A great CV does more than list your experience; it tells a story and makes a strong first impression. In a competitive job market, a well-designed CV can be the difference-maker. This guide will walk you through creating a clean, modern resume, focusing on layout, hierarchy, and typography to guide the reader's eye.
Step 1: The Two-Column Layout
A two-column layout is excellent for organizing information. It allows recruiters to quickly scan key information in a sidebar while dedicating the main area to detailed experience. In this step, we add the light grey sidebar using a "Rectangle" element, which immediately structures our A4 page.
Pro Tip: Use a very light, neutral color for the sidebar. A subtle grey or beige adds a touch of class without being distracting. The goal is separation, not spectacle.
Step 2: Establish the Main Header
Your name should be the most prominent element. The preview for this step adds a large, bold "Heading" for your name and a smaller "Text" element for your title. Using an accent color for the title draws attention and adds a touch of personality. This block sits at the top of the main white column.
Pro Tip: This is "visual hierarchy" in action. By making your name biggest, you immediately tell the recruiter who you are before they've read a full sentence.
Step 3: Add Section Headers and Dividers
To make your CV easy to scan, you need clear signposts. In this preview, we add bold "Text" elements for the "EXPERIENCE" and "EDUCATION" headers. To create even cleaner separation, we also add a thin "Divider" element below each header. This guides the reader's eye down the page.
Pro Tip: Use all caps for section headers to make them stand out, but stick to a clean, sans-serif font like 'Poppins' or 'Inter' to maintain a modern, professional feel.
Step 4: Fill in the Details
With the structure in place, it's time to add your content. The preview now shows the "Experience" section filled out, along with the "Contact" and "Skills" sections in the sidebar. Each block of information is added using a simple "Text" element.
Pro Tip: Use bullet points (with `
- ` and `
- ` tags in the text box) to describe your accomplishments. Start each bullet with a strong action verb (e.g., "Managed," "Developed," "Increased") to make your contributions more impactful.
The Final Result
By combining these elements, you create a polished and professional CV that is easy to read and visually appealing. You can find this exact layout as the "Clean Modern Resume" under the "Templates" tab in the editor to get started right away!