20 Free Creative Resume Templates (Word & PSD Downloads) | How To

When you see a posting for your dream job, it’s easy to get excited about the thought of applying and landing it. But, what if you don’t have your resume created or up-to-date?

Nearly every job posting requires submitting a resume. So when you see your next career opportunity posted but don’t have your resume ready, you’ll need to prepare it quickly.

That’s why we use job resume templates. These templates have the content and style that you need to feel confident about your application and that help you land the job you’ve been waiting for.

In this round-up, I’m going to share 20 of my favorite free creative resume templates that I’ve found from around the web. Starting with these templates and customizing them will save you hours of work and ensure that you can apply before the job closes.  We’ll also take a look at some resume tips that help you showcase your best work.

Premium Job Resume Templates to Save Time 

My favorite way to skip ahead when building a resume is to use a creative resume template that has all of the components of a successful resume. When you start with a creative resume template, you just have to drop in your details to quickly complete the process.

That’s why I always start with a creative resume template that sets the stage for my work history. The best place to source these templates is from Envato Elements, which is an all-you-can-download service for creatives. One of the values that Elements brings to the table is many creative resume templates. For a single flat rate, you get access to every resume (and so much more) in Elements’ deep library.

Here’s a quick look at some of the best resume templates in the Elements library:

Let’s take a look at ten of my favorite creative job resume templates that I’ve selected for your use. We’ll also examine some templates from GraphicRiver, a pay-as-you go choice with many impressive choices as well. Make sure to check out GraphicRiver’s best sellers to see the best of their selections.

1. Creative Resume

This clean and clear three-column style embodies the “flat” school of design perfectly. It has all of the placeholders mentioned early in this article for rapid resume development.

2. Professional Resume – CV

With three different color schemes, this GraphicRiver selection offers plenty of bang for the buck. Particularly for those with multiple language skills under their belt, this resume gives you the chance to show your skillset.

3. Creative Resume & CV Template

For a more creative resume need, there are few options that are better than this one thanks to its beautiful illustrations and friendly graphics. The pseudo-timeline approach is a way to connect your past to the future.

4. Ansel Resume

Certainly inspired by the photographer of the same name, Ansel has a stark black-and-white style that makes it easy to read. The contrast and whitespace of this resume makes it a breeze to follow the information through your career.

5. Pro Resume 3

Another solid choice, this Pro Resume is a bold option from the Envato Elements library. This resume leans toward a personalized experience by leading with a profile photo and plenty of space for a bio. 

6. Bold and Clean Resume

The Bold and Clean resume is a wonderful reminder that simple combinations of lines, text, and shapes are enough to craft an eye-catching resume. Lead with a brief bio in the “profile” section, followed by all of your experience in the placeholders.

7. Colorful Creative Resume Templates

For both Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Word, this option certainly doesn’t try to fly under-the-radar. With a contrasting selection of colors and clean typography, your resume seems likely to be reviewed by a hiring manager.

8. Elegant Resume Kit

There are a ton of great choices in this selection, and creative resume template for Photoshop and Word is no slouch. It features easy bar graphs to fill in your skillset and show your core competencies. 

9. Colorful Stylish Resume

This creative resume template has no shortage of colorful elements, yet maintains readability thanks to its arrangement. You can use this template for both Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Word to make a splash with the hiring manger. 

10. Clean Resume/CV

Creative and minimal are totally compatible design concepts, and this option for Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop and more is a perfect example of that. 

Characteristics of a Great Resume

Unfortunately, there are almost always more job applicants than available jobs, even in a strong jobs market. Therefore, it’s your job to build a resume that stands out from the crowd. 

You’ve got to be bold and stand out so that your job application will make it to the top of the stack and land you an interview. A job resume may not land you the job, but it’s the first step to get your foot in the door and start the conversation.

Here are several key sections that most job resumes feature, and how you can fill them out to help you build the best resume possible:

• A personal section can give a brief background on your interests, mission statement, or other fast facts that help “put a face with a name” to the reviewer.
• An experience section can help you link your past job or volunteer opportunities to the position that you’re applying for. 
• The education section showcases your learning experiences, formal and informal, that make you the right choice for the job.

One of the big challenges that we all face when applying for the job is crafting our career story so that it shows a proper fit for the current role. You’ll want to write a new resume with each job application, and that requires writing your experience in a way that helps you showcase yourself correctly.

