Layouts that work when education is the strongest section and work experience is still short.
5 designs
The plain, uncluttered CV that reads correctly everywhere
A plain single column with a balanced two-column skills grid
A small accent tab marking each section label
A softly tinted left rail instead of a saturated sidebar
A vertical timeline with an accent node marking each role
A student CV has a different shape from an experienced one: education comes first, coursework and projects carry weight, and part-time or voluntary work counts. The designs here handle a short experience section without leaving an awkward gap, and give education and skills enough room to be the substance rather than an afterthought.
Education first with your course, institution, dates and any relevant modules or grades, then projects and coursework that demonstrate applicable skills, then any work experience including part-time, voluntary and society roles. Keep it to one page, and describe what you actually did and what resulted rather than listing responsibilities.
Yes. You can fill in a template, preview it and download a PDF without paying. A JobSprout account is free, and some of the designs are marked Pro, which unlocks with a subscription. There is always a free design available in every style.
Yes. Your CV stays in your account, so you can change the content, switch to a different design, adjust the colour, font size and spacing, and download a fresh PDF whenever you need one. Switching design never loses your content, because the content and the layout are stored separately.
The designs marked ATS-friendly are built for it: no colour fills behind text, a clean reading order and standard section headings. Any CV you build can also be checked against a real parser with our free ATS resume checker, which shows you exactly what a screening system extracts.
A print-quality PDF, which is what nearly every employer and application portal asks for. The PDF keeps a real text layer rather than being an image, so screening software can read it and so can a screen reader.
In the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada and Australia, no. Employers there usually prefer no photo, and some screening processes strip them to reduce bias. In much of continental Europe and parts of Asia a photo is still conventional. Check the norm where you are applying, and leave it off if you are unsure.
One page if you have under roughly ten years of relevant experience, and always for students and graduates. Two pages are normal for senior, academic or highly technical roles. An academic CV is the exception and runs as long as your publication and funding record requires.