Traditional Resume Template [5+ Classic Resume Examples]

Not sure what kind of resume will boost your chances of landing an interview? Go for a traditional resume template. It’s much more than timelessly elegant.

Maciej Duszyński, CPRW

Career Expert

Updated 11/24/2023

As seen in:

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The Internet is abundant in all sorts of newfangled resume ideas.

But the truth is—

A traditional resume is always your safest bet.

Why?

Read on to find out, and explore a gallery of classic resume templates.

This guide will show you:

How to define a traditional resume in this day and age.
The advantages of using a classic resume template.
Examples of traditional resume templates.
Resume writing and formatting tips.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.

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Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.

One of our users, Nikos, had this to say:

[I used] a nice template I found on Zety. My resume is now one page long, not three. With the same stuff.

Before we jump in—

Let’s come up with a traditional resume definition:

A traditional (or classic) resume is a business document outlining your work experience, key achievements, skills, as well as educational background. Apart from this, it includes your contact details and additional information on your qualifications, such as certifications, awards, or membership in professional organizations.

You can create such a resume with word-processing software or using a traditional resume template in a resume builder.

A traditional resume would be printed out and delivered to the employer via traditional postal services.

However—

This is no longer the case.

In this day and age, a traditional resume is delivered via email.

Also, a traditional resume layout is rather simple and devoid of flashy graphical elements. It's readability and scannability that count.

In contrast—

A non-traditional resume can take on many different forms.

From an infographic resume, to creative resume, to website resume to the yet-undiscovered type of resume.

Now—

The traditional resume templates in our resume builder let you create a document that can follow any of the three classic resume formats:

Once your resume is finished, you can download your traditional resume as a PDF or MS Word file that can be printed out or sent as an email attachment.

So—

Why go for a traditional resume?

First off, a classic-looking resume is something every recruiter will be able to read quickly.

With only 7 seconds of the recruiter’s initial attention, you really want your document to be easy to scan.

Second—

A simple, traditional resume will surely pass any ATS (Applicant Tracking System) scan.

With more and more companies using ATSs, this is something you should always have in the back of your mind.

Note: All traditional resume templates available in our builder are ATS-compliant.

And now—

Here comes the gallery of classic resume examples:

Cubic

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This traditional resume template incorporates certain non-traditional resume elements, for example, a graphical skill grading scale.

Cubic works great as a classic resume that follows the reverse-chronological order.

Its two-column layout offers a lot of space for the professional experience section, and education section. Your resume skills section can be conveniently placed in the sidebar.

Cubic works great for marketing managers, data scientists, and executives.

Not sure what sections your traditional resume template would benefit from most? Read our guide: What to Put on a Resume (20+ Good Things You Should Include to Win)

Newcast

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This traditional resume format comes across as well-organized and has a light feel to it.

It’s divided into classic resume sections whose headings can be quickly scanned.

The only non-traditional resume elements are the resume icons and an optional skill grading scale in the form of a bar chart.

If you like this resume style, you might want to take a look at our selection of minimalist resume templates.

Newcast is often chosen as a blank resume template for a business resume.

Diamond

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This traditional resume layout adds a simple diamond-themed timeline to make the document super-easy to navigate.

All the sections characteristic of a classic resume format are clearly visible. The recruiter’s eye is guided down from experience to education to skills and software to certifications on your resume.

Diamond is a great choice for customer service professionals and sales associates.

Pro Tip: Our resume builder you can quickly rearrange your resume sections with a simple drag and drop.

Enfold

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Enfold is yet another traditional resume layout with a modern twist in the form of a sidebar.

The sidebar offers you extra real estate to fit in additional resume sections without giving the entire document a cluttered look.

The main resume space on the left is a perfect location for traditional resume sections, such as professional objective or resume summary, work experience, or education.

Enfold is favored by marketers and social media managers.

Vibes

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This traditional resume template combines subtle graphical elements with a classic resume layout.

It offers a lot of room for a resume summary as well as the other traditional resume sections.

It's stylishly simple and easy to navigate.

Pro Tip: You can easily change the color palette of your resume in our resume builder.

Vibes is the template of choice among account managers, consultants, and product managers.

Muse

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Muse is a traditional resume template with a lot of space for your professional experience.

Thanks to its two-column layout it can hold quite a lot of information without getting too crammed.

The additional graphical elements make it easier to quickly scan all the classic resume sections.

Muse is often used for data scientists resumes, sales managers resumes, and project managers resumes.

Concept

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This traditional resume combines classic elegance with a modern feel.

It's very easy to scan thanks to an infographic-like timeline on the left and a dedicated sidebar for all important dates.

It's a perfect classic resume layout for a chronological resume.

Concept works great for career changer resumes and candidates making resumes with little professional experience.

Pro Tip: Our resume builder lets you quickly switch between different templates to see which one works best for you.

Crisp

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It's a very spacious traditional resume template that lets you include quite a lot of information.

Thanks to its two-column layout and the resume profile section stretching from margin to margin, you have a lot of room to display your work history and achievements.

The customizable icons make navigating through the document buttery smooth.

Crisp is very popular with candidates making resumes for managerial positions, such as an operations manager resume, account manager resume, or an assistant manager resume.