In your education section, you might not have an advanced degree or the perfect field of study. That doesn’t mean that you can’t list off the courses you’ve taken online, through other jobs, or on your own. Also, any additional courses you took while in a formal educational program that makes you an ideal fit are worth listing, such as a computer science course you took despite being a business major.

When it comes to experience, the most important part is connecting your experience to the job at hand. Focus on sharing skills that make you a good fit for the job you’re applying for. For example, if you were a customer service representative in the past and are applying for a financial analyst role, mention any projects where you worked with financial data. 

Applying for a job and articulating your experience is made easier when you start with a proper job resume template. Let’s take a look at how big of a difference the right template can make when you’re applying for your next big job.

20 Free Creative Resume Templates

When you don’t have the budget for a premium template, you can use free creative resume templates to package your experience without expense.

I’ve scoured the web for the best of the best when it comes to free resumes. The templates I’ve selected each bring something different to the table, but they all have the basic resume requirements.

1. Subtle Creativity. This free creative resume template for Microsoft Word has just enough color to set it apart from the crowd.

2. Artistic Flyer. This neat, two column resume for Microsoft Word helps you separate your details from your past career experiences. 

3. Boast Resume. Boast is a free creative resume template for Microsoft Word that has skills placeholders that allow you to represent your acumen with charts. 

4. Ardent. I like resume templates that include a placeholder for your profile pictures, and Ardent includes that for personalization. 

5. What a Doll. A bright, colorful resume template like this one won’t go unnoticed by a reviewer. The sharp color scheme and content placeholders make it good for showcasing your experience.

6. Modern 2.0 Resume. This package has five different color schemes, so rest assured that there’s an option that fits your sense of style. The minimalist approach has creative ways of crafting your experience.

7. Stallion Resume. With just a hint of accent color in five different shades, the Stallion Resume is a bold contender that doesn’t sacrifice professionalism for a sense of style.

8. Panther Resume. Similar to the Stallion Resume above, Panther takes a slightly less classic look, but still features all of the content placeholders that help you skip the lengthy work of building a resume.

9. Job Hopper Resume Template. Whether it’s because you’ve moved around geographically or have sought diversity of experience, you might have had many roles in the past. The Job Hopper resume template is structured so that you can marry together all of those experiences in a way that puts your best foot forward.

10. Balanced Resume. Straight from Microsoft, the modern font choices and good use of whitespace make this a trustworthy and bold choice for your application. 

11. Bold Monogram Resume. The slick look of this monogrammed option as a free creative resume template for Microsoft Word seems like a strong contender as a standout.

12. Crisp and Clean Resume. Check out this beautiful choice designed in partnership with MOO for a professionally designed gratis resume.

13. Jack Porter Resume. The Swiss school of design inspiration is strong in this free Adobe Photoshop resume template.

14. Casey Resume Template. Here’s a timeline style template for Adobe Photoshop can sequence all of your experience to make an impact.

15. Gagne Resume Template. Including a cover letter for a bonus, the Gagne is a bright and colorful choice perfect for a creative career.

16. Dark Minimalistic Resume. A timeline approach like this helps you link up all of your experiences to show why you’re the very best candidate.

17. Contrast Resume. An easy-to-update resume like this colorful choice helps you prepare a resume for your dream job rapidly. Fill in the profile pic for resumes that count on your personality to set you apart.

18. Shiny Amber Resume. This free Microsoft Word resume template has a sunshine-inspired feel thanks to its beautiful bright hues.

19. The Headline. The headline for this resume is your name. Fill in the placeholder with your name to make a lasting effect on a potential employer.

20. Mr. Mint. Rounding out our selections, the mint colors in this resume are a nice change of pace and keep your resume friendly and easy-to-read.

Learn More About Resumes

In this tutorial, we tackled the daunting task of building a resume. But, as it turns out, it can be easy to build a great looking resume when you use free creative resume templates. The pre-built elements in a template mean that you need only update the placeholders with your details.

If you want more choices for resume designs and tips, the articles below are a great way to keep learning. Check out these tutorials to see other options and approaches for crafting your experience to your next employer!

How do you prepare your resume when time is tight? What tips would you share with other Tuts+ readers? Let me know in the comments section below if you’ve got a bit of career wisdom to share.