Single-column vs two-column templates

Use a single-column resume for most applications, especially through online portals. Consider two columns mainly when a person, not software, will read your resume first and the side column holds only short items.

Why single column is the default:

• Applicant tracking systems generally read a single column from top to bottom without confusion.
• Recruiters can scan it quickly, including on a phone.
• It handles long job titles and bullet points without awkward wrapping.

When two columns can work:

• You are emailing your CV directly or handing it over at an event.
• You are in a field where a more designed look is common, such as marketing or design.
• The side column holds simple lists like languages, tools or contact details.

If you are unsure how your resume will be read, choose single column. If you like a two-column design, keep a single-column version too and use each where it fits best.

A two-column resume splits the page into two vertical areas: a wider main column, usually for experience and education, and a narrower side column, often called a sidebar, for items such as contact details, skills and languages.

Common versions:

• A sidebar on the left or right running the full height of the page.
• A full-width header with your name, then two columns below.
• Two equal columns, which is less common and harder to read.

The appeal is a modern look and more content on one page. The trade-off is that the page now has two reading paths, which some people and some software handle less smoothly than a single top-to-bottom column.

Sometimes, but they carry more risk than single-column resumes. Many applicant tracking systems can handle simple two-column PDFs, yet some read across both columns line by line, mixing unrelated text together.

The risk depends on:

• How the columns were built: real text columns, tables or floating text boxes.
• How the PDF was generated, which affects the order the text is stored in.
• The specific system and the employer's settings, which vary.

Because you rarely know which system an employer uses, a single-column layout is the safer choice for online applications. If you use two columns, test your PDF by copying all the text into a plain text editor and checking that each section comes out complete and in order.

Because software extracts text in the order it is stored in the file, which is not always the order your eye follows on the page. A person reads down the main column and then the sidebar; a program may read across the page instead.

When that happens, a line from your skills sidebar can end up joined to a job title, or your contact details can appear in the middle of your work history. The system may then put information in the wrong fields or miss it.

How the template was built matters: tables, text boxes and separately positioned blocks are more likely to cause this. A single column avoids the problem because there is only one sensible order.

You cannot see this from the page itself, because the PDF looks perfect on screen. The only way to check is to extract the text: select all, copy, paste into a plain text editor and read it. If the result reads like your resume from top to bottom, the risk is low. If it reads like two documents shuffled together, use a single-column version for online applications and keep the two-column design for people you contact directly.

A two-column resume is a reasonable choice when a person will read it first, the design suits your field, and your sidebar contains only short, simple items.

Good situations:

• Emailing your CV directly to a hiring manager or recruiter you know.
• Networking events, referrals and in-person handovers.
• Creative, marketing or design roles where a polished visual is common.
• Fitting a strong one-page resume where a sidebar neatly holds languages, tools and certifications.

Less suitable situations:

• Large companies and public bodies using online application portals.
• Roles where you know your resume will be uploaded into a system.

Many applicants keep two versions: single column for portals and two column for direct contacts.

Put short, list-style information in the side column: things a reader looks up rather than reads in depth.

Good sidebar content:

• Contact details (also keep your name and email near the top of the page).
• Languages with levels, for example: "English: fluent; Arabic: native".
• Key skills or tools as short words or phrases.
• Certifications with the year.
• Links, such as a portfolio or professional profile.

Keep each item brief, ideally one line. If an item needs a sentence to explain it, it belongs in the main column. A sidebar works best when the reader can glance at it and find a fact immediately.

Example sidebar for a hotel front desk agent: email, phone and city; languages (English, Arabic, Tagalog); systems (Opera PMS, Excel); and a first aid certificate with its year. Everything else, including the summary and each role's achievements, stays in the main column, where it has room to be read properly.

Never put your work experience, your summary or anything that needs full sentences in the side column. Those are the most important parts of your resume and need the main column's width and prominence.

Also avoid putting these in a sidebar:

• Job titles and dates, which belong with each role.
• Long bullet points that wrap over many lines in a narrow space.
• Your only copy of key skills, if you are applying through portals; repeat important skills in your experience bullets too.
• Skill bars, ratings or graphics, which software cannot read meaningfully.

If your sidebar is getting crowded, that is a sign your content needs a single-column layout instead.

A right sidebar is usually slightly better for left-to-right languages, because the reader's eye starts at the top left and lands on your main content first. A left sidebar is also common and fine if it holds only short items.

