5 Business Resume Templates and Samples

Are you hoping to build a career in the world of business? If so, then you know that first impressions can mean the world in your field – it’s crucial to impress from the very beginning of the hiring process. To stand a chance of succeeding in business, you’ll need a professional, elegant resume that presents you at your best as a candidate.

Choosing the right business resume template is a move that can make all the difference to your job search. If your resume strikes the right tone with the company where you’re applying to work, you’ll stand a much better chance of progressing to the interview stage – where you can introduce yourself to hiring managers in person. A well-selected template can help you make full use of that advantage, offering a professional and eye-catching layout to complement your skills and experience.

Want to know more about business resume templates? Read on – we’ve put together a helpful guide to get you started! In this article, we’ll cover the following points:

• What to look for in a business resume template
• Why use a business resume template at all
• The best industries to use a business resume template
• Some of our favorite business resume templates for you to use

What Makes a Good Business Resume Template?

There are certain norms and standards at work in the world of business. Hiring managers have clear expectations for what a good, professional resume ought to be: in most cases, it should use a reverse-chronological format, and it should contain all the relevant information about you as a candidate. That means you’ll need to include your contact information, a summary (and potentially an objective), your work history, your skills, and your education.

But a good business resume is more than just a list of information. It should also look smart, readable and professional. That usually means either a single- or two-column layout, with a streamlined and understated design – image-heavy or over-designed resumes can look out of step with the standards of the corporate world.

It also means that the colors and font choices used in your resume should be as professional as possible. Your template of choice should use classic fonts that are easy to read quickly – remember, hiring managers don’t have much time, so they will want to look over your resume as fast as possible. Likewise, a good business resume template should use colours sparingly, in ways that don’t divert attention from the actual substance of your resume.

Lastly, you should make sure that your business resume template can be read by ATS software. ATS (applicant tracking systems) are used by many companies to sort through resumes and filter out unqualified applicants. But they aren’t perfect, and can be confused by complex resume layouts – so you should make sure you find a template that is compatible with the software.

Why Use an Business Resume Template?

If you’re wondering why you should bother with a business resume template, that’s understandable! After all, in theory, you could build your own resume in Word or Pages without relying on a template at all. But there are actually several great reasons why you should consider using a template, and some of them might surprise you.

Here are some of the benefits of using a business resume template in your job search.

Beat the ATS Software

ATS software is a huge help for hiring managers, but it can be a real source of frustration for applicants. Nobody wants to put hours of time and energy into a resume, only to have it set aside before a human being has even glanced at it. If your resume template isn’t optimized for machine reading or online submission, you could run into that problem even if you’re careful to include as many key words from the job description as possible.

Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about ATS software when you use VisualCV! All of our resume templates are professionally designed to be read and understood by ATS software – even the ones with complex multi-column layouts. This eliminates the risk that your resume will be thrown out because it can’t be parsed by a machine, giving you a much better chance of progressing in the application process.

Obviously, you’ll still need to make sure that the content of your resume is ready for an ATS screening. But with a VisualCV business resume template, you can be confident that the design of your resume will be a help, not a hindrance, to your application.

Present Yourself Professionally

Designing resume layouts isn’t easy. There’s a reason why resume templates are so popular: it’s because most people don’t have the time, resources, or skills to produce their own resume layouts to the same standard. At VisualCV, we take pride in the fact that all of our resume templates are designed by professionals – it means we can bring you some of the highest-quality resume templates available.

A professional layout means you can present yourself more professionally. You won’t be subject to any minor but telling errors in your resume’s formatting, like inconsistent fonts or margins. You can trust that the layout designer has taken care of the details, so your resume will look as impressive as possible when it’s time to apply for the job you want.

In the world of business, hiring managers really do notice those minor details. By choosing a good business resume template, you’re ensuring that the little things won’t be an issue for you, or for the way you present yourself as a candidate.

Focus on Content

Particularly if you’re aiming for higher-tier jobs in business, you probably have a lot to fit into the small space available on your resume. You’ll want to account for your work history and skills, as well as any education or professional qualifications you’ve acquired. And that’s without even touching on your summary, your contact information, and potentially even a photo!

