Single column vs two column resumes. Which should you use?

Short answer: both types of resume work, but pick the one that matches your goal. Below is a quick, practical guide so you can choose with confidence.

When to use a single column

Best for: most corporate roles, ATS scanning, recruiters who skim, print-friendly copies.

Why it works

• ATS friendly. Most applicant tracking systems read top to bottom, left to right. A single flow makes parsing reliable.

• Scanable. Hiring managers can find job title, dates, and one key accomplishment in seconds.

• Clean and simple. Great for conservative industries, senior roles, and people with lots of clear experience.

Quick tips

• Keep headings obvious and consistent.

• Lead with a short summary or core skills section if you need to frame your candidacy.

• Use bold text for role and company, right-align dates.

• Keep each bullet as a one-line CAR style statement: context, action, result.

When to use two columns

Best for: creative roles, design portfolios, early-career candidates who want to highlight skills and projects, or when you need to fit a lot without bloating page length.

Why it works

• Better real estate. Put contact, skills, certifications, and quick stats in a narrow left column and use the main column for experience and projects.

• Visual hierarchy. Recruiters can quickly scan skills and tools without hunting through paragraphs.

• Differentiation. A well-designed two column resume stands out in creative industries.

Quick tips

• Avoid cramming. Enough white space keeps the layout readable.

• Don’t hide important info in sidebars. Critical items like experience and top achievements should stay in the main column.

• Test for ATS. Some two column layouts break parsing. Put your name, contact, and summary in the main flow or in a hidden plain-text version for applications.

Practical decision checklist

Ask yourself:

• Is this role tracked by an ATS? If yes, prefer single column or an ATS-safe two column.

• Am I applying to a creative or design-first company? If yes, two column can help you stand out.

• Do I have lots of short, relevant skills or certifications? Two column may present them better.

• Will this be printed or emailed? Single column prints and converts to PDF more predictably.

Create a Resume

If you are unsure, use Yotru to create a master resume and apply our single or double column template. All of the templates are ATS friendly and should get you started on the right track.