Modern Resume Format: Modern Split Template

What is a modern split resume?

A modern split resume divides the page into two columns. A slim sidebar holds short items such as contact details, skills, tools, certifications and languages. The wider main column holds your summary, experience and education. The split lets a recruiter scan your strengths in the sidebar while the main column tells the story of what you achieved. It is a popular modern resume format because it looks current and fits more on one page without feeling crowded.

Is a two-column modern resume ATS-friendly?

This one is. Many two-column designs fail because they use text boxes, tables or images that applicant tracking systems cannot read. Modern Split uses real text in a clean layout, standard headings such as Experience, Education and Skills, and a reading order that keeps the main column intact. Two habits keep it safe: put every job in the main column, not the sidebar, and use plain section names. Run your finished file through the ATS resume checker to confirm every section parses.

What goes in the sidebar and what goes in the main column

• Sidebar: contact details, LinkedIn or portfolio link, grouped skills, tools, certifications, languages and short awards.
• Main column: name and title, summary, work experience with bullets, education, and projects if they need full sentences.

The rule is simple. Anything that is a short list goes to the side. Anything that needs a sentence to prove a result stays in the main column.

Who should use a modern split resume

It suits roles where hiring managers want to see a range of skills and tools quickly: product management, digital marketing, operations, customer success, analytics, UX research and many tech roles. It also helps people with two to ten years of experience who have more skills than fit comfortably in a single column. Freshers can use it too, with projects and internships in the main column and skills in the sidebar.

When to choose a one-column format instead

Pick a one-column layout for very traditional fields such as law, government and some banking roles, for senior leaders with long histories, and when an employer asks for a plain format. If you have few skills to list, a sidebar can look empty. In those cases the Experienced Professional template gives the same clarity in one column.

How to format a modern resume

• Keep the sidebar to about a third of the page width so the main column has room for full bullets.
• Use one accent colour for headings and dividers, and black text for everything you want read.
• Stay on one page unless you have more than ten years of relevant experience.
• Use the same date style everywhere, such as Apr 2023 to Present.
• Skip skill bars and star ratings. They take space, cannot be parsed and say little about real ability.

Modern resume summary examples

• Product manager: "Product manager with six years in e-commerce. Grew checkout conversion from 61 to 68 percent by leading payments and cart redesigns."
• Digital marketer: "Performance marketer managing a monthly ad budget of 120,000 dollars across search and social, with cost per lead down 30 percent in a year."
• Customer success manager: "Customer success manager for 45 mid-market SaaS accounts, holding net revenue retention at 112 percent."
• Operations analyst: "Operations analyst who automated weekly reporting for 30 warehouses, saving 25 hours of manual work a week."

The numbers here are examples. Use results you can explain in an interview.

Writing experience bullets that get read

Start each bullet with a strong verb, say what you did and end with the result. Give scale where you can: users, revenue, accounts, time saved or error rates. Three to five bullets per recent role is enough, and older roles can have one or two. Put your best result first, because many readers only see the first line of each role.

How to group skills in the sidebar

Group skills under short labels such as Product, Data, Tools and Languages, with three to six items each. Use the exact terms from the job post, because recruiters search for them. The resume keyword scanner compares your resume with a posting and shows the terms you are missing. Remove anything you would struggle to discuss.

Modern split resume for freshers

If you are early in your career, put education near the top of the main column, then internships and projects with results. Use the sidebar for skills, tools, certifications, languages and links to your work. A short objective naming the role you want helps the reader place you quickly.

Modern Split compared with similar templates

The Contemporary template has a similar modern look in one column, which suits longer histories. The Developer template uses the same split with a sidebar built for a tech stack and project links. Modern Split sits between them as an all-round choice for most roles.

Pros and cons

• Pros: fits more on one page, shows skills instantly, looks current, and stays ATS-safe.
• Cons: less room per bullet, can look sparse with few skills, and may feel too modern for very traditional employers.

Mistakes to avoid

• Putting job history or key achievements in the sidebar.
• Listing 30 skills with no grouping or proof.
• Using light grey text or several colours that hurt readability.
• Adding a photo, age or marital status where employers do not ask for them.

Tailoring for each application

Keep a master version, then adjust the summary, the order of sidebar skills and the first bullet of each role for every job you apply to. Small changes that mirror the posting make a large difference to shortlisting. With job-tailored resumes you can create a version for a specific posting in a few minutes.

Bullet examples for the main column

• "Launched a referral programme that brought in 18,000 new customers in two quarters at half the usual acquisition cost."
• "Reduced support tickets by 25 percent by rewriting onboarding emails and help articles."
• "Built a weekly revenue dashboard used by 40 managers, replacing six manual reports."

Each one names the action, the scale and the outcome in one line, which is the pattern to follow for every bullet.

Get started

Open the Modern Split template, add your skills to the sidebar and your results to the main column, or upload your current resume to fill it in. Check your ATS score, fix anything flagged, download a clean PDF and apply with a resume that looks modern and reads clearly.