What Should a Resume Look Like in 2025? [+ Example]

Use Simple Designs and Fonts

You never want the look of your resume to get in the way of its content. That’s why ensuring that your resume uses an organized layout is an important first step.

Use a clean, simple layout so the hiring manager can instantly see your skills and experiences. A minimalist approach will make your qualifications the focal point.

Meanwhile, opt for a good, readable resume font. We recommend choosing a classic, professional font like Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman and avoiding any that are overly decorative or difficult to read. 

There’s no rule that says you can’t branch out, but your font choice should be industry-appropriate. For most industries, that means sticking to the standard choices. Creative industries, like interior design or photography, might welcome more unique fonts. When in doubt, keep it simple and professional.

Maintain a Consistent Layout

Ensure your resume has evenly set margins and consistent line spacing for a polished look. Clear section headings are also crucial for easy navigation.

How do you guarantee consistency? There are different types of resume templates that can help you maintain consistency without losing its style. Here are a few examples:

• Simple resume templates: These templates offer a clean, minimalist design, focusing on clear formatting and readability. They’re ideal for professions where concision is valued, such as in business, engineering and nursing.
• Modern resume templates: Modern templates blend sleek, contemporary aesthetics with professional layouts.These templates suit roles in occupations that value innovation, like marketing, information technology and biotech.
• Creative resume templates: Creative templates allow for more artistic expressions, using unique fonts, vibrant colors and unconventional layouts. They are best suited for industries where creativity is at the forefront, such as in the arts, graphic design and fashion.

Optimize White Space

Balance the text with enough white space to make your resume more readable and visually appealing. To optimize your resume’s white space, keep these tips in mind:

• Set balanced margins: Start by setting your margins to a standard size, typically around 1 inch on all sides. This creates a clean frame for your text without crowding the page edges.
• Keep adequate spacing between sections: Ensure there’s sufficient space between different sections of your resume, like between your header and professional summary, and between your work experience and education sections.
• Avoid dense blocks of text: Large paragraphs can be overwhelming. Break them up into shorter, more manageable sections. This approach is particularly useful in your professional summary and job descriptions.
• Consider a two-column design: If you have a lot of information to include, a two-column layout can be an effective way to use space efficiently. This layout can help balance white space while fitting in more content.

All of the above should help you format your resume in a way that’s well-organized and easy on the eyes.

Ultimately, if your resume still feels cramped, consider adding a second page or cutting the least relevant information. Two pages is an acceptable length for experienced candidates, but your resume should never take up more than two pages.

Incorporate the Right Keywords

You want your resume to look good, of course, but you know what’s even more important? Making sure it gets into the hiring manager’s hands.

Employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to screen out applicants who they feel don’t meet the desired qualifications. To bypass this, you’ll need to make an ATS-friendly resume.

How do you do this? First, read the job description closely. Highlight every keyword you find.

Then, insert these keywords throughout your resume to show employers how well you match the role and how deeply you understand their needs, and to give your resume a better chance of passing through ATS.

Here’s a summary for a paralegal with keywords from the job description in bold:

Next, let’s talk bullet points.

Use Bullet Points for Achievements

Bullet points are another way to help your resume breathe. When you picture what a resume should look like, that image is bound to include plenty of neat and organized bulleted lists.

Most modern resumes include bullet points throughout the document, but this is especially true in the work experience section. Your job history shouldn’t simply list your duties and responsibilities — you should call out your accomplishments using bullet points.

Here’s what the bullet points in a work experience section look like: