CV Template and Examples 2026: Layout, Sections and Free Tools (DACH, EU, US)

The best CV template is a single column, reverse-chronological layout: newest role first, one to two pages, a standard font, exported as a text PDF. That is what both recruiters and applicant tracking systems (ATS) read without errors. Of the three resume format types (chronological, functional, combination), chronological fits most people; combination helps career changers. Whether you build it in Word, Google Docs or Europass matters less than refilling it for every job. Below you find the format decision, a filled-in example, the section order, and the photo and length rules for DACH, the UK and the US.

Which CV template fits you?

There are dozens of designs online, but they boil down to six types. The table shows what each is good for and where it causes trouble.

Our recommendation for almost everyone: classic or modern single column. Germany's public employment agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit, German-language page) also advises a clear, simple layout with a readable font and no playful design, and calls templates only a framework.

Resume format types: chronological, functional or combination?

The templates above differ in looks. The format type decides something else: what comes first, your timeline or your skills. There are three, and the right one depends on your career, not on taste.

Decision help in four questions

1. Is your last role close to the job you want? Yes: chronological. You do not need a trick.
2. Do you have a gap of more than two months? Stay chronological and name the gap with one factual word (parental leave, caregiving, training). The Bundesagentur für Arbeit (German-language page) advises exactly that. Hiding it in a functional format usually raises more questions.
3. Are you changing field? Use the combination format: three to four lines of profile with proven, transferable results, then the dated roles. Details in our career change guide.
4. Will a system read it first? Then the dated roles must stay visible, so chronological or combination. Pure functional is the riskiest choice here. This is our practical experience from recruiting software, not a study.

In DACH the default is the tabular, reverse-chronological CV. Both the Bundesagentur and the Austrian AMS (German) describe it this way, and the Swiss career guidance portal (German) names the reverse order too. A purely functional CV is unusual there. In the US, the combination format is common for career changers. That is convention, not a rule.

Example: An office manager moves into project coordination. Chronological would put “Office manager, 2018–today” first. Combination starts with a three-line profile (“Coordinated up to 6 parallel supplier appointments, scheduling and budget tracking”) and then lists the same roles with dates. Same facts, but the reader sees the fit before the job title.

Structure: what a filled-in CV example looks like

The example below is fictional (Lena Berger does not exist, all numbers are made up). It shows order, level of detail and wording. You can rebuild the structure one-to-one in Word or Docs.

Order and content of the sections

1. Personal details: name, address, phone, email. The Bundesagentur also lists date and place of birth. There is no legal duty to include them, and many applicants now leave them out.
2. Experience: newest to oldest, with month and year, employer, position and three to five short bullet points, as the Bundesagentur recommends.
3. Education: also reverse order. Name the degree; add grades only if they help for this job.
4. Skills: languages with level, software, certificates, driving licence. Only what the ad cares about.
5. Training, volunteering: brief, with year. Hobbies only if relevant.

Gaps in your CV

The Bundesagentur advises naming gaps openly: breaks longer than two months should appear with a short, factual note such as parental leave, caregiving, training or travel. You can explain more in the interview. A dated entry with one word of explanation reads better than a hole someone has to ask about.

Photo, signature and length in DE, AT, CH, UK and the US

No law in these countries requires a photo. It is about convention, and that differs:

Why the photo is optional in Germany: a photo reveals characteristics that must not be used to disadvantage anyone, such as age, sex or ethnic origin, listed in § 1 of the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG). Rejecting an application only because it lacks a photo can be an indication of discrimination under § 22 AGG (German text). If you use a photo, choose a current, simple portrait, not a selfie or holiday snap.

If you apply across borders, DACH versus the US is the biggest difference: in the US you drop the photo, date of birth and marital status. Atlas Career therefore builds the matching variant for each job ad (see below).

Free CV templates: Word, Google Docs, Europass and AI

There are four free routes. What matters is knowing where the catch is.

Atlas Career: a CV per job, no limits

Atlas Career (formerly Atlas Career) is a free AI career agent from Sprad in Vienna. Atlas searches over 1.5 million active jobs straight from employers' career sites, more than 100,000 of them in DACH, and gives every role a match score from 0 to 100 with reasons. For every application it writes a separate CV and, on request, a cover letter, with no limits and no cost. Language and format follow the ad: usually with a photo in DACH, without one for the US.

