Choose a design to start with. You can change it later without losing your content, so this is not a decision to agonise over.
ATS-friendlyTemplates marked ATS-friendly use a single column, ordinary headings and no text inside graphics — the things that make a CV parse cleanly.
The ATS-friendly label marks a design an applicant tracking system can read: a single column, no background fills, content in chronological order, ordinary section headings, a clear type hierarchy, plain fonts and consistent spacing. Designs without the label can still be excellent — they are simply riskier to put through an automated screener.
Meridian
ATS-friendly
Single column with ruled headings. The safest choice when the posting mentions an ATS.
Chancery
ATS-friendly
Serif body with a split header. Reads well in law, finance and academia.
Compact
ATS-friendly
Tight spacing and a narrow face. Fits a long career into two pages.
Quietude
ATS-friendly
Centred heading, no rules. Lets long-form summaries breathe.
Beacon
ATS-friendly
Single column with dotted rules and contact icons. Warm without being loud.
Milestone
ATS-friendly
Dates run down a left gutter so the timeline reads at a glance. Still one column.
Signal
ATS-friendly
A single accent band behind the name, plain single-column body below it.
Ledger
Not ATS-friendly
Skills and contact details in a tinted sidebar, history in the main column.
Aurora
ATS-friendly
Bold accent rules and coloured job titles. Single column, so it still parses.
Vertex
Not ATS-friendly
Skills and languages in a tinted right rail, experience on white beside it.
Cobalt
Not ATS-friendly
Filled sidebar with reversed text and room for a photo. Best kept to one page.
Marquee
Not ATS-friendly
Oversized name and a right-hand sidebar. For portfolios and studio work.
Onyx
Not ATS-friendly
Charcoal sidebar with a circular photo and a serif name. Formal, not corporate.
Ember
Not ATS-friendly
Terracotta rail and generous spacing. Suits studios and agencies.
Verdant
Not ATS-friendly
Deep green rail on the right, name and title leading on white.
Nocturne
Not ATS-friendly
Ink-dark page, one column. Made for the screen — send a light version to an ATS.