Things to consider:

• With a left sidebar, the first thing the eye meets is contact details or skills, not your experience.
• Some software may read a left sidebar before the main column, which is less harmful if it only holds contact details and skills.
• For Arabic and other right-to-left resumes, the logic is reversed: the reader starts at the top right.

Either way, keep the sidebar narrow and simple. The layout matters less than keeping your experience in the main, wider column.

Copy all the text from your PDF and paste it into a plain text editor, then read it from top to bottom. That plain version approximates what software has to work with.

What to check:

• Each job title, employer and date stays together.
• Bullet points stay with the right job.
• Sidebar items appear as a block, before or after the main content, not mixed line by line into your experience.
• Nothing is missing, such as text inside shapes or images.

If lines from both columns are interleaved, the layout is risky for online portals. Try a different two-column template, or switch to single column for those applications. A builder's ATS-readiness check can help with structure, but this copy-paste test is the most direct check of reading order.

Often yes, because short items such as skills and languages sit beside your experience instead of below it. That can help keep a resume to one page.

But there are trade-offs:

• The main column is narrower, so long bullet points wrap onto more lines.
• The sidebar may end before the main column, leaving empty space at the bottom.
• Squeezing more onto one page can make it denser and harder to read.

If you need two columns only to fit everything on one page, first try cutting older or weaker content. A clear two-page single-column resume is often better than a crowded one-page two-column one, especially for experienced candidates.

They can be, especially when the design is busy or both columns compete for attention. A well-designed two-column resume with a narrow, simple sidebar is easy to read; a crowded one is not.

Common problems readers report:

• Not knowing where to start reading.
• Having to jump back and forth between columns.
• Narrow columns that turn short bullets into long, thin paragraphs.
• Difficulty reading on a phone, where columns force zooming and scrolling sideways.

If you choose two columns, make the main column clearly dominant, keep the sidebar short and leave enough white space between them. A single column avoids these issues altogether.

Preferences vary, and there is no universal rule. Many recruiters favour single-column resumes because they are quick to scan and predictable, but plenty are happy with a clean two-column design.

What recruiters consistently value, whatever the layout:

• The current or most recent role is easy to spot.
• Job titles, employers and dates are clear and consistent.
• Achievements are written in short, specific bullet points.
• Nothing distracting gets in the way.

If you do not know the recruiter's preference, single column is the lower-risk option. If you are in a field where designed resumes are common, a restrained two-column layout is unlikely to count against you.

Remember too that one recruiter's taste is not the whole process. Your resume may pass through a coordinator, a hiring manager and an online system before an interview is offered. A layout that works for all of them, which is usually a single column, is the most practical choice when you cannot ask in advance.

Move the main column's content into one full-width column, then place the sidebar items as normal sections in a sensible order. In an online builder, switching to a single-column template usually does this for you.

Steps if doing it by hand:

• Keep your name and contact details at the top, on one or two lines.
• Follow with your summary, then Work Experience and Education.
• Turn sidebar lists into sections: Skills, Certifications, Languages.
• Write skills as comma-separated or grouped lists so they do not take a whole page.

Then reread the whole document. With the extra width, you may be able to combine short bullets or tighten wording so it stays at the right length.

Put each sidebar item where a reader would look for it in a standard resume, usually near the top for contact details and towards the end for skills, languages and certifications.

A typical order after conversion:

• Contact details: directly under your name.
• Summary: at the top of the page.
• Key skills: either just after the summary (useful for technical roles) or after experience.
• Work Experience and Education: the main body.
• Certifications, Languages and Training: after Education.
• Links: in the contact line.

Avoid creating many small sections at the bottom. Group related items, for example a single "Skills and Languages" section, to keep the page tidy.

Pick a two-column template and move only short, list-style sections into the sidebar, leaving your summary, experience and education in the main column.

A sensible split:

• Main column: Summary, Work Experience, Education, Projects.
• Sidebar: Contact details, Skills, Languages, Certifications, Links.

After switching:

• Check that the sidebar is not longer than the main column, or the page will look unbalanced.
• Make sure long bullets still read well in the narrower main column.
• Copy the PDF text into a plain editor to check the reading order.

Keep your single-column version saved too, so you can use it for online portals.

Many people think so, because sidebars are common in newer templates. But modern design is more about clean spacing, clear hierarchy and restrained style than about the number of columns.

A single-column resume looks modern when it has:

• A clear, well-sized name and a professional title.
• A short summary instead of an old-style objective.
• Bullet points with generous spacing.
• One subtle accent colour and a clean font.

