Two-column layouts. Infographics. Video resumes. Skills bars. They've all had their moment. What's actually working in 2026?
A brief history of resume styles
The resume has been around for ~500 years (yes, really — Leonardo da Vinci's 1482 letter to the Duke of Milan is sometimes called the first resume). But the modern resume, the kind you'd recognize, dates from the 1950s. Since then, every decade has had a style trend.
1950s-1970s: Objective statements were common. Resumes were 1 page, typed, very basic formatting.
1980s: Word processing made formatting accessible. Bullets became common. Multiple pages became acceptable.
1990s: The internet meant resumes could be searched. Keywords became important. The first ATS systems appeared.
2000s: The rise of design tools (Word, InDesign, Photoshop) led to more visual resumes. Some had graphics, color blocks, even photos.
2010s: The infographic resume era. Skills bars, ratings, visual timelines. Pinterest-friendly.
2020s: ATS systems got better at rejecting visual resumes. The pendulum swung back toward simple, text-heavy formats. But new tools emerged: AI-generated drafts, video resumes, digital portfolios.
What survived — and what's working now
The plain-text resume won (and it was always going to)
Of every style that emerged, only one consistently survived ATS filtering: plain text in a single column with standard section headings. Every other style is a gamble.
This isn't because the industry is conservative. It's because the entire point of an ATS is to parse text into structured fields, and visual formatting makes that harder. The more visual your resume, the more the parser has to guess.
The plain-text resume is the only one that works universally.
Reverse-chronological is still the default
Functional resumes (skills-first, history-second) had a moment. The idea: focus on what you can do, not where you've been. But the data doesn't support them — recruiters and ATS systems both struggle to parse functional resumes, and the format confuses hiring managers who expect to see your work history.
Stick with reverse-chronological. It's the format recruiters expect, the format ATS systems parse best, and the format that requires the least explanation.
The summary section is the only "new" feature that stuck
Objective statements went away. References available upon request went away. The professional summary (3-4 lines at the top of your resume) is the only "new" section that has stuck.
A good summary is specific: it names the role you want, names what you do, gives one proof point. A bad summary is generic adjectives. Use a summary if you have 3+ years of experience. Skip it if you're entry-level.
PDF beat DOCX as the standard
15 years ago, DOCX was the safe default. Today, PDF wins. Why:
- PDF preserves formatting exactly. Your margins stay your margins.
- DOCX can render differently in different Word versions, sometimes with shifted layouts that confuse ATS.
- Both are accepted everywhere. PDF just renders more reliably.
Send PDF unless the application specifically asks for DOCX.
What's dying
Skills proficiency bars
The "Excel: 4 out of 5 stars" trend has died. Three problems:
- Subjective. Who's the arbiter of what "4 out of 5" means?
- Useless without context. "Python: 4/5" tells me nothing about what you built.
- Not parsed by ATS. The parser doesn't see your skill rating.
If you're an expert, prove it with a work bullet. If you're not, don't list it.
Resume photos (in the US)
Resume photos used to be common in the US. They've largely disappeared because:
- They introduce bias. Studies show candidates with photos get different treatment based on appearance.
- They're not parsed by ATS.
- They take up space.
Skip the photo unless the industry specifically asks (modeling, acting, on-camera roles).
Color and decorative elements
Heavy color use (color blocks, multi-color sections, decorative icons) has fallen out of favor. Reasons:
- Hard to parse.
- Print poorly (recruiters often print resumes).
- Read as "trying too hard."
Some color is fine — a single accent color for your name or section headings. More than that is too much.
What's emerging
Digital portfolios and personal websites
LinkedIn is the baseline. A personal website or digital portfolio is the new differentiator, especially for creative roles, design, writing, and product roles where you can show work.
The format: yourname.com with a portfolio page that links to relevant work. Keep it simple. A single page is fine.
Video resumes (still niche)
Video resumes have been "the future" for 10+ years. They're still niche — useful for some roles (sales, on-camera work, executive presence), but most recruiters don't watch them.
Skip unless the role specifically asks for one.
AI-assisted writing (the new normal)
AI tools are now commonly used to help draft and refine resumes. The output quality varies — some AI-written resumes read as generic, others are indistinguishable from human-written.
The honest take: AI is a useful drafting tool, but the final version should reflect your voice and your actual experience. Don't submit an AI resume that has errors about your work history — recruiters will notice.
The 2026 standard
Here's what works in 2026:
- Plain text, single column, 1-2 pages
- Reverse-chronological, with date ranges that include months
- Standard section headings: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills
- PDF format
- Specific bullets with numbers (action + scope + result)
- Optional: 3-4 line summary, professional website link
Everything else is decoration.
What to do today
Open your resume. If it has any of these elements, consider simplifying:
- Two-column layout
- Skill proficiency bars
- Photo
- Heavy color use
- More than 2 pages (unless senior with publications)
- Functional format (skills-first)
Strip them. Replace with plain text in reverse-chronological order. That's the 2026 standard and it'll be the 2030 standard too.
Our resume builder produces this format by default. It works across every major ATS system.