Atlas sends nothing by itself. You review the CV, download it as a PDF and apply directly with the employer. Atlas phrases your real experience more strongly but does not invent facts. EU hosting, GDPR, never sold, deletable at any time. Go straight to the job search.

atlas.now

Atlas Career homepage (atlas.now), screenshot taken 29 October 2026.

Worked example: what does the template cost you in time?

Say you apply to 12 jobs. The example shows why the choice of template matters less than how you refill it per job. All times are assumptions, not measurements.

The Bundesagentur advises tailoring your CV to the employer rather than reusing it for every application. How to do that cleanly with AI is covered in How to tailor your CV with AI.

What does AI change about the CV template?

Two things. First, machines read along: many companies read applications into an ATS first, some with AI pre-screening. The EU classes AI systems that filter applications and evaluate candidates as high-risk in Annex III of the AI Act. For you that means a layout a system parses without errors is an advantage. Second, design became cheap: anyone can generate a nice layout with AI in minutes. Only content sets you apart now: proven results and fit with the role.

A note on expectations: the often-quoted figure that recruiters look at a resume for an average of 7.4 seconds comes from a 2018 study by the careers site Ladders and is methodologically disputed. Treat it as a hint, not a law: the first glance goes to job titles and employers, so put them left and in bold at the start of each entry.

From practice: what goes wrong in applicant tracking systems

Sprad has built recruiting software for about seven years. From that work we know the most common parsing errors (experience, not a study):

• Two columns. The system reads line by line, so sidebar contact data and skills get mixed into the roles.
• Text in graphics. Icons, bars and skill stars are invisible or unreadable to machines.
• Exotic headings. “My journey” instead of “Experience” stops the section from being recognised.
• Inconsistent date formats. “2021”, “Jul 21” and “07.2021” in one CV lead to wrong time spans.
• Scanned PDFs. A photo of the page contains no text. Export from Word or Docs.

Common mistakes with CV templates

• Design over content. A colourful layout does not rescue bullets like “teamwork and communication”.
• Leftover placeholders. “Musterstraße”, “Lorem ipsum” or the template name in the file name. Read everything aloud once.
• Too long. More than two pages with under ten years of experience dilutes your message.
• Tasks instead of results. “Managed clients” says little; “managed 40 existing clients, reduced churn” proves something, if it is true.
• Too much personal data. Templates ask for everything. The data-minimisation principle in Art. 5 GDPR applies to you too: share only what the job needs.
• File named “CV_final_2.pdf”. Use “Lastname_Firstname_CV.pdf”.

Step by step: a finished CV in 20 minutes

1. Pick a template: single column, reverse-chronological (see table above).
2. Create a master CV: all roles, numbers, training, software, languages.
3. Read the ad: mark must-haves and key terms.
4. Write the roles by relevance: 3–5 bullets each, result before task.
5. Decide deliberately on photo, date of birth and signature (country table).
6. Export as a text PDF and name the file.
7. Proofread: numbers, dates, the company name from the ad. Then send.

FAQ: CV template

What does “CV template” actually mean?

A template is a ready-made layout with fixed sections (personal details, experience, education, skills) into which you enter your details. It does not replace content, it only takes over the formatting.

Where do I get a free CV template for Word?

Word and Google Docs include templates. There is also the free Europass editor and Atlas Career, which produces a finished CV for each job. With online generators, check before you start whether the PDF export is paid.

Does a photo belong in the CV?

No. It is common in Germany, Austria and Switzerland but optional. In the US and UK you normally leave it out.

How long can a CV be?

One to two A4 pages, as the Bundesagentur advises. With under five years of experience, one page is usually enough.

Is a modern template with colours bad?

Not by definition. A single-column template with one accent colour is fine. Two-column layouts, bars and icons raise the risk of an ATS misreading content.

Which resume format type is best: chronological, functional or combination?

Chronological for most people with a steady, relevant path. Combination for career changers and long careers, because it shows skills first and keeps dated roles. Functional only in rare cases, since the missing timeline raises questions.

Do I need a summary?

Optional. It pays off when concrete (role, years, focus). A summary made of adjectives without evidence can go.

Can I let AI write my CV?

Yes, if the AI only rephrases what you actually did and you check everything yourself. A guide with prompts is in How to tailor your CV with AI. Typical pitfalls are covered in 12 AI application mistakes, and how to read an ATS score is explained in the ATS score guide.

As of October 2026. Legal notes are not legal advice.