Influx

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This classic resume template is suitable for all sorts of positions thanks to its timeless simplicity.

The horizontal lines make it easy to quickly locate and scan each section.

Thanks to a lot of white space it doesn't feel overwhelming.

Influx is often chosen by machine operators, warehouse workers, as well as marketers, and personal bankers.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, our easy resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

Modern

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As the name suggests—

This template offers a modern take on an otherwise traditional resume.

The graphical elements not only give it a slick look but also improve the resume's readability.

Great classic resume template for paramedics, restaurant staff, and production assistants.

Pro Tip: If you like to explore some non-traditional resume templates, take a look at our selection of unique resume templates.

Iconic

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A traditional resume in its contemporary incarnation: single column, distraction-free, and to-the-point.

Each section is clearly visible thanks to the use of icons, large section headings, and subtle horizontal lines that structure the resume.

Favored by actors, artists, and photographers.

Simple

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This simple, traditional resume format uses a two-column layout to maximize the capacity of a single page.

You can easily fit in your experience, education, skills, and there’ll be plenty of room left for additional sections.

And—

You can grade your skills using neat visuals.

Good traditional resume for hospitality workers, teachers, and web designers.

Pro Tip: If you wish to go beyond a classic resume template, explore our selection of visual resume templates.

Initials

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What makes this traditional resume template stand out from the crowd is the graphical element with your initials right next to your name.

The experience section gives you plenty of room to display your work history, key accomplishments, certifications, etc.

Good pick for office clerk resumes, administrative assistants resumes, or recruiter resumes.

Pro Tip: It doesn’t matter if you choose a traditional or non-traditional resume template. Always make sure your resume is tailored to the job description.

Cascade

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What makes Cascade so appealing is the two-column layout that can hold a lot of information, contrasting colors, and high readability.

This classic resume template works great as a traditional chronological resume, but you can also adapt it for other traditional resume layouts (i.e. functional or combination resume).

Plus—

The unobtrusive visuals let you grade your skills using a bar chart.

Often selected by UX designers, cyber security analysts, as well as scholarship recipients.

Pro Tip: Not sure your resume is up to snuff? Read our article on resume dos and don’ts.

Valera

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This traditional “elegance” resume template uses an unusual combination of resume fonts to add a touch of modernity.

It’s very well organized and perfectly scannable, with a lot of “breathing room” in the form of white space.

Good traditional resume for personal trainers and musicians.

Pro Tip: Remember, choosing a good template is but a first step to making the perfect resume.

Primo

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This classic resume template incorporates a non-traditional timeline-like visual that enhances its scannability.

Plus—

Its two-column layout will surely hold as much information as you need but won’t look cluttered in the least.

A good choice for a CV template for teenagers and students.

Pro Tip: Use the best resume fonts to ensure maximum readability.

Minimo

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This traditional resume template is free from any unnecessary distractions to focus exclusively on the content.

It’s reader-friendly, easy to follow, and, if you wish, you can add a bar chart to grade your skill level.

Minimo is often chosen by writers and consultants.

Pro Tip: Want to make your resume truly special? Take a look at these resume tips and tricks.

Nanica

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This traditional resume template is possibly one of the best if you consider printing out your resume, and a great choice for a classic executive resume.

Plus—

It’s very easy to scan, with plenty of white space and clearly visible sections.

Bonus: Formatting Tips for a Traditional Resume

Traditional or non-traditional, resumes are business documents whose formatting is as important content.

Start with setting the right resume margins. One inch on each side is the standard.
Make sure your font is large enough for comfortable reading. 11-12 pt should do the job.
Place a resume header at the top of the document. This is where your contact details go.
A traditional resume should include:

Contact information
Resume summary or objective
Work experience section
Education
Skills

You can add extra sections if need be:

Don’t write long paragraphs to describe your experience. Use bullet points.
Start each bullet point with a strong resume verb. Write short sentences.
Format your resume entries consistently, e.g. if you use italics for a job title, make sure you do the same thing in each entry.
Single line spacing works great in the majority of cases, if you need more space between the lines, 1.15 line spacing is also acceptable.
Even though there's no official limit as to the resume length, try not to exceed 2 pages.
Unless the job offer requires it, don’t add a photo to your resume.

Want to learn more about classic resume formats? Head straight to our guide:Resume Format: Samples and Templates for all Types of Resumes (10+)

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaways

Here’s all you need to know about traditional resumes:

Traditional resumes used to be printed out and delivered by mail.
Nowadays, a “traditional resume” mostly refers to the document’s layout and structure to differentiate it from less orthodox new kinds of resume, such as infographic resumes or resume websites for example.
A traditional resume is usually a PDF or MS Word file attached to an email message.
The main advantage of a traditional resume lies in its scannability, both for the recruiter and the ATS software.
To make the most of your traditional resume you must format it properly and avoid a cluttered look.

Do you have any other questions about traditional resumes? Would you like to share your experience making a classic resume? Give us a shout out in the comments below. Always happy to help!

About Zety’s Editorial Process

This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines. We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.

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Traditional Resume Template [5+ Classic Resume Examples]

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