Stand Out From the Crowd With a Unique Resume Template

Updated September 28, 2022903

Every job application needs a well-crafted resume. Add some creativity to yours with some unique resume templates to help you land a creative role.

Unique Resume Templates

Crafting a professional resume is an essential element of any job application. The best resumes will highlight your skills, qualifications and work experience for the recruiter or hiring manager. However, what if you want to avoid overly simple or basic resumes in favor of a more noticeable, eye-catching resume? Use our free creative resume templates to opt for more unique resume designs. These go beyond the simple resume templates to offer something more exciting for job seekers, albeit retaining a professional air and still fulfilling the resume’s primary purpose.

Unique Resume Templates

Unique resume templates offer different resume layouts that can showcase your creativity, especially if you are applying for creative roles like that of a graphic designer, for example. They utilize creative templates with varied color schemes and fonts to make a positive first impression on potential employers. It’s amazing the impression you can make with different typography and intelligent use of white space. Having a well-designed resume is essential; any flair or unique elements shouldn’t detract from the fact that your resume’s primary purpose is to share information with the hiring manager. If you choose a unique resume template, then you should create a matching cover letter that complements your resume.

Other Resume Templates

It can be a challenge to start a resume from scratch. At ResumeNerd, we have plenty of free resume templates to cater to your needs.

It’s good to use a resume template to use tried and tested resume layouts and simply enter your information. There are modern resume templates, professional resume templates, more minimalist resume templates, and two-page and one-page resume templates. Check out our collection to find the right one for your job application.

Resume Formats

Our resume formats broadly fit into three categories: the functional resume, the chronological resume and the combination resume.

The functional resume emphasizes your skills section, whereas the chronological, also known as a traditional resume, place your work history first. The combination resume format includes elements of both the functional and chronological resumes without placing prominence on either.

The resume format you choose will depend on your strengths as a candidate. For example, a functional resume is excellent for entry-level candidates who don't have much relevant experience to draw upon. They should instead focus on transferable skills.

Whichever resume format you choose, you’ll need the following resume sections:

Header

A good, clean resume will include your contact information in the header. This header will contain your full name, email address, location, phone number and job networking profile links like your LinkedIn profile. This makes it easy for the recruiter to find your information and contact you.
Resume summary or objective

In this section, you will place either a resume summary or objective. A resume summary is a brief overview of your career history and work experience thus far, whereas a resume objective is for less experienced workers as it stresses your ambitions and career goals. Both should be brief and feature only two or three sentences that give a snapshot view of your background or ambitions to the recruiter.
Skills

Your skills section should include a mix of hard and soft skills relevant to the role you’re applying for. Soft skills are personal attributes like compassion and organization, while hard skills are learned through education or on the job training like analytical or copywriting skills. List your skills in bullet points to make them easy to read and to save space.
Education

Lst all of your college or other training in your education section. This could be any certifications received that will help you establish credibility with the recruiter. Mention anything academic that evidences your expertise.
Work experience

List your previous relevant experience in reverse chronological order. It’s essential to draw a line between your previous work experiences and the advertised role. You can include a few bulleted lines under each role detailing your responsibilities.

These are the basic elements of a professional resume. At ResumeNerd, we have plenty of free templates that incorporate these elements. There are also resume examples and resume samples with extra resume writing tips. These tools can help you create a resume using a unique resume template. Combine all these tools in our resume builder.

FAQ: Unique Resume Templates

What are the benefits of unique resume templates?

Recruiters have to look through a lot of resumes for each open job role. One benefit of using a unique resume template is that it provides you a professional head start to creating the perfect resume and thereby, giving you the best chance to catch a hiring manager’s attention. If you create a resume that stands out, then you may encourage the recruiter to pause over your application and read it in full. This may be especially important if you are applying for creative roles.

What are the drawbacks of unique resume templates?

One potential drawback of a unique resume template is that it may not be formatted adequately to be scanned by the applicant tracking systems (ATS.) Recruiters often use an ATS to sift through the hundreds of resumes received for a particular job listing. The ATS will reject some resumes if they don't meet basic standards. If you use a resume template, the ATS will recognize the information.

Do I need to write a cover letter?

You should always write a cover letter to accompany your resume. A cover letter allows you to add some personality and flair to your application. It's good to customize your cover letter using some keywords from the job description that you are applying for. It also allows you to ask for a job interview. Use our cover letter templates and cover letter builder to help you craft an effective cover letter.

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About The Author

Cindi Cervone Carlson

Cindi Cervone Carlson is a Senior Vice President for Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Cindi is responsible for developing, delivering, and implementing a dynamic, world-class organization dedicated to delivering outplacement consulting, training, support, and executive coaching. Cindi started her career at Challenger as a client who had lost her job. Over the past nine years, she has risen from an entry-level, part-time professional to Senior Vice President.