Should You Use a Resume Template? Pros and Cons
Templates save time but can work against you if you pick the wrong kind.
Resume templates are popular for good reason — they remove formatting guesswork. But not every template works with every application system.
The upside
A clean template enforces consistent spacing, font sizes, and section order, which reads as professional and saves you design time you could spend on content instead.
The risk
Heavily designed templates with columns, graphics, tables, or icons often get mangled by applicant tracking systems — text can be scrambled or dropped entirely when parsed.
The safer choice
Use a single-column, text-based template with standard section headers (Experience, Education, Skills). Save it as a .docx or a text-selectable PDF, and always test it by copying the text out to confirm nothing garbles.