Incorporating all of that information into a limited amount of space can be a challenge at the best of times. But it’s especially true if you’re trying to build a resume layout from scratch. If you’re not an experienced graphic designer, it can be tricky to lay out your resume in a way that looks both stylish and professional, without compromising on the amount of information you can include.

A business resume template will take care of all that for you. When you use a template, you’re outsourcing the layout of your resume and freeing yourself up to focus on the substance of your application. You’ll know exactly where to put every aspect of your resume, and can devote your attention to making sure that every element sings.

Best Industries for a Business Resume Template

Are you wondering whether you’re applying for a job that warrants the use of a business resume template? Look no further! We’ve put together some of the fields where business resume templates are likely to be a great cultural fit – if you’re applying for a job in any of these areas, you should consider choosing a business resume template.

Finance

If you’re hoping to work in finance, a business resume template will help you to make the right impression. Finance can be a fairly traditional industry, so choosing a classic, professional template will show that you understand the norms surrounding your chosen career.

Keep in mind that not all finance companies have the same culture. Financial technology (fintech) companies, for example, might consider a business resume template to be old-fashioned – they might prefer a more creative or modern resume layout instead. Always make sure to research the company you’re applying to before you start work on your resume!

Insurance

Insurance is another long-standing, traditional field. As a result, a classic resume will give you an advantage when you apply for jobs in insurance – it will show that you understand and respect the norms and history of the industry. If you’re hoping to be taken seriously as a candidate for a job in insurance, a business resume template is the way to go.

Consulting

As a consultant, you’ll need to present yourself as a trustworthy and professional individual. A business resume template can make the perfect first impression when you apply for consulting jobs. It will show you at your most poised and prepared – two crucial qualities for any aspiring consultant.

Administration

Not everyone working in business is an executive! Administrative professionals can showcase their professionalism and their awareness of industry norms by choosing a business resume template. These templates also tend to allow plenty of room for your work history, which means you can show off any prior experience to great advantage.

As always, not every company has the same standards. If you’re hoping to carry out admin work for a start-up, or for another young company, you should consider a more modern or creative resume layout instead.

Human Resources

Professionalism is crucially important in human resources – a field where you have to deal with confidential information, resolve any workplace difficulties, and ensure compliance with employment law at all times. You can make the right first impression with a business resume template, showing that your values align with those of your chosen profession.

Our Favorite Business Resume Templates

If you’ve decided that a business resume template is the best place to start working on your resume, that’s great! But choosing the right template for your needs can be a laborious process, involving a lot of searching. To help you get started, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite business resume templates – all available for free on our website.

Remember, all of VisualCV’s resume templates are designed by professionals and capable of getting past ATS software. They’re also heavily customizable, so you can make each design your own! Take a look through our template catalog and choose the design that suits you best.

Bravo

This two-column template is a perfect example of how to use color in an understated, professional way. The pops of bright color work perfectly with the more muted background, while still giving the impression that its choice of palette is intentional. It’s eye-catching and compelling without being too chaotic or hard to read – a perfect compromise if you’re hoping to submit a business resume to a younger or more progressive company.

Clair

The elements of modern design in this sleek two-column resume template are subdued enough to be striking – the scroll-like look of each company name in your work history section will be sure to catch a hiring manager’s eye! But those flourishes don’t detract from the elegant, minimal style of this customizable resume. If you’re applying to a particularly conservative organization, you can even adjust the color scheme to something more muted.

Corporate

Corporate is a two-column template prioritizing text content over images and design. It brings style and elegance to a simple, legible resume format, providing a sleek and streamlined look that will impress any hiring manager. With this template, the clue is in the name: if you’re hoping to work in the corporate world, it’s a safe bet that this resume design will make a good impression on a hiring manager.

Monte

Monte uses a single-column format with a classic, text-led design, resulting in a simple, clean and professional resume. It steers clear of any unnecessary graphics or images, keeping things understated throughout. But this template is anything but boring – the classic font choices and low-key touches of color keep it eye-catching and intentional in its design.

Standard

This classic, elegant resume template makes expert use of the traditional single-column format, featuring stylish font and formatting choices to catch a hiring manager’s eye. It even offers space for a photo of yourself in the header, allowing you to personalize your resume without interrupting the all-important main body of the text. For a streamlined, professional business resume template, look no further!