Contour resume template: how to use it, tips & FAQ
Contour is best for: Long career histories, contractors and anyone with many roles.
Use Contour — freeAll 46 templates
Live preview with fictional sample content, drawn by the same renderer as the builder.
What the Contour layout looks like
A “Career chronology” section where every job has a coloured date block on the left, a fine vertical rail and a dot marking each entry. Education uses the same chronology style.
The photo only appears if you upload one. In the builder, the Show these details? panel lets you show or hide the photo, date of birth, nationality, marital status and visa status — and that single setting applies to the preview, the PDF, the Word file and printing.
Who the Contour template suits
Think twice for: Very short resumes with one role.
Is Contour ATS-friendly?
Dates stay attached to their employer in every export; the Text PDF and .docx put dates on the same line as the job title.
Whatever design you choose, the builder's Application view shows the same content as a simple one-column page, and the Text PDF and .docx downloads keep selectable text in a clear reading order. No tool can guarantee how a particular employer's system reads a file, so follow the job advert's instructions. More in our ATS-friendly resume guide.
Tips for a stronger Contour resume
- Use short date ranges (for example “2019 – 2022”) so the blocks stay compact.
- Summarise older roles in one bullet.
- Blue and green accents suit Contour.
How to make a Contour resume in 5 steps
- Open Contour in the free builder — no account needed.
- Enter your details in the form, or import a JSON backup from another device.
- Click any text on the page to edit it in place; press Enter to finish or Esc to cancel.
- Check page flow with the page markers, then look at Application view for portals.
- Download a Text PDF, a Word .docx, a Design PDF or print.
Contour template FAQ
Can a Contour entry break across pages?
Long entries can continue on the next page; the dates stay with the job title because they are part of the same entry.
Is Contour good for a contractor CV?
Yes — the chronology makes many short contracts easy to follow.
Is the Contour template free?
Yes. Contour is free to edit and download as a PDF or Word (.docx) file, with no sign-up and no watermark.
Can I switch from Contour to another template without losing my content?
Yes. Your details are stored once and every template reads the same content, so switching designs never deletes anything. You can also undo a change.
Which file should I send to an online application portal?
Use the Text PDF or the Word (.docx) download. Both keep your content in a simple reading order with selectable text. Use the Design PDF when you email the resume directly to a person.