Top 10 Free Microsoft Word resume templates

A resume template is a preformatted document that takes care of design elements so you can fill in your information. Here are high-quality Microsoft resume templates that will make your resume look incredible!

Our career experts have provided these 10 picks as the best free Microsoft Word resume templates.

Free Template Spartan

Why this MS Word resume template works:

This Word resume has a simple and readable design that emphasizes your skills in two devoted sections. It also features a subtle use of blue, which helps to make it more eye-catching.

Download this Word template

Free Template Professional

Why this MS Word resume template works:

The design of this MS template is very basic and clean, drawing the focus to your work experience. Its Times New Roman font suits traditional professions like medicine, law or journalism.

Download this Word template

Free Template Precision

Why this MS Word resume template works:

This template features subtle color accents that help the most important words and details stand out to employers. It’s in a chronological resume format, which makes it best for job seekers with lots of work experience. It also features a “Certifications” section to feature any advanced training you may have.

Download this Word template

Why this MS Word resume template works:

The design of this custom MS Word resume features a line that organizes the sections in a way that’s easy for recruiters to scan. It’s written in a combination resume format to give a more equal focus to your skills and work experience. This means it’s ideal for job seekers with three to 10 years of career history.

Download this Word template

Why this MS Word resume template works:

This modern design features a few colors to emphasize different resume sections. It’s approachable yet professional, making it appropriate for many roles.

Download this Word template

Free Template Decimal

Why this MS Word resume template works:

The resume sections are divided by clean, hard lines. This helps recruiters quickly locate the information they seek. The deep green color also adds a touch of sophistication and richness to its appearance.

Download this Word template

Why this MS Word resume template works:

This Word resume has a classic and traditional style suited for buttoned-up jobs like accounting, administrative work, government or law. It’s a variation of a classic functional format resume, focusing more on your skills than work experience.

Download this Word template

Why this MS Word resume template works:

This MS Word resume design has a lot of white space, which makes it easier for the hiring manager to read. It’s clearly organized and has a breezy modern feel, making it an excellent choice for applying to design, photography, production or tech jobs.

Download this Word template

Why this MS Word resume template works:

This tasteful resume template uses light blue for the section titles, helping to break up the sections. The heading and font are modern, so this resume is a good fit for copywriting, film, IT, health care, or web development jobs.

Download this Word template

Why this MS Word resume template works:

This MS template is refined and dignified, featuring black and gray text and commanding section titles. Its one-column design conveys strength and leadership, making it suitable for executive, management and teaching positions.

Download this Word template

6 custom Microsoft Word resume templates

Graphic designers created these customized Microsoft Word templates to be stylish, attention-grabbing and easy to read.

Here, you’ll find templates in six different designs: modern, creative, traditional, simple, basic and professional — all of which can be downloaded in three file formats, including Word.

You can also check out our selection of Google Doc resume templates because they also open as Word DOC files.

Why this MS resume template works:

The coral color in the header adds an attention-grabbing brightness to this resume, which is otherwise clean and straightforward. This template conveys a sense of friendliness and warmth, making it perfect for any role interacting with customers, like sales, retail or hospitality.

Download this Word template

Why this MS resume template works:

The design expresses natural confidence by putting your work experience front and center. That makes it easier to show you’re an experienced professional with many career achievements.This template is appropriate for office, administrative, consulting, graphic design or writing jobs.

Download this Word template

Why this MS resume template works:

This template is easy to read and well-organized, with the section titles featured in boxes. Its design has plenty of white space and a muted grace, making it applicable to almost any role or industry! It’s also austere enough to be used for executive roles.

Download this Word template

Why this MS resume template works:

The design of this template is edgy with its bold use of red. It may be too flashy for some roles, but it’s well-suited to jobs that value creativity, like those in the arts, entertainment or media. It’s also an option when applying to companies featuring red in their logo or branding.

Download this Word template

Why this MS resume template works:

The rich green and classic font on this resume is timeless. This resume is appropriate for any job in traditional industries, like accounting, government, law, medicine or teaching.

Download this Word template

Why this MS resume template works:

The unique header counters standard design principles. Using two different shades of blue lines also adds a bit of visual pizzazz. This cutting-edge resume suits modern jobs like cloud computing, digital marketing, software engineering or web development.

Download this Word template

How to make a Microsoft Word resume

The easiest way to make a resume in Microsoft Word is by downloading one of the templates above and filling in each section with your information.

Follow the advice of our How to Write a Resume Guide for step-by-step instructions.

Finding free resume templates in Microsoft Word

There are free resume templates Microsoft Word has built into the program.

To find them, follow these steps:

  • Open MS Word.
  • Click “File,” then select “New from Template ..”
  • Browse for a resume template. Or, type “Resume” into the “Search All Templates” bar at the top right of the menu.
  • Pick a template you like and double-click.
  • Replace the sample text with your personal information.