A two-column resume can look dated if it is crowded or uses heavy borders. Choose the layout that suits how your resume will be read, then make it look current through clean design rather than structure alone.

Use structure and small design details to create visual interest: a strong header, clear section headings, consistent spacing and a single accent colour.

Ideas that keep it readable:

• Make your name noticeably larger, with a professional title beneath it.
• Use a thin line or extra space under section headings.
• Bold job titles and keep dates aligned to the right.
• Group skills into labelled lines, for example: "Tools: Excel, Power BI, SAP".
• Use a subtle colour for headings only.

All of these remain plain text to software, so you keep the reading advantages of a single column while giving human readers a polished page.

It can work if you are sending it directly to people, but a single-column layout is usually better for graduate applications, which often go through online portals and large-scale screening.

Graduate considerations:

• Your main content, such as education, projects and internships, needs room to be described properly.
• A sidebar can neatly hold skills, languages and tools, which helps a short resume look complete.
• Many graduate schemes use online systems, where simple layouts are safer.

A practical approach: use a single-column template for portals and keep a two-column version for career fairs or emailing contacts. Make sure both say the same thing.

Usually a single column is better for experienced professionals, because detailed work history needs width and a clear top-to-bottom flow, and the resume often runs to two pages.

Why single column suits longer careers:

• Several roles with achievements read more easily in a wide column.
• Two-page resumes in two columns often leave an empty sidebar on page two.
• Senior roles are frequently handled by recruiters and systems that favour simple structure.

A two-column layout can still suit a senior candidate who keeps a one-page profile for networking, or works in a design-led field. For the main application resume, a clean single column usually presents a long career best.

They are more common and generally well accepted in creative fields, where a designed resume can show visual judgement. But layout skill is shown best by a portfolio, not by the resume alone.

For creative roles:

• A clean two-column design is fine when emailing studios or agencies directly.
• Keep the text real and selectable, not exported as an image.
• Include a clear portfolio link in your contact details.
• Keep a simpler version for large employers that use online portals.

Even in creative fields, readability wins. A beautifully designed resume that hides your experience in a narrow column or behind graphics can still work against you.

It is a common hybrid design: your name, title and contact details run across the full width at the top, and the rest of the page is split into a main column and a sidebar.

Advantages:

• Your name and contact details are read first, which helps both people and software.
• The header looks balanced and professional.

Points to watch:

• The two columns below still create a second reading path, so the usual two-column risks apply to the body.
• Keep the header to two or three lines so it does not use too much space.

This hybrid is often a reasonable compromise when you want a designed look. Test the PDF text order before using it in online applications.

They can be. Tables were designed for grid data, and some software reads them row by row across the page, which mixes the content of your two columns together.

Other layout methods also carry risk:

• Floating text boxes may be read in an unpredictable order or skipped.
• Shapes with text inside may be treated as graphics.
• True text columns, as created by a word processor's column setting, generally flow more predictably, but still read one column then the other.

If you build a resume in a word processor, avoid using a table to create the two halves of the page. Online builders handle columns in their own way, so test the exported PDF text order rather than assuming.

It can be. Text inside floating text boxes is sometimes read out of order, separately from the main text, or skipped by software that extracts text from documents.

What you can do:

• Move the sidebar content into the main body as normal sections.
• If you want to keep two columns, use the word processor's built-in column feature rather than text boxes.
• Make sure your name and contact details are in the main body, not only in a text box or header.

After changing, save as PDF if the employer accepts it, copy all the text into a plain editor and check the order. If it reads correctly, you have fixed the problem.

Use a full-width section for your name and contact details at the top, then apply Word's built-in column setting to the section below, rather than using tables or text boxes.

Safer steps:

• Type your header normally at the top.
• Insert a section break (continuous), then set that section to two columns.
• Use column breaks to move from one column to the next.
• Keep the sidebar content short and the main column for experience.

Even built this way, the text is likely to read as one full column followed by the other, so your sidebar may appear before or after your experience. Check by saving to PDF and copying the text out. For online portals, a single-column version is still the safest.

First correct the information in the portal's form fields by hand, then switch to a single-column version for future applications.

For the current application:

• Review every auto-filled field: job titles, employers, dates, education and skills.
• Fix mistakes directly in the form; do not leave mixed-up text in place.
• If you can re-upload, replace the file with a single-column version.

For the future:

• Keep a single-column resume as your standard upload.
• Use the two-column design only for direct emails or events.

Different portals behave differently, so a resume that parsed well elsewhere may still struggle in another system. That is why the simpler layout is the safer habit.