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Best resume template for AI screening: free, plain and standard

Applicant tracking systems read text, not design. Copy one of these free plain-text templates, or paste your notes and let the builder fill the same structure with your own facts.

Fill a template from my notesCheck my current resume
  • Free to copy
  • One column
  • Standard headings
Document
Career stage
0 / 2,500 words

Your document

Paste your notes and press Write. Your document appears here, with [placeholders] for anything missing.

At a glance

The best resume template for AI screening is a single-column document with standard headings (Summary, Skills, Experience, Education), dates on the same line as each job, plain bullets and no tables, text boxes, icons or images. The three templates below are free to copy, no account needed. To fill one from your notes, Resume Builder AI writes the same structure in plain text with only your facts; generation uses purchased credits.

Templates
3, free to copy: chronological, skills-first, combination
Layout
One column, standard headings, dates beside each job
Avoid
Tables, text boxes, columns, icons, images, page headers
File
DOCX or text-based PDF, unless the posting asks otherwise
Price
200 credits per document plus 1 credit per pasted word; $0.14 to $0.35 for 500 words; packs from $4.99

What makes a resume template AI-friendly

  • 01

    One column

    Software reads top to bottom; columns and tables can scramble the order of your experience.

  • 02

    Standard headings

    Summary, Skills, Experience, Education and Certifications are the labels parsers look for.

  • 03

    Dates with each job

    Month and year on the same line as the title and employer, in one format throughout.

  • 04

    Plain bullets and fonts

    Hyphens or simple round bullets and a common font; no icons, skill bars or graphics.

How to use these templates

  1. 01

    Copy a template

    Pick the format that fits your history and paste it into a blank document.

  2. 02

    Fill in your facts

    Replace every [bracket] by hand, or paste your notes into the builder above.

  3. 03

    Test the file's text

    Copy your saved file's text into a plain editor. If it reads in order, software can read it too.

Chronological resume template

The usual choice for a steady career in one field. Copy it and replace each [bracket] with your own details:

  • [Full Name]
  • [City, State] | [Email] | [Phone] | [LinkedIn URL]
  • PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY: [2 to 3 sentences: your role, your strongest skill and one result]
  • SKILLS: [6 to 10 skills from the job ad that your experience backs up]
  • EXPERIENCE: [Job Title] | [Employer] | [City] | [Month Year] – [Month Year]
  • - [Verb + what you did + the result, with a number where you have one]
  • EDUCATION: [Degree] | [School] | [Year]
  • CERTIFICATIONS: [Name] | [Issuer] | [Year]

Skills-first resume template

For career changers, people returning to work and people with gaps. Keep the work history: screening software still looks for titles and dates.

  • [Full Name] and the same contact line
  • PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY: [the role you want and why your skills fit it]
  • SKILLS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: [Skill area 1], then 2 to 4 bullets with results from any job, study or volunteer work
  • [Skill area 2] and [Skill area 3], each with its bullets
  • WORK HISTORY: [Job Title] | [Employer] | [City] | [Month Year] – [Month Year], one line per job
  • EDUCATION and TRAINING: [Degree, course or certificate] | [School or provider] | [Year]

Combination resume template

For experienced people moving into a related role who want their best results at the top:

  • [Full Name] and the same contact line
  • PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY: [2 to 3 sentences]
  • CORE SKILLS: [grouped skill lines, such as Tools: ..., Methods: ...]
  • KEY ACHIEVEMENTS: [3 to 5 bullets: your strongest results for this job]
  • EXPERIENCE: [Job Title] | [Employer] | [City] | [Month Year] – [Month Year], with 2 to 5 bullets each
  • EDUCATION: [Degree] | [School] | [Year]

Best resume format for AI screening

For most people, reverse-chronological is the safest common choice for screening software, because each job sits in the order the software expects: title, employer, dates, then details. A skills-first resume can still parse well if its work history keeps titles, employers and dates. What causes trouble is usually layout rather than format: graphics, tables, columns and unusual headings.

File and formatting rules

Small choices that keep your text readable to software:

  • Save as DOCX or a text-based PDF unless the posting asks otherwise
  • Keep contact details in the body, not in the page header
  • Spell out an abbreviation once: search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Use the job ad's exact terms for skills you really have

Related tools

Plain and designed templates in screening software

Plain templateDesigned template
ColumnsOneTwo or more
HeadingsStandard namesCreative names
SkillsListed as wordsBars, charts or icons
Contact detailsIn the bodyIn a header or sidebar
Reading orderTop to bottomDepends on the parser

Resume template FAQ

Is this resume template free?

Yes. The three templates on this page are free to copy and use, with no account. Filling one in automatically from your notes uses purchased credits; you can always fill it in by hand instead.

What is an AI-friendly resume template?

A template that screening software can read in the right order: one column, standard headings, dates beside each job, words instead of graphics and contact details in the body. It looks plain, and that is the point.

Should I send a Word file or a PDF?

Follow the posting. If it does not say, a DOCX file is widely accepted, and a PDF exported from Word or Google Docs with selectable text usually works too. Avoid scanned PDFs and image files: software cannot read their text.

Do I need a different template for each job?

Keep the template and change the content: the summary, the order of your skills and the bullets that match each posting. The builder does this when you paste a new job ad with the same notes.

Fill a template with your own facts

Copy a template for free, or paste your notes and get the same structure filled in, with every gap marked.

Fill a template from my notes

Last updated October 29, 2026

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