Clean Resume Template
A modern two-column resume template designed to pass every major applicant tracking system. Edit any section, switch colours, and download a polished PDF in under 3 minutes - completely free.
Best for
- ✓ATS-friendly - passes Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, Taleo
- ✓two column layout, 5+ colour variations
- ✓Editable in our builder - rearrange sections, switch fonts, customise
- ✓Export as high-quality PDF, no watermarks
Designer note: why Clean exists
Clean is what engineers pick. There's no accent colour and the section dividers are thin grey lines. The hierarchy is restrained to the point of being a bit boring. That's the whole point. Engineers I've worked with consistently choose Clean over Modern because the restraint signals 'I value the absence of friction' — which is the brand most senior ICs want to project.
Why these colours work
Monochrome by default. The accent override is in the colour picker if you want it for a non-engineering role, but I'd leave it off. The lack of colour is the strongest signal Clean sends.
Bullets that read well in Clean
These are the kind of lines this template's spacing and typography were built for. The note under each explains why the rhythm fits.
Reduced p99 latency on the checkout service from 480ms to 110ms. Rewrote the cart hydration path in Rust, added a Redis read-through cache. Four-week rollout.
Diagnosis-fix-outcome rhythm. Engineers reading this know exactly what work it was. Clean's restraint keeps it focused.
Maintainer, pgwarp. Postgres-to-DuckDB CDC pipeline, 2.4k GitHub stars. Reviewed 180+ PRs in 2024.
Clean treats Open Source as peer to Experience. The thin rule between them is the right signal — both count as evidence.
US Patent 11,234,567, low-latency conflict resolution in distributed key-value stores, 2023.
A single patent line, no embellishment. Reads as reference, not promotion.
How Clean compares to similar templates
Cross-links to the closest siblings in our library, with the actual differences spelled out - not just visually similar templates.
vs Modern
Modern has more personality and a coloured accent. Engineers reading it sometimes parse the colour as 'PM resume'. Clean removes that signal.
vs Minimalist
If your resume is just employment history, Minimalist Single is leaner. Clean Two is better when you have meaningful open-source work or patents that need a section of their own.
Questions about the Clean template
Is Clean too understated for an engineering manager role?
Works up to Director. For VP Engineering at a large company where non-engineering executives review the resume, Authority Two carries more weight.
Will the thin rule render correctly in older PDF viewers?
Yes. It's vector geometry, not a Unicode character. Tested in Adobe Reader, Preview, Chrome's PDF view, Foxit.
Does Clean pass FAANG ATS systems?
Yes. Two-column logical order, conventional section names. Workday and Greenhouse instances at the big tech companies parse it cleanly.
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