Uploading outside templates into Word

You can also open any template you download on this page or elsewhere on the internet, as long as it’s a Word DOC file.

All you have to do is double-click the DOC file to open it. If it doesn’t open in Word automatically, right-click the document (hold the “control” button + click) and go to “Open With.” Then, you can select Microsoft Word to open the template.

Alternatively, follow these steps:

  • Open the MS Word program.
  • Click “File,” then select “Open …”
  • Locate the DOC file you want to edit in Word.
  • Select the file and click “Open” in the bottom right corner of the menu.

Once you’ve loaded your template, all you have to do is fill in your details!

Resume-writing tips

  1. Check the job post or ad before writing!

    It’s much easier to know what to say in your resume if you review the job description. Look for resume keywords and tailor your resume to include the keywords and skills the employer mentions.

  2. Customize your Word resume template.

    You can use Word’s toolbar to personalize any aspect of your templates, like its colors, font choice or margins. Ensure the font size stays between 11-13, and use one-inch margins. You may also choose to add extra resume sections like “Certifications,” “Awards” or “Publications.”

  3. Include as many numbers as possible on your resume.

    Numbers clearly show what you’re capable of, so hiring managers like to see them! Use quantifiable metrics in your resume’s professional summary and work experience sections. Doing so will get employers to pay attention!

  4. Focus on achievements, not day-to-day tasks.

    Your resume should sell the accomplishments you’re most proud of in your career. So, when describing your work history, focus more on the goals, awards or benchmarks you reached. Listing your job duties is a far less compelling way to sell your value!

  5. Use spelling and grammar checks.

    Submitting a resume with errors could cost you a job! Microsoft Word will underline spelling mistakes in red and grammar problems in green. However, when you finish your document, you should manually run the spelling and grammar check to ensure you’ve caught all errors. To do so, click the “Tools” tab at the top of the screen and then select “Spelling and Grammar>” to run the check.

We also have an even more powerful tool for a more comprehensive review of your resume and its strengths. You can upload your document into our Resume Check.

It will double-check your resume for grammatical errors, evaluate the strength of your resume’s writing and give you a score. Plus, it will provide suggestions for how you could improve it!

Upload and check my resume

Microsoft Word resume templates by job type

These resume templates have built-in content tailored to various jobs and industries. Our resume examples will help you understand the experiences and qualifications you should
include on your resume. Edit your favorite resume in our Resume Builder for a custom resume in minutes.

Why this MS resume template works:

The resume’s organization showcases the candidate’s 10+ year career in sales. Peter does a good job highlighting achievements in his work history, not just day-to-day tasks. There is a chart to show his language proficiency.

Use this resume template

See more: Sale associate resume examples

Why this MS resume template works:

Customer service and sales are rare industries where it’s sometimes welcome to put a face on your resume; this template makes that possible. It features a decorative border, which adds a friendly touch.

Use this resume template

See more: Customer service resume examples

Why this MS Word resume template works:

This template is well-organized, much like an assistant manager needs to be. The timeline design feature helps to move the reader’s eye down the page and presents Anna’s information in reverse-chronological order.

Use this resume template

See more: Administrative assistant manager resume examples

Why this MS Word resume template works:

Emily has used a functional format, drawing attention away from the fact that he doesn’t have much work experience. This template focuses on education, the ideal strategy for someone newer to the workforce.

Use this resume template

See more: Administrative assistant resume examples

Why this MS Word resume template works:

This resume template is well-organized and efficient, like a server should be. The flourish of golden color adds a touch of warmth and hospitality to the resume. You can customize the career objective section into a professional summary if you wish!

Use this resume template

See more: Server resume examples

Why this MS Word resume template works:

This resume puts the work history front and center, showing that you take babysitting seriously. It also includes a Certifications section near the bottom to list any first aid training or other qualifications.

Use this resume template

See more: Babysitter resume examples

Why this MS Word resume template works:

This teacher’s resume begins with a strong summary outlining her relevant qualifications and impressive awards. The work history section showcases the educator’s 10+ years of experience in public education, private schools and tutoring.

Use this resume template

See more: Teacher resume examples

Why this MS Word resume template works:

The monogram at the top of this resume connotes the corporate letterhead you’d expect to see behind a receptionist’s desk. All resume sections have clear borders, making scanning easy for a hiring manager.

Use this resume template

See more: Receptionist resume examples

Why this MS Word resume template works:

The design of this resume is clean and functional. It matches the utilitarian practicality expected of a reliable crew member. Since Jerry doesn’t have a lot of work history, it emphasizes his transferable skills in two dedicated sections.

Use this resume template

See more: Crew member resume examples

Why this MS Word resume template works:

The modern design of this template is fitting for software engineers; it almost looks like the drop-down menu you’d see on a computer screen. It also leaves plenty of white space to make it easy on the eyes.

