18 Professional Business Resume Templates for 2018

Building a professional resume can seem like an intimidating task when you're applying for a job. A resume is a document that almost everyone needs, but it comes with plenty of uncertainty.

When you're applying for your dream job, how do you build confidence that you're showcasing your best side? It helps if you've got a professional resume that has all of the elements you need to land the job.

In this article, I'm going to showcase some of the most popular and effective resume templates that you can use when applying for a job. Take these starting points and add your own details to make sure that your resume works its way to the top of the stack.

18 Professional Resume Templates

Don't reinvent the wheel! Instead, start with a pre-made professional resume template and adapt it to showcase your own strengths. Check out the projects below for some of my favorite examples of professional resumes:

1. Pro Resume - Colorful Professional Resume Template

This professional resume template is the perfect choice for Photoshop users who need to create a sharp looking resume. It comes in five different starter color schemes that you can use to list your credentials.

The layered PSD file is easy to customize and add your own details to. With placeholder sections like education, experience, skills, and contact details, this is an ideal way to showcase your credentials.

Also included is a Microsoft Word (.DOCX) file to create the same finished product.

2. Gabriella Resume - Work Resume Template

No matter what type of work you're looking for, the Gabriella professional resume template is a good choice. The Gabriella Resume comes in a variety of formats for Microsoft Word, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop, so it's a great general purpose choice for building a professional resume.

Gabriella is also the right choice if you want to write up an introduction to yourself as well, as it features a placeholder paragraph in the center. It's a nice hybrid approach between a resume and cover letter.

I like the minimalism and ease-of-reading that Gabriella offers. The text-only approach helps the viewer's eyes scan the document easily and find your credentials.

3. Terri Resume - Minimalist Resume

Terri is another minimalist resume format that you can easily add your own details to. Drop in your own education, experience, skills, and contact details to make it easy to get in touch.

Again, Terri has a variety of file formats that you can use in apps like Word, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Because of the customization options, you could easily add a splash of color in any of those apps.

Terri also includes a template for a cover letter. If you need to introduce yourself, consider combining the professional resume and cover letter templates to grab the interviewer's attention.

4. Resume by Egotype - Creative Resume

This professional resume template by Egotype takes a more creative approach to listing your credentials. With image placeholders and a flare of design, this would be ideal when applying for a job where your creative skills are on display.

This template also includes a page where you can include screenshots or photos of your work, almost like a mini portfolio.

I'd recommend this resume template to aspiring web or graphic designers who need to quickly prepare a resume. It fits

5. Resume Anna - Clean Resume With Timeline

This is an extremely minimalist approach to a professional resume with clean lines and easy-to-read text. 

My favorite part of this resume is the timeline approach to showcasing your work history. You can link your various roles and employers together to illustrate why you're applying for the current role. 

6. cv by Generousart - Landscape Resume

One unique thing about this pack is that it includes a landscape orientation resume template. It might catch a hiring manager's eye to provide this alternative resume style, so try out this pack for that purpose.

Of course, there's a traditional portrait-style resume template here too. It's nice to have a choice, though. 

This is another clean resume that you can customize in Photoshop, Illustrator and Microsoft Word. This pack also includes a template for a cover letter when you need to pen an introduction for yourself as part of the application.

7. 3-Piece Resume With Cover Letter 

This three piece work resume template includes three essentials when you're pursuing a new job: a cover letter, professional resume, and portfolio document. Whether you're using it in Photoshop, InDesign and Word, you can use those templates

Each of these documents comes in both a light and dark style for variety.

The portfolio template is ideal if you're applying for a creative type role where it's important to showcase your key projects.

8. Resume Template in a Proposal

This pack includes a professional resume, but that's not the only thing you'll find inside. This project for Adobe InDesign includes a great looking professional resume template, but so much more as well. You'll also get a cover letter, portfolio page, and project quotes.

You could use these templates to apply for a job, or pitch yourself as an independent contractor with additional files like price quotes and project proposals. 

9. Light, Modern Resume Template

The Chevron design and light colors in this professional resume template are designed to make a quick impression. I think this project would work great for applying for a job in retail or the service sector.

Keep in mind that you can always adjust these templates in the app that they are built for. In this case, you could use Adobe InDesign to remove elements like the QR code, or tweak the color scheme to your liking. You could even remove the pattern if it doesn't match the position you're applying for.

10. Resume by LeafLove - Clean, Professional Resume Template

This resume template has a crisp, clean design with information blocks set against a colorful background. Your contact information  and other information can be found easily next to the appropriate icon.

For Photoshop, Illustrator, and Word, this resume has all of the essentials for a successful resume. Drop in your own contact, work history, and education to help make a great impression on a hiring manager.

