What is a minimalistic resume?

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Your resume is the first opportunity for you to impress the hiring manager.

It's normal to want to include every detail of your career in your resume to impress the interviewer.

But, that is not always help to get an interview. Recruiters have to go through hundreds of resumes a day and don't have the time to go through every detail in your resume to gauge your competency.

If you can give the recruiter a resume with specific details about your work experience and skills, it will make the recruiter's job much simpler, and your resume will look much more appealing.

These types of resumes are called minimal resumes or clean resumes.

In this blog, we will walk you through the things to know about minimalist resume:

  • What exactly is a Minimalist Resume?
  • How does a minimalist resume differ from other resumes?
  • How to create a minimalist resume?
  • Tips for minimalistic resume design?

This blog will cover following topics:

What exactly is a minimalist resume?

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If you search on Google, it will tell you that the essence of minimalism is practicing the concept of "less is more."

That means, only use the necessary and remove what's unnecessary to achieve utmost simplicity.

If you apply a similar concept to resumes; a minimalist resume is a one-page clean resume format that highlights only the most essential details about your career to make it compelling and get an interview.

That means cutting down all the unnecessary information from the resume and getting straight to the point. Unlike a standard resume, you are focusing on the value you bring to the table with a minimal resume design.

Minimalistic resumes are an excellent choice for freshers, as it can highlight your relevant skills without emphasizing your lack of experience.

It's also an excellent choice for a senior professional. With minimal resume design, professionals can format their work experience in a visually appealing way.

They can also highlight the relevant skill and experience necessary for a specific position and make the recruiter's job easier. It also increases their chance of getting an interview.

How does a minimalist resume differ from other resumes?

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In standard resumes, it is not a common practice to use icons or graphics. But in minimal resumes, you can use graphics to convey your information without using a lot of text.

A typical example of this is the skills section on minimalist resumes. Candidates can use stars or rating systems to convey the proficiency of their skills.

Even though minimalist resumes look basic, it checks all the fundamentals of a great resume.

  • It's targeted to a specific role you're applying for
  • It's ATS friendly
  • It has all the information recruiters want
  • It's easy to read

And because of these qualities, you will have a higher chance of getting picked up by a hiring manager for an interview.

Now that we understand what a minimalist resume is let us tell you how to create a minimalist resume.

17 minimalist resume templates for you

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Creating a minimalist resume from scratch can be difficult for you. But to make your job easier, we have created 17+ minimalist resume templates.

You just need to go to Hiration Online Resume Builder, pick a resume template and add all your information. You can always edit the resume to make it much more minimalist.

Here are our top minimalist resume templates:

Simple black minimal resume template

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Georgiana Dale
Physical Therapy Intern
PHYSICAL THERAPY ASSISTANT
Physiotherapy professional armed with a Bachelor's of Science in Exercise Science, Wellness, and Sports. Adept at dispensing physical therapy treatments to individuals with physical disabilities. Highly skilled in instructing patients to exercise safely and correctly. Proficient in conducting gait training to help immobile patients resume mobility and gain control.
AREAS OF FOCUS
• Treatment Plans • Patient Treatment Schedule • Activities & Exercises • Gait Training • Patient Interaction
• Physical Therapy • Treatment Monitoring • Equipment & Facility Maintenance
EDUCATION
Georgian Court University
Start typing, then use the up and down arrows to select an option from the list
    • GPA: 3.5/4.0 | Pre-Physical Therapy Track
    • Summer Program | University of Stirling | Stirling, Scotland | June '19
    CERTIFICATION
    • BLS (Basic Life Support) Certification | American Red Cross | Jun 2018
    RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
    Arcaneworks Hospital
    Start typing, then use the up and down arrows to select an option from the list
      Treatment Plans
      • Implemented physical therapy treatments as prescribed by physicians for individuals with physical disabilities
      • Developed a patient treatment schedule to synthesize the needs of each patient with that of the department
      Gait Training
      • Helped 17 patients with mobility impairments gain the ability to walk again with the assistance of walkers & crutches
      • Identified patients needing mobility and positioning devices and determined the fit of such adaptive equipment
      Exercises/Activities & Support
      • Instructed patients & their supporting family members in proper and safe ways to undertake activities and exercises
      • Assisted 10+ patients with weekly therapeutic exercises to improve their range of motion, strength, and balance
      Purplecast Hospital
      Start typing, then use the up and down arrows to select an option from the list
        Patient Interaction
        • Acknowledged patients before the therapy sessions & established a friendly rapport with them and their family
        • Dispensed a comforting presence for 50+ patients/month by interacting with them & understanding their issues
        Physical Therapy
        • Administered parts of the treatment plan with guidance from the Physical Therapist while following clinical protocols
        • Provided physical therapy treatments including unattended electrical stimulation and mechanical traction
        VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
        Holisticare Hospice
        Start typing, then use the up and down arrows to select an option from the list
          • Providing support to 5 patients and their families by reading to them and tapping sensory and emotional memories
          • Conducting massage therapy for patients and helping them perform basic exercises to regain mobility

