Resume & cover letter templates that work
Who this is for: Anyone writing or rewriting a resume — especially career changers, people with gaps, and first-timers.
The basics every resume needs
- Keep it to one page (two only if you have 10+ years of relevant experience).
- Use a clean, standard layout — no photos, no fancy graphics, no columns. Screening software reads plain text best.
- Lead each bullet with an action verb — managed, built, cared for, organized, fixed, taught.
- Add numbers where you can — "served 40+ customers a day," "cut wait times by half."
- Match the job posting's words. If it says "scheduling," and you did scheduling, use that word.
- Save and send as a PDF unless the posting asks for something else. Name it
FirstName-LastName-Resume.pdf. - Proofread twice, then have one other person read it. Typos are the easiest thing to fix.
What's an 'ATS'?
Section by section
Most resumes have the same building blocks, in this order:
1. Contact info
Name, city and state (no full street address needed), phone, email, and a LinkedIn URL if you have one. Use a professional-sounding email.
2. Summary (2–3 lines)
A short pitch: who you are, your strongest skills, and what you're looking for. This is the most important section to tailor to each job.
3. Skills
A short list of your relevant abilities and tools — pulled to match the posting.
4. Experience
Job title, employer, location, and dates, then 2–4 bullets of what you did and achieved. Include volunteering and caregiving if it's relevant.
5. Education & training
Degrees, certificates, and courses. If you're early in your career, this can come before experience.
Template: a clean, all-purpose resume
Copy this, then replace the brackets with your own details.
All-purpose resume template
[YOUR FULL NAME] [City, State] · [Phone] · [Email] · [LinkedIn URL, optional] SUMMARY [2–3 sentences: who you are, your top skills, and the kind of role you want. Example: "Reliable customer-service professional with 4 years helping people solve problems calmly. Strong at scheduling, phones, and keeping a busy front desk organized. Looking for a front-office role where I can support a team."] SKILLS [Skill], [Skill], [Skill], [Skill], [Skill], [Skill] EXPERIENCE [Job Title] — [Employer], [City, State] [Month Year – Month Year] • [Action verb + what you did + result, e.g. "Handled 40+ customer calls a day..."] • [Action verb + what you did + result] • [Action verb + what you did + result] [Job Title] — [Employer], [City, State] [Month Year – Month Year] • [Action verb + what you did + result] • [Action verb + what you did + result] EDUCATION & TRAINING [Degree, certificate, or course] — [School / Provider] [Year] [Degree, certificate, or course] — [School / Provider] [Year]
Template: career changer
Switching fields? Lead with a skills-forward (functional) layout that groups your transferable skills at the top, so a hiring manager sees what you bring before they see that your last job was in a different field.
Career-changer resume template
[YOUR FULL NAME] [City, State] · [Phone] · [Email] SUMMARY [Name your new target role and connect your past to it. Example: "Detail-oriented professional moving from retail management into medical administration. 6 years of scheduling, customer care, and team coordination that transfer directly to a busy clinic front office. Recently completed a medical-terminology course."] TRANSFERABLE SKILLS • [Skill area — e.g. "Scheduling & coordination:" one line on where you used it] • [Skill area — e.g. "Customer & client care:" one line] • [Skill area — e.g. "Handling money / records accurately:" one line] • [Skill area — e.g. "Staying calm under pressure:" one line] RELEVANT TRAINING [Course, certificate, or program tied to the new field] — [Provider] [Year] WORK EXPERIENCE [Job Title] — [Employer], [City, State] [Month Year – Month Year] • [Bullet that highlights the transferable part of this job] • [Bullet that highlights the transferable part of this job] EDUCATION [Degree or diploma] — [School] [Year]
Name the change, don't hide it
Template: gaps in employment
Gaps are common and normal — for caregiving, health, layoffs, school, or anything else. You don't owe anyone a detailed explanation on your resume. A few honest strategies:
Do
- Use years (2021–2023) instead of months, which quietly smooths short gaps.
