Free Resume Builder

Build a clean, single-column U.S. resume that applicant tracking systems (ATS) can read. Pick one of 10 templates from the gallery, fill in your details or import an existing CV, watch the preview update as you type, then download a PDF or a Word file. There is no account to create, and everything stays in your browser.

How It Works

1. Pick one of the 10 templates in the gallery, or import an existing CV (a text-based PDF or DOCX) or a JSON backup.
2. Fill in or edit each section and watch the preview update as you type.
3. Export a PDF through your browser's print dialog or a DOCX file, and download a JSON backup to keep your work.

How to Download Your Resume

1. PDF: choose Export PDF, set the destination to Save as PDF, and turn off Headers and footers under More settings. Only the resume preview is printed, on U.S. Letter paper with half-inch margins. The text stays selectable, which is what an ATS needs.
2. DOCX: choose Export DOCX for a Word file with real headings and bullets. It is plain by design, so it parses reliably and is easy to restyle in Word or Google Docs.
3. Backup: Download JSON backup saves your entries as a small file you can import later or on another device.

Choosing a Template and Importing Your CV

The gallery above the editor shows all 10 templates filled with sample content. Choose Use this template to switch to it. That also arranges the sections in the order the template suggests; the Template menu in the editor only restyles your resume and keeps the order you set. Every template is a single column with real text, so the choice is about reading style, not parsing.

• Classic, Modern, Compact, Executive: general-purpose styles, from a traditional serif to a tight one-page layout.
• Minimal and Technical: lighter styling; Technical puts Skills and Projects ahead of Education.
• Academic and Entry: lead with Education, which suits students, new graduates and research roles.
• Career Change: opens with a Summary and transferable Skills before your work history.
• Federal: adds labeled Title, Organization and Dates lines to each job. USAJOBS resumes have extra requirements, so read the federal resume format guide too.

To start from an existing CV, choose Import existing CV and pick a PDF or DOCX file. The text is read and sorted into the form entirely in your browser; the file is never uploaded. Import works best on text-based, single-column CVs. It can't read scans or images of a CV, and columns, tables or unusual layouts may be split into the wrong fields. It is a starting point, so check every field before you export.

How ATS Parsing Works

An applicant tracking system is the database employers use to collect and sort applications. When you submit a resume, the system reads the file and tries to split it into fields: your name and contact details, job titles, employers, dates, schools, degrees and skills. That structured profile is what a recruiter searches and filters, usually by job title, skills or location, and the original file is kept alongside it.

Parsing is where formatting causes trouble. Parsers read text in the order it appears in the file, so a layout that looks tidy to a person can scramble into nonsense for software. Two-column designs can merge lines from different sections. Tables and text boxes may be skipped or read out of order. Some systems ignore the page header and footer, so contact details placed there can disappear. Text inside an image, including a scanned or screenshot PDF, may not be readable at all.

Most ATS software does not "reject" resumes on its own because of a font or a bullet style. The real risks are quieter: a job title read as a company name, dates that don't parse, or a skill that never reaches the searchable profile. Employers can also add knockout questions to the application itself, such as work authorization, so answer those carefully. A resume that parses cleanly simply gives a human reviewer the best chance to see what you have done.

Formatting for Applicant Tracking Systems: Do and Don't

Do

• Use one column, standard fonts at 10 to 12 points, and plain round bullets.
• Label sections the way employers expect: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications.
• List jobs in reverse chronological order, with title, company, location and dates in the same pattern every time.
• Use one date style throughout, such as "Jan 2022 – Present" or "2019 – 2022".
• Spell out a term once with its abbreviation, for example "Certified Public Accountant (CPA)", so both versions are searchable.
• Save with a clear file name, such as First-Last-Resume.pdf.

Don't

• Don't use columns, tables, text boxes, icons, skill-rating bars or graphics to hold important information.
• Don't put your name or contact details only in the page header or footer.
• Don't include a photo, date of birth, marital status or Social Security number. U.S. employers don't expect them, and leaving them out helps keep hiring decisions about your qualifications.
• Don't send a scanned or image-only PDF.
• Don't hide extra keywords in white text. Systems and reviewers notice, and it can cost you the application.

For most U.S. applicants one page is enough early in a career, and two pages are normal with ten or more years of relevant experience. Federal jobs follow different rules, so see our federal resume format guide if you are applying through USAJOBS.

What Order Should the Sections Go In?

Your contact details always come first. After that, put your strongest evidence nearest the top. Use the arrow buttons next to each section to reorder it.

• Experienced professionals: Summary, Experience, Skills, Education, Certifications.
• Students and new graduates: Education, Projects, Experience (internships and part-time work count), Skills.
• Career changers: a short Summary that names the new target role, Skills that transfer, then Experience. Our guide to changing careers covers how to frame this.
• Licensed or credentialed fields: move Certifications up when a license is a hiring requirement, such as nursing or accounting.

If you have a gap in your work history, you don't need to hide it with odd formatting. Plain years and a brief honest line work well; our guide on explaining an employment gap has wording you can adapt.

How to Tailor Your Resume to a Job Posting

1. Read the posting for requirements, not just the title. Pick out the eight to ten skills, tools and responsibilities mentioned most or listed first.
2. Mirror the employer's wording where it is true. If the posting says "customer success" and your resume says "client support", use their phrase for the same work.
3. Reorder your bullets. Put the achievements most relevant to this job first under each role, and trim the ones that don't help.
4. Rewrite the summary in two or three lines. Name the role, your years or level of experience, and two or three strengths that match the posting.
5. Start bullets with a verb and finish with a result. "Cut onboarding time from 10 days to 6 by rewriting the training checklist" beats "Responsible for onboarding". The STAR method is a good way to find the result behind each task.
6. Keep a master version. Save a full resume as a JSON backup, then make a shorter copy for each application.

Never claim a skill you don't have. Interviewers will ask about anything on the page, and our common interview questions guide shows how to prepare for it. If an application asks for pay expectations, see how to answer salary expectation questions.

Privacy: Your Resume Never Leaves Your Browser

The builder works in your browser, and your resume data never leaves it. Each change you make is saved to your browser's localStorage under this site, so your draft is still there when you reload the page. It isn't uploaded, emailed or stored on our servers, and the PDF and DOCX files are created on your device too. A CV you import is read and processed only in your browser and is never uploaded.

• Autosave works only in the same browser and profile on the same device. Private or incognito windows usually clear it when you close them.
• Clearing your browser's site data, or using Clear all data, deletes the saved draft. Download a JSON backup first if you want to keep it.
• On a shared or public computer, use Clear all data when you finish and delete any downloaded files.

Like any page on this site, visiting it is counted by Google Analytics, as described in our privacy policy. That records the visit only (for example the page and your approximate location). The contents of your resume or CV are never sent to Google Analytics or anywhere else.

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• How to convert a CV to a US resume
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• Federal resume format guide
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