11. Resume Brendon - Readable Professional Resume

This resume is a clean and tight project that is sure to catch a reviewer's eye. Using fonts that you can grab for free, this is one of the easiest-to-read resume's in this roundup. It makes great use of white space and is divided nicely into logical sections.

12. Flashing Resume Set - Visual Resume Template

The Flashing Resume Set is a highly visual and graphical approach to listing your credentials in Adobe InDesign. For example, it includes a "skills" page where you can use icons to show your proficiency in various categories.

It also includes multiple templates that many applicants will benefit from, like a cover letter and references page to give you a chance to introduce your experience.

13. Hipster Resume - Customizable Creative Resume

Here's another project that's ideal for creative professionals. With beautiful typography and a focus on portfolio pieces, this suits more creative jobs.

If you're an InDesign user, this project is a great choice. Adjust the color scheme and add your own details to catch the eye of the person reviewing your resume.

14. Minimalist Resume 03 - Professional Resume

Minimalist resumes are popular because they focus on your credentials, not the design. This project is a perfect example of how less is more when it comes to graphic design.

For Adobe Photoshop users, this project is ideal. It's easy to drop in your own credentials and details to draw the reviewer's attention to what you're capable of.

15. Infographic Resume - Unique Professional Resume Template

Here's a different approach to showcasing your qualifications. Even though it has the traditional elements like education and work history, it also pulls in graphic elements that really showcases what you've accomplished.

I think this project would work great for areas like sales or finance where the results of your work can directly lead to profitability. Using these infographics, you can catch the reviewer's eye and emphasize the results you get.

16. Resume Abby - Simple, Easy-to-Use Resume

Here's a simple, one-page resume that you can adjust in both InDesign and Microsoft Word. Use your own photo and details and create your resume in less than an hour.

A simple, concise resume like this is often the best approach to showing your history and ambitions.

17. Professional Resume Template

Here's a clean, professional resume design that would work perfectly for an office job. It has all of the essentials to help communicate your credentials to an interviewer.

Don't miss out on the Skills section on this resume. Consider listing the apps and techniques that might set you apart from another candidate.

18. Mono Resume - Black and White Resume Template

I love this black and white resume that includes easy-to-customize timelines and infographics. You'll also get a cover letter page that you can drop a personalized message into.

The placeholder for an image header might suggest that this is best for creative professionals, but you can also remove those images for more traditional fields.

4 Quick Tips to Make a Great Impression With Your Resume

For most jobs, companies will receive many applicants for a single opening. It's difficult to stand out in a crowded pack no matter how strong your credentials are. Here are four tips that you should use to help your resume rise above the rest:

1. Include a Cover Letter

A cover letter is a personalized, specific message that introduces you to the reader. Not only does it help introduce you to the hiring manager, the very fact that you wrote a cover letter will typically put you in elite company.

Check out the tutorial below for a deep dive on excellent cover letters that you can use for inspiration:

• 
  Resumes
  
  
  20 Cover Letter Examples
  
  
  Charley Mendoza

2. Follow-up With an Email

Many online hiring systems will screen your application before any human sees it. But if you have the chance to connect personally with the hiring manager, it's certainly possible they'll be on the lookout for your resume.

If you happen to know a key contact's email address, it always helps to send an accompanying email when you submit your resume. It can lead to your resume being pulled aside and reviewed personally. 

• 
  Resumes
  
  
  How to Email Your Resume Professionally (Quick Guide)
  
  
  Laura Spencer

3. Put Your Best Foot Forward

Half of the battle of building a resume is learning how to present your experience. There are always eloquent ways to describe your experience that shows your expertise. 

Instead of saying "I wrote grants in this job", try something more engaging that focuses on results like, "Grants lead to $10,000 in funding for the company." You likely have the experience you need to land a new job, it's just a matter of presenting your experience. 

To learn more about phrasing your resume in the best way possible, check out Cha Mendoza's tips on dropping phrases from your resume.

• 
  Resumes
  
  
  19 Phrases You Need to Cut From Your Resume Right Now
  
  
  Charley Mendoza

4. Remember: Typos Kill Resume Success

There's no faster way to get your resume discarded than to have a glaring typo in your resume. Using spellcheck or grammar check is the best way to avoid this problem.

Don't have this feature in your app? Print your resume off and review a printed copy. Issues and typos have a way of really standing out when you see a printed copy.

Learn more about creating a great resume: 

• 
  Resumes
  
  
  30+ Best Resume Tips: That Will Get You Noticed and Hired
  
  
  Charley Mendoza

Design a Winning Resume With a Professional Resume Template

Check out these top professional resume templates with popular and professional designs and download them now. Any of these are a great way to skip many hours of work as you prepare to apply for a job.

Find more resume templates with the all-you-can-download Envato Elements selection, or hand choose a specific resume template from GraphicRiver!