They do have but you can't find it because it's not in the right place like the stationary 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 stationary shop for a marker pen.
How does this example resonate to your resume?
The situation is similar with 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. In this article, we will be discussing all about a simple resume today.
Before that we would recommend you to browse useful pages that can turn the table of job search for you. Visit the links below.
What is a Simple Resume?
A document containing basic but professional information about job applicants is a simple resume (basic resume). The name simple resume suggest that it has a basic resume template with readable details and free from any kind of formatting.
What's the problem in formatting a resume? The problem is not with formatting the resume, over-formatting it, however. Out of potential reasons and factors why hiring managers dump a resume this is the prominent one. So what does a simple resume looks like, what it must contain and how it should be created. Here are the answers.
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.
So this is the basic resume template everyone uses to write a resume. If you go through the resume template above you will come across the simplicity, neatness and the readability. The resume template shows how well organized the details are. Not only the arrangement of the information but even the flow is smooth. It carries the hiring manager from one section to the other comfortably. That's how your resume must be.
Visit our resume examples collection to read sample resumes from different or same industry. You can compare them with yours to find and avoid potential resume mistakes.
Advantages of Simple Resume Template
Using a simple resume template brings a lot of advantages to the 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 is easy to proof read.
- There are zero distractions making the information clutter-free.
- Simple resume template has ample white space to distinguish each sections.
- 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 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 templates are perfect. We have discussed the advantages of simple resume template, let's discuss some disadvantages of using the same.
Disadvantages of 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 boring and uninteresting when they look at the final outcome.
- It is too much 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 absence of style and formatting will make the resume dull.
Upon comparing both the prose and cons we can see that advantage outruns disadvantages. Therefore making a resume using a simple resume template is advisable. It is a professional template and there's no problem in it.
Basic Resume Template (for entry level applicants)
Those who are inexperienced and beginning their careers the below mentioned basic resume template is for them. Both the simple and the basic resume template differs from each other hence make sure you select the right one for your resume.
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 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 to 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 is counted. Hence, include them if you have any. Now if you don't have consistent work history then just skip this section.
Skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Professional skills
- Communication skills
- Certificates
- Languages
- Training programs
- Website link
- Blog link
- Academic club details
The basic resume template is generally for beginners that is students - Fresh and enthusiastic to conquer the professional world!
But there are good and bad sides of this basic resume template which are mentioned below.
Advantages of 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 job experience.
- Enough space to focus on skills section and elaborate the same.
- Inexperienced job seekers need not worry about writing an excellent summary. There's resume objective to take care of the job.
- Ample white space
Disadvantages of Beginner's Basic Resume Template
There are fewer disadvantages of the beginner's basic resume template. Let's count them.
- Without 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 functional resume format for experienced personals 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 Functional Resume Format?
A functional resume emphasis on skills rather than experience. It is for those who have frequent gaps or inconsistent employment history. Even professionals who wants to change jobs in 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)
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 percentage.
- Repeat the same format with other skills below.
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 not so consistent work history. Now let's look at a similar template but for students.
Functional Resume Format (for students)
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.
Mention the educational background here with the name of the degree that you have completed or pursuing. Within this section along with qualification mention 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 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 yet a perfect resume do exists! It is the structure that makes a strong resume. Keeping this in mind, 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 and elegant resume.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a simple resume format?
There's a difference between format and structure. Structure means arranging details in a resume. Contradictorily, a simple resume format is more likely associated with the employment section. For instance, reverse chronological resume is an example of a professional resume structure. You can visit our resume examples for more details.
What is a basic resume?
A professional resume that has resume sections like a header, resume summary, experience, education, skills and relevant details of an applicant's professional career is a basic resume. This article contains different resume examples of basic resume if you read from the beginning.
What are simple resume templates?
The examples given in this articles are all simple resume templates. Actually, basic resume templates are simple resume templates.
We hope your doubts regarding resume writing and resume templates are cleared now. If you still have any queries then get in touch with us.
