Contemporary Resume Template: Modern and ATS-Safe

What is a contemporary resume?

A contemporary resume uses current design choices, such as clean modern type, a single accent colour, generous spacing and clear hierarchy, on top of a simple, reliable structure. It aims to look fresh and considered without sacrificing readability. The Contemporary template keeps everything in one column with standard headings, so it reads well to people and to the applicant tracking systems most employers use to screen online applications.

Modern design that stays ATS-safe

Many attractive resume designs fail screening because they rely on text boxes, tables, icons or images that software cannot read. Contemporary gets its modern feel from typography and spacing instead. Your name, headings, dates and bullets are all real text in a single column, so tracking systems read them in the right order. Check your finished file with the ATS resume checker to confirm.

Who should use the Contemporary template

It suits almost any role where a modern look helps: product, design, marketing, tech, consulting, operations and business roles. It works from a first job to senior levels. It is especially useful for creative professionals who also use a designed resume, because it gives them an ATS-safe version for online forms without looking plain.

The safe partner to designed resumes

Three NextRaise templates, Bold, Brand and Graphic Designer, are designed for human readers and are not built for tracking systems. If you use one of them for direct outreach, put the same content into Contemporary for online applications. Keep the wording identical so nothing conflicts between versions.

Sections to include

1. Name, title, contact details and a portfolio, GitHub or LinkedIn link.
2. Summary of two to three lines.
3. Experience, newest first, with results.
4. Skills, grouped.
5. Education.
6. Certifications, awards or projects, if they add something.

Design choices that keep it modern

A modern resume relies on restraint. Use one accent colour for your name and headings, and dark text for everything you want read. Give sections room to breathe, align everything to the same left edge and keep bullets to one or two lines. Avoid skill bars, ratings, icons and photos; they take space, cannot be parsed and rarely add information. If something looks busy, remove it.

Contemporary resume summary examples

• Product designer: "Product designer with six years in fintech and health apps, leading redesigns that lifted completion by up to 30 percent."
• Marketing: "Content marketer who grew organic sign-ups from 2,000 to 9,500 a month with a search-led editorial programme."
• Engineer: "Frontend engineer building fast, accessible interfaces for 2 million users, with page load times cut by half."
• Operations: "Operations manager who automated reporting for 30 sites and cut monthly close by three days."

Writing results that match the design

A clean design draws attention to every line, so each bullet must earn its place. Start with an action verb, include the scale and end with the outcome. Put your strongest result first in each role. Short, specific bullets look better and read faster than long ones.

• "Built a design system of 120 components that cut design-to-build time by 40 percent."
• "Launched a referral campaign that brought in 18,000 customers at half the usual cost."
• "Cut checkout errors by 70 percent by rebuilding form validation."

Links and portfolios

Put one or two links next to your name: a portfolio for designers and creatives, GitHub for engineers, or LinkedIn for everyone else. Use short, readable addresses and make sure each link opens on your best work. Tracking systems keep link text, so recruiters can find them later.

Contemporary vs Modern Split

Both are modern and ATS-safe. Contemporary uses one column, which gives every bullet full width and suits longer careers. Modern Split uses two columns with a skills sidebar, which fits more on a page and suits roles with many tools to show.

Contemporary for early career and senior roles

Early-career applicants can move education and projects up and keep experience shorter. Senior professionals can add a short scope line to each role and summarise older positions in single lines. The same clean design works at both ends.

Mistakes to avoid

• Adding icons, photos or skill bars that break the clean look and confuse software.
• Light grey text that is hard to read.
• Long paragraphs instead of short result bullets.
• Different wording between your designed and ATS-safe versions.

Tailoring for each application

Adjust your summary, skills and first bullets to match each job ad. The resume keyword scanner shows which terms from the posting you are missing, so the software and the hiring manager both see the match.

Contemporary for tech roles

Engineers, data professionals and product managers can use Contemporary when they want full-width bullets for technical detail. Group your stack in the skills section, link GitHub or a portfolio next to your name, and lead each role with what you built and the measurable effect, such as speed, scale, reliability or adoption.

Contemporary for marketing and creative roles

Marketers, writers and designers often need to apply through online forms at larger companies. Contemporary gives them a modern look that still parses. Keep campaign and project results in your bullets, and add a portfolio link so reviewers can see the creative work that the format cannot show.

Career changers and returners

A clean modern format helps people restarting their careers look current. Add recent training and projects near the top, keep a short dated history and use the summary to name the role you want. If you need more room for skills, the Career Change or Combination templates may suit better.

Sharing and printing

The design prints cleanly in black and white and reads well on a phone screen, so the same PDF works for online forms, email and interviews. Name the file with your name and the role for easy filing.

Keep one master version

Keep a complete master resume with every role and result, then create shorter tailored versions from it. You will never lose a strong bullet, and each new application starts from your best material.

Get started

Open the Contemporary template, add your results and skills, or upload your current resume to fill it in. Use job-tailored resumes to match each posting, check your ATS score and download a clean PDF.