to focus on the skills section and elaborate on the same.
- Inexperienced job seekers need not worry about writing an excellent summary. There's a resume objective to take care of the job.
- Ample white space
Disadvantages of the Beginner's Basic Resume Template
There are fewer disadvantages to the beginner's basic resume template. Let's count them.
- Without a proper work background, the resume looks incomplete.
- This is the basic resume template without much style and formatting.
- Absence of formatting will make the resume look amateurish.
So far, we have discussed resume templates for professionals and beginners using traditional resume templates. Now we will discuss the functional resume format for experienced professionals and students.
With the above-mentioned simple resume templates, we also have free templates to quickly get you started. Click here to visit the page.
What is a Functional Resume Format?
A functional resume emphasizes skills rather than experience. It is for those who have frequent gaps or an inconsistent employment history. Even professionals who want to change jobs in the same industry or change their career altogether can use the functional resume format.
With this consideration, let's discuss functional resume examples for two categories.
Functional Resume Format (for professionals)
First & last name
Phone number
Email address
Location
Objective Statement
Write an objective statement focusing on core skills that could prove beneficial to the employer. Keep it limited to 2-3 sentences
Skills Summary
Name of the skill
- Describe the level of expertise in the skill here.
- Mention what you have achieved using those skills.
- Support your claim using numbers and percentages.
- Repeat the same format with the other skills below.
Work Experience
Job's title
Company name
Location
Employment dates (from-to)
Education
Highest qualification
University/college/school name
Years (from-to)
GPA and major subjects
Additional Skills
Include add-on skills or supporting skills in this section.
Functional resumes are written to target expert skills and address so consistent work history. Now let's look at a similar template, but for students.
Functional Resume Format (for students)
First & last name
Phone number
Email address
Location
Resume Objective
Elaborate the objective statement not more than a sentence or two. Integrate a couple of skills along with keywords from the job description.
Skill Summary
- Define individual skills in this section using keywords.
- Describe how you have employed your skills in projects.
Education
Mention the educational background here with the name of the degree that you have completed or are pursuing. Within this section, along with qualifications, mention the major subjects
Activities
Tag school or college project works, community services attended, and other pro bono jobs that you have done so far in a bulleted point list.
Skills
List all the skills here.
The above sample resume format is for high school students planning to work simultaneously with their studies. If you are one of them, then simply copy the template and replace the content with your details. If resume writing is a big thing for you, then click here to use our resume builder - it will help you draft a resume with ease.
A Perfect Resume Structure
Let us tell you that although there are imperfect things, a perfect resume does exist! It is the structure that makes a strong resume. Keeping this in mind, the following is the universally accepted resume structure.
- Header
- Resume summary (or objective)
- Experience (with employment dates)
- Education
- Skills
- Optional details (language, certificates, etc)
The structure above is suitable for writing a broad variety of resumes. You can create a chronological resume and also a functional resume using the same. Further, it depends on the experience and the candidate's qualifications to make an elegant resume.
