Choosing the Right Resume Template

Your template should make your achievements easy to parse for both Applicant Tracking Systems and humans. All ResumeStore templates are ATS‑friendly, but the default layout is intentionally minimalist so your content—not decoration—wins.

The ResumeStore default template

Our stock template follows a proven, ATS‑safe order and uses clean text—no tables, text boxes, images of text, or unconventional columns for core information.

• Professional Summary: 2–4 lines tailored to the target role. Focus on scope and outcomes.
• Core Competencies: A concise list of role‑relevant capabilities and domains.
• Technical Skills: Tools, languages, platforms, and certifications grouped logically.
• Experience: Reverse‑chronological; company, role, dates, location, then 3–6 quantified bullets.
• Education: Degree, institution, graduation year; include honors and relevant coursework if helpful.

Typography is clean and left‑aligned. Dates are plain text (e.g., “Jan 2022 – Present”). Section headings use standard names recognized by most ATS.

Why ATS‑safe formatting matters

• Tables, text boxes, and images often break parsing—critical data can disappear.
• Non‑standard section titles reduce match rates (e.g., use “Experience” not “Career Journey”).
• Consistent bullets and simple layout improve both ATS extraction and recruiter scan speed.

ResumeStore’s default template prevents these issues out of the box.

Styling safely with the WYSIWYG editor

Express your style without risking ATS compatibility. The editor lets you adjust font sizes, weights, and colors while keeping the underlying structure ATS‑safe.

• Safe controls: sizes, bold/italic, color accents, and spacing are allowed.
• Protected structure: section headings and lists remain semantic text, not shapes or tables.
• Consistency: keep headings one size up from body; use a single accent color for highlights only.

Result: a tailored, on‑brand resume that still parses cleanly.

Picking a variant by role

• Engineering / Data: Emphasize Technical Skills above Experience if you’re early career; otherwise keep the default order.
• Product / Design: Keep the default template for ATS; showcase work with links to portfolio or case studies.
• Sales / Marketing: Use quantified outcomes in bullets; keep Core Competencies concise and metrics‑driven.
• New grads / Career switchers: Add a Projects section under Experience to highlight relevant work.

Example outline

• Professional Summary
• Core Competencies
• Technical Skills
• Experience (3–6 bullets per role, quantified)
• Education
• Optional: Projects, Certifications, Awards

Common mistakes

• Using tables/columns for core sections → can scramble order or drop content.
• Over‑decorating with icons or graphics → increases file size without adding signal.
• Excessive colors or multiple fonts → hurts readability and looks inconsistent.

Next steps

• Run an analysis to validate keyword coverage: Understanding Your ATS Score
• Create a matching cover letter: Creating AI‑Powered Cover Letters
• Having trouble exporting or parsing? See Troubleshooting Upload Issues