Is Single or Two-Column Resume Template Better?
What resume formatting yields the highest interview rate? Keep reading to learn about the ideal resume template to maximize your chances of landing that offer!
Photo by João Ferrão / Unsplash
It's also commonly recommended by career counselors at school's like Stanford and Harvard – keep reading to find out why!
Putting together a resume is probably the first and most important step in the search for a job or internship. As one of the founders of Simplify, I've helped hundreds of our candidates review their resumes before applying to jobs.
One of the most common mistakes I see job seekers make is in the overarching formatting of a resume. Keep on reading to learn about the differences in resume formatting, the pros and cons of each style, and why a single-column resume gives you the highest chance of getting an interview!
Multiple Column Resumes (and why they're bad)
Resumes like the one below are often showcased as the "gold standard" for what a resume should look like. From the font to the layout to the icons, everything about it is visually pleasing. The format of the resume almost seems to add more legitimacy to the content. You can find hundreds of these templates on online resume builders and put together your own in minutes. What's the harm?
What's most misleading about creating a resume in this format is that, despite being visually "nice-to-look-at," it usually does more harm than good when it comes to getting you an interview from a potential employer. You're more likely to get automatically rejected when using this template before your resume is ever seen by a recruiter.
What's to blame? Resume parsers.
A resume parser is a computer program designed to scan a resume, analyze it and extract information important to recruiters and hiring managers. Nearly every job portal uses one, and it's what allows recruiters to quickly search through applicants for specific keywords (for example: Microsoft Excel, Python, public speaking, Stanford, etc.). Resume parsers are almost universal among modern Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), meaning your resume will almost always be first read by one of these systems before ever getting to a recruiter.
The core issue here is that many of these softwares struggle to read the complex formatting of a multiple-column resume, which are often cluttered with information. This means that recruiters won't be able to use these softwares to quickly search and index your resume, often leading to an auto-rejection.
I (Michael) actually started the job search process with a two column resume. I applied to nearly a hundred positions with a two-column resume format, and got less than 5 callbacks. After switching to a simple, one-column resume, I immediately got more callbacks and interviews from the same online job applications – the difference was night and day. Even though it was hard to let go of my *beautiful* two-column resume, it certainly helped me land my first internship offer.
Feel attached to your aesthetic two-column resume? No problem! You're welcome to reserve them for career fairs and in-person interviews. Print out a dozen and only use the print copies – just don't upload them when applying online.
Single Column Resumes
They're basic, they're simple, they're basic – but they work! In fact, many college counselors at colleges like Stanford and MIT recommend the exact template shown below. This sort of template is "resume-parser friendly" and will ensure that your information is properly read and indexed by the software used by companies you're applying to.
One other common mistake is the order candidates list experiences and educations on resumes. The information on your resume should be in reverse chronological order – in other words, most recent experiences listed first.
And that just about sums it up! You're ready to build your resume. When you're applying online, making sure your resume gets past the resume parser is your primary goal, so sticking to a single-column resume is your best bet.
Use Simplify to Apply to Jobs Faster!
Now that you've got your resume ready to go, the next step is sending out those applications. Simplify offers a variety of features designed to streamline your job search and match you with your dream job. With our autofilling feature, job lists, and personalized job matching quiz, you'll be able to find job opportunities that match your skills and preferences quickly and easily. So why wait? Sign up now and take the first step towards landing your dream job!