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Best Resume Format (ATS-Friendly – What Actually Works)

For most people, the best format is the simplest: reverse-chronological, one column, standard headings. It's easy for recruiters to scan and for systems to read.

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Which format to choose

• Reverse-chronological (most recent first): best for most people with work history.
• Hybrid (skills summary, then experience): useful for career changers, if experience is still dated and clear.
• Skills-only / functional: usually best avoided, because readers can't see where you did what.

Layout rules

• One column, clear headings, plenty of white space
• A standard font at 10–12 pt for body text
• Contact details in the body, not only in the header
• Consistent dates, such as Jan 2023 – Present
• One or two pages, with the most relevant content first

Example layout

FIRSTNAME LASTNAME
City · email@example.com · +00 000 00 000 · linkedin.com/in/name

Customer Success Manager · B2B SaaS

SUMMARY
Customer success manager with 5 years in B2B SaaS. Owns renewals for a 40-account
portfolio and improved retention through structured onboarding and quarterly reviews.

EXPERIENCE
Customer Success Manager, Company A            Mar 2022 – Present
- Managed 40 B2B accounts with 92% renewal rate in 2025
- Rebuilt onboarding, cutting time to first value from 30 to 18 days

Account Coordinator, Company B                 Jan 2019 – Feb 2022
- Handled 30+ customer requests a day in Zendesk with 95% CSAT

EDUCATION
Bachelor's degree, Business                    2018

SKILLS
Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, onboarding, QBRs, English (fluent)

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