Use this resume template

See more: Software engineer resume examples

Why this MS Word resume template works:

This resume gives a nice balance of work experience and skills, featuring the sections side-by-side. The white space and the blue column provide an excellent sense of harmony. This is an appropriately modern resume template for a project manager.

Use this resume template

See more: Project manager resume examples

Why this MS Word resume template works:

Since nursing jobs usually require certifications, it’s wise to include that section on your resume like this template. Since Melissa is relatively new to nursing, she focuses more on her skills than work experience. You could also customize the sections to give your work history more space if you have it.

Use this resume template

See more: Registered nurse resume examples

Create a Microsoft Word resume fast with our Resume Builder

  • Group 36

    Ready-to-use text suggestions

    Tailored content suggestions are exclusive to our Resume Builder. Enter your job title, and the Builder will suggest custom phrases to add to your resume.

  • Flower

    Professional and fresh designs

    Graphic artists create our templates and take care to create visually appealing designs appropriate for any job or industry. You won’t find them anywhere else!

  • Group 26 New

    Pass the ATS

    We’ve tested these designs to ensure they’re readable and pass an applicant tracking systems (ATS) scan. Apply confidently, knowing all our 25+ resume templates are tested to be ATS-friendly.

  • Group

    Easy-to-customize

    Our Builder features user-friendly adjusting tools and automatic, making them the best choice for creating a resume with little to no effort.

FAQ

Does Microsoft Word have free resume templates?

Yes. Microsoft Word does offer free templates. However, they don’t offer a resume builder, so all the writing has to be done from scratch.

When you use LiveCareer’s premium and free resume templates for Word, you have access to our professional Resume Builder, which offers a variety of benefits, including:

  • Step-by-step guidance on how to craft all five sections of your resume.
  • Prewritten content suggestions, written by our team of professional resume writers, which you can use as-is or customize to suit your needs.
  • The ability to change fonts, colors and more to make your Microsoft resume template your own.
  • An option to download your resume template in Word, Simple text or PDF file formats to meet the requirements of every employer.

Build my resume now

Which file format do most employers prefer for resumes?

While some employers may request a resume Word document, many prefer applicants to use a PDF. The reason? If the recruiter has a different version of Word than the one you used to create your resume, some formatting or design elements could need to be clearer.

Using a PDF is the best way to avoid that possibility. A PDF is a “fixed” file format, which means you can be sure that what you see on your screen is exactly what the recruiter will see on their end.

Is it bad to use Word resume templates?

It’s not bad to use a Word resume template! It can save you time and effort in formatting a good-looking design.

However, when saving and sending your document, be cautious about using Microsoft Word DOCs. PDFs are the primary file type employers prefer and are easy to convert. You shouldn’t risk the chance of the employer not opening your resume!

So, check the job post or ad before automatically sending your Word resume in DOC form. Often, the preferred file type is mentioned in the ad. If not, PDF is a safer bet. But you can always include your resume in two file types if emailing.

Do you have ATS-friendly Microsoft Word resume templates?

Yes, every template on this page is ATS-friendly. All of the free resume templates Microsoft Word features are also ATS-friendly. You can also find more ATS-compliant templates on LiveCareer’s Resume Builder.

How do you get resume templates in Microsoft Word?

There are two options to get to the templates in Microsoft Word:

  • Click “+New” and then manually browse for templates.
  • Type “resumes” into the “Search All Templates” bar at the top right of the screen. Doing so will filter out templates for different purposes.

You could also use any of the downloadable Microsoft Word resume templates featured on this page. Once you save the file, right-click (on Mac: hold “control” and click) on the file, go to “Open With,” and then choose Microsoft Word to edit!

You can open Word files in Google Docs if you prefer to use it as your text editor.

What is the best free Word resume template?

The free Microsoft templates featured on this page are high quality and made by professional graphic designers; they’re all great! The “best” template is the one that speaks to you, makes you feel confident, and fits the job.

Can I download my resume in docx format?

Yes, all of the templates on this page are downloadable in Word. DOC and . DOCX formats. In Microsoft Word, going to the “File” tab and clicking “Save As” allows you to save in these formats and a Rich Text File, RTF or Plain Text, TXT file.

Should I submit my Word resume with a cover letter?

Yes, your cover letter should serve as the introduction to your resume and including one is a wise move!

It’s especially a good idea if your resume and cover letter match. So, if you need a Microsoft Word cover letter, check out these 15+ Cover Letter Templates for 2024.

Even better, we have a tool called our Cover Letter Builder. It comes preloaded with 25+ templates that can be saved as Microsoft Word documents.

Plus, it will even provide suggested text you can add to your letter based on the job you’re applying for! That can save you a lot of time getting your dream job faster!

Build my cover letter now

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About the Author

Eric Ciechanowski

Eric Ciechanowski Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Eric Ciechanowski is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), certified by the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PARWCC). He graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans with a B.A. double major in Creative Writing and Philosophy. His career background includes fields as diverse as education, hospitality, journalism, copywriting, tech and trivia hosting.

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