          Boxed Minimal Resume Template

          Boxed-minimal-resume-template

          Use this resume template from here

          Round Timeline Clean Resume Template

          Round-timeline-resume-template

          Use this resume template from here

          Two Column Minimalist Resume Template

          Two-column-clean-resume-template

          Use this resume template from here

          Orange Clean Resume Template

          orange-clean-resume-template--1

          Use this resume template from here

          New York Minimal Resume Template

          new-york-minimal-resume

          Use this resume template from here

          Traditional Minimal Resume Template

          Traditional-minimal-resume

          Use this resume template from here

          Material Minimalist Resume Template

          material-minimal-resume-template--1

          Use this template from here.

          Modern Teal Minimal Resume Template

          Modern-teal-minimal-resume-template

          Use this template from here.

          California Clean Resume Template

          California-Clean-Resume-Template

          Use this template from here.

          Diamond Timeline Clean Resume Template

          Diamond-Timeline-Clean-Resume-Template

          Use this template from here.

          Material Color Clean Resume Template

          Material-Color-Clean-Resume-Template

          Use this template from here.

          Trendy Minimal Resume Template

          Trendy-Minimal-Resume-Template

          Use this template from here.

          Global Red Minimalistic Resume Template

          Global-Red-Minimalistic-Resume-Template

          Use this template from here.

          Global Green Minimalistic Resume Template

          Global-Green-Minimalistic-Resume-Template

          Use this template from here.

          Color Twist Minimal Resume Template

          Color-Twist-Minimal-Resume-Template

          Use this template from here.

          Gradiant Minimal Resume

          Gradiant-minimal-resume

          Use this template from here.

          How to create a minimalist resume?

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          A minimalist resume is not your typical resume. It needs a careful approach to ensure you are not leaving out important information. Here are the steps to create a minimalist resume that gets the recruiter's attention:

          • Understand the Job profile you're applying
          • Pick a minimal resume template
          • Include the basic information
          • Include essential headlines
          • Link your skills to the job description
          • Use keywords
          • Use fewer texts
          • Use Power words
          • Edit your resume to make it one-page
          • Proofread your resume

          Understand the Job profile you're applying

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          Before you start writing your resume, you need to understand the job profile you are applying for- what your role is?, What will be your day-to-day responsibilities?,What are the skills they are looking for, etc.

          It will give you an idea of what you need to include in your minimal resume and what you can omit. It is vital to have a clear idea of what is essential and what's not for a particular job profile to create a minimal resume.

          By doing this, you can also make sure your minimal resume does not exceed from one page.

          Pick a minimal resume template

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          We understand that it is challenging to create a resume from scratch. It's more complicated if the resume is a minimalist resume.

          If the resume does not have a clean resume design, it will lose its purpose of being minimal and appealing.

          Hiration has made this easier for you. We have 25+ pre-made minimal resume templates for you to pick.

          Select the simple one and start adding your necessary details. And make sure to avoid putting anything complicated or overly fancy.

          Online Resume Builder

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          Create your minimal resume with Hiration's Online Resume Builder:

          • Option to save unlimited resumes
          • JD-resume matcher
          • Auto bold feature
          • Unlimited PDF downloads
          • LIVE resume score
          • 25+ resume designs
          • Full rich-text editor
          • 1-click design change
          • 100+ pre-filled resume templates
          • LIVE resume editor
          • A sharable link
          • Intuitive next text suggestion

          And get your dream job with a clean minimal resume!

          Include the basic information

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          Now that you have selected a good template, it's time to add all the essential details to your minimal resume:

          • Name
          • Contact information
          • Linkedin profile or Portfolio website
          • Professional overview
          • Academic overview
          • Skills
          • Achievements

          Make sure all your information you provide is professional. For example, if you provide your mail address, make sure it looks decent and have your name on it like this john.doe@gmail.com, not some random words or numbers like this, johndoe1435#@gmail.com.

          Since space is limited on the minimalist resume, make sure to include your Linkedin profile link or portfolio website in the top section. It will help the recruiter learn more about you if they are interested.