- Add a brief, neutral line if a gap is long — 'Family caregiving, 2022–2023'.
- Include anything you did during the gap: volunteering, courses, freelance, caregiving.
- Focus the resume on your skills and what you can do now.
Avoid
- Lying about dates — it can surface in a background check.
- Over-explaining or apologizing. A gap is not a confession.
- Sharing private medical details you don't want to. You are not required to.
- Leaving a long gap totally blank if you can honestly fill it with activity.
Resume line for an employment gap (optional)
Only include a line like this if the gap is long enough to raise a question.
CAREER BREAK — [Year – Year] Took planned time away for [family caregiving / health / education]. Stayed active by [volunteering at ___ / completing a ___ course / freelancing]. Now fully ready and eager to return to work.
Returning after time away for your mental health specifically? See the next template, and read mental health at work on whether and how to talk about it.
Template: returning to work after a mental health break
First: taking time to care for your health was a strength, not a failure. You are not required to disclose the reason for a break to anyone. On the resume, keep the focus on what you bring today.
Returning-to-work resume template
[YOUR FULL NAME] [City, State] · [Phone] · [Email] SUMMARY [Confident, present-tense pitch. Example: "Organized and dependable administrative professional with 7 years of office experience, returning to full-time work after a planned personal break. Strong at scheduling, records, and supporting a team. Ready to bring that steadiness to a new role."] SKILLS [Skill], [Skill], [Skill], [Skill], [Skill] EXPERIENCE [Most recent Job Title] — [Employer], [City, State] [Year – Year] • [Strong bullet about impact] • [Strong bullet about impact] [Earlier Job Title] — [Employer], [City, State] [Year – Year] • [Strong bullet about impact] [Optional] CAREER BREAK — [Year – Year] Planned personal break; kept skills current through [course / volunteering / reading]. EDUCATION & TRAINING [Credential] — [School / Provider] [Year]
You control the story
Template: your first job (little or no experience)
No paid experience yet? You still have plenty to show: school, projects, volunteering, sports, clubs, caregiving, and the soft skills employers actually hire for — showing up, learning fast, and being kind to customers.
First-job resume template
[YOUR FULL NAME] [City, State] · [Phone] · [Email] SUMMARY [Example: "Hard-working and reliable high-school graduate looking for my first job in retail or food service. Quick learner, comfortable talking to people, and always on time. Eager to be a dependable part of a team."] SKILLS Reliable & punctual, friendly customer service, quick learner, teamwork, [computer/register/phone], [language if any] EXPERIENCE & ACTIVITIES [Volunteer role / club / sport / caregiving] — [Organization] [Year – Year] • [What you did and what you learned or achieved] • [What you did and what you learned or achieved] [Babysitting / yard work / school project / etc.] [Year – Year] • [What you did and what you learned or achieved] EDUCATION [High school / GED / college] — [School] [Graduated / Expected Year] • [Relevant class, honor, GPA if strong, or activity]
Everything counts
Cover letter template
A cover letter isn't always required, but a short, genuine one helps — especially for a career change or a gap. Keep it to three short paragraphs on one page.
Cover letter template
[Your Name] [City, State] · [Phone] · [Email] [Date] Dear [Hiring Manager name, or "Hiring Team" if you can't find it], I'm writing to apply for the [Job Title] position at [Company]. [One sentence on why this role or company appeals to you — be specific and genuine.] In my [past role / training / experience], I [one or two concrete things you did that match what they need]. I'm especially good at [a relevant strength], and [a short line connecting your experience to their posting]. [If you're a career changer or returning to work, add one calm, positive sentence here.] I'd welcome the chance to talk about how I can help your team. Thank you for considering my application — I hope to hear from you. Sincerely, [Your Name]
Want help writing it with AI? See the prompts in job searching in the AI era.
Related guides & resources
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