Minimalist Resume Templates

What is a minimalist resume template?

A minimalist resume is usually a one-page resume with a sleek look that contains only the most relevant information about the applicant. This document contains relevant and essential details in a condensed form. The content in a clean resume should be laser-focused.

Minimalist resumes are a good choice for applicants who have a lot of experience and achievements, but acknowledge that the recruiter has seconds to make a decision. They want to play it safe and put all they have on display.

With a minimalist resume, you can break down complex information into more digestible segments. It's universal and well-received across industries and recruiters.

A plain minimalist design without fluff is like an insurance policy. It speaks of confidence and shows the recruiter that you do not need to compensate for a lack of skills or experience.

When to use minimalist resume templates?

• Personality: This type of resume is recommended if you want to make an impression as a formal, reserved person that gets right to the point. A minimalist resume is a sign of someone with a clear focus who knows what to do. The message of the minimalist resume is that you are a serious person who will do the job.
• Professional field: We recommend using this type of resume template in case you chase a position in a traditional and conservative industry such as legal services, finances, banking, medical services, etc.
• Company: A minimalist resume template is suitable if you apply for a job in companies such as KPMG, Deloitte, PwC, EY, JPMorgan Chase & Co, BofA, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, etc. If you have to wear a suit, white coat, scrub, or black robe, the minimalist resume template is more than suitable.
• Position: This type of template is good for any position, but the higher in the hierarchy you go, the more it becomes the norm. This is logical because if you have a high position, you probably have a lot of work experience that needs to be presented in the simplest way possible. This is due to space and time limitations.
• Background, Education: Minimalist resume templates are very useful if you have a degree in Law, Medicine, or Finance. They focus on content rather than design. If you have great work experience or education from a well-respected institution, the choice of a minimalist temple shows good taste. After all, a medical degree does not need fluff to make an impression.

Tips for building the best minimalist resume

Design

To add some individuality, the use of a repeating graphical element is acceptable in a minimalist resume. As a rule of thumb, try to avoid heavy elements and graphics. The concept should be aesthetic and clean.

The minimalist resume uses a lot of white space to make the text blocks and titles easier to read. Avoid using long blocks of text.

Simplify, rewrite, and exclude information that is not essential for the job openings you apply for. Although you should be careful and maintain proper chronology because recruiters grow suspicious if they see gaps in the timeline.

Avoid icons in the Skills and Achievements sections. Use bullet points instead.

Font

Try to use only one sans-serif font such as Lato, Montserrat or Volkhov. You can bold the letters of your name, contact details, and section headings.

Colors

Black and white are your best choice. They are the most classy colors. You could also try to mimic the color palette of the company that you apply at. It is a nice touch showing respect. Know that if the industry is very conservative, your resume could also be printed out in black and white, so consider how it looks if this happens.

Layout

The Header is where you add your contact details such as name, phone, and address. Make sure your email is professional and use your name instead of a nickname. Do not write down your full address. A city and a state are enough. If you have a personal website, you could include it, allowing the recruiter to find out more about you if he or she is interested.

With a minimalist resume, headshots are not recommended. You could link a LinkedIn profile that has your picture.

You may include a headline instead of the Resume Objective section, but limit it to a few words that describe who you are best.

The Summary is one of the most important sections of your minimalist resume. It is one of the first things the HR officer will read. Then and there you have got the chance to show that you mean business.

You can write 2–3 sentences packed with action verbs and keywords describing the most important things about your job experience, education, skills, and achievements. Do not worry about details, you will have the chance to expand on this in the next sections.

The Job experience section is one of the main sections of the resume. It is positioned below the Summary section.

List your experience in reverse chronological order. Use action verbs and short sentences. Avoid large blocks of text.

Do not exclude irrelevant job positions that you held because the HR officers hate white spots in the chronology, but do not get into details about them.

The Education section comes after the Job Experience section. The same rules apply here as well. Start from your last course of education and arrange them in a reverse chronology.

If you completed College or University, you do not need to add High school information unless it is somehow related to the job position. If you are a recent graduate with limited work experience, you may consider changing the places of the Education and Job Experience sections.

The Achievements section highlights important information from your Work experience and Education sections. It gets the attention of the recruiter because it lists out everything you are proud of. Use bullets and short phrases. If you use a two-column format you can place it opposite the Job Experience section aligned right.

You could also add the Skills section. This is the place where you can highlight relevant skills acquired through education or experience. This section is usually positioned below the Achievements section.

What about additional sections? A minimalist resume means simplicity. Do not include anything irrelevant. You could add Languages, Hobbies, Projects, Interests, and other sections only if they are relevant to the job posting or if you have limited or no work experience to show.

Number of columns

The most common minimalist resume template utilizes a one-column layout, but using two columns is not unusual. In case you want to keep it to one page but also include all important information, you might want to use a two-column format. Keep in mind that the first one-third of the resume should contain all the information the recruiter needs to make a decision.

Number of pages

Try to keep it just one page long. Not only the design but also the quantity should reflect the minimalistic concept. Still, if you have 20–30 years of work experience, it would be normal to expect a new page every 10 years.

Minimalist resume templates pros and cons