          Include only essential headlines

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          In your minimalist resume, only add the headlines and sections that are relevant to your job. For example, you don't need to include your hobbies in your resume unless that is a necessary skill for your job.

          Also, you can combine some less relevant details under one headline. For example, your academic information and training details can come under one headline, "Education."

          Link your skills to the job description

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          Before you add your skill to the minimalist resume, read the target job description. It usually contains a list of skills that are required for the role. Try to use these keywords in your resume skill section.

          These keywords will ensure that:

          • ATS software easily scans your resume
          • Recruiters can easily recognize your skills and
          • It will increase your chances of getting an interview

          Use shorter texts and bullet points

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          Long sentences and large chunks of texts do not look good on a minimal resume.

          Try to use two or three words to describe your skills and experiences. If you need to add more information, try breaking it down into bullet points to draw the recruiter's attention.

          You can even use a star-based rating system to address your proficiency cleanly.

          Use power words

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          Resume power words are words in your minimal resume to describe your skills, achievements, responsibilities shortly and powerfully.

          Use power words effectively in your experience section to make your resume more rich and impactful.

          Example:
          Instead of writing your responsibility as "project manager," you can use power verb to make it compelling, i.e., "Managed a team of 20 professionals and surpassed KPIs for two consecutive years."

          Edit your resume to make it one-page

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          After you added all the information, it's time to cut down jargons and unnecessary information to make it clear, conscious, and fit on a single page.

          Also, make sure the resume has a good flow. What you can do is, read your resume out loud. If something feels off, you can rephrase it to make it sound natural.

          Proofread your resume

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          Trust me! It will not make a good impression on the recruiter if they find out typos and spelling mistakes on your resume.

          You must proofread your minimalist resume two to three times and rectify any spelling of technical mistakes on your resume.

          Tips for minimalist resume design?

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          Now that you are done with adding all the information to your resume, here are a couple of design tips to help you create a great minimalist resume.

          Avoid any fluff

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          The most important aspect of a minimal resume is that it's free from any clutter. Only add the absolute necessary information on your resume and cut out unnecessary information.

          It will not only make your resume uncluttered but also look aesthetic to the eye.

          Use clear font

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          Your minimal resume needs to be easily readable. The best fonts to use for minimal resume are serif or sans-serif. These are elegant fonts and have great readability.

          Follow this resume font guide to learn more.

          Use headlines effectively

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          Your minimal resume will look more professional and organized if you use different font sizes and headlines effectively. For example, use headlines for the title of the section. You can use slightly bolder and bigger fonts to write your job title. And use regular fonts to talk about your skills & achievements.

          Have a lot of whitespaces

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          Negative space is the crust of a minimalist resume. It makes the resume aesthetically pleasing and ensures you are not putting unnecessary information on your resume. So, make sure you have a lot of unused space on your minimal resume.

          Stay away from multiple colors

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          Colors are an excellent way to add some vibrancy to your resume. But if you use too many colors, it can work against you and lose its appeal. If you want to include color, make sure that you use a single color on the accent, not on the background.

          Only use a single page

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          One page resumes are trending in 2023. Recruiters use less and less time going through a resume, and they prefer to see a single-page resume unless you are from the creative industry.

          So make sure your minimalist resume is not more than a single page.

          Use Columns

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          If you feel your resume may exceed two pages, you can use columns to organize your resume. You can separate your work and academic experience and skills, contact section into two separate columns. It will be aesthetically pleasing and fit into a single page.

          Hiration Pro Tip: A minimalist resume may not contain all the information you want to provide. So, always write a cover letter with your minimalist resume and include the left out information in it.

          Key Takeaways

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          We hope you found our minimal resume templates helpful. To revisit everything you have learned from this blog, here are the key takeaways:

          • A minimalist resume must only contain the critical information and leave out all the unnecessary information for the target job profile
          • Make sure to add all the basic information such as name, contact information, work, and academic experience and skills
          • Divide the resume into sections using headlines
          • Use keywords to get past ATS and stand out among other candidates
          • Use minimum texts to convey all the information and if required, use bullet texts to describe your achievements
          • Use power words in your resume to make it more impactful
          • Keep your minimalist resume within a single page

          With that, we have come to the end of this blog. If you want to create a minimal resume by yourself, head over to Hiration Online Resume Builder, pick your template and start building a resume.

          Go to Hiration career platform which has 24/7 chat support and get professional assistance with all your job & career-related queries. You can also write to us at support@hiration.com and we will make sure to reach out to you as soon as possible.

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