Google Docs Resume Templates & Guide

Google tools are being used more and more in the workplace – you can even use them to write stronger job applications.

This guide will teach you how to access a Google Docs resume template and provide some expert tips for making the most of the features.

For an even simpler solution, don’t forget to check out our library of professional resume templates.

Table of Contents

1. How to Access Google Resume Templates
2. Google Docs Resume Template Library
3. Game-Changing Tips for Using Google Docs Templates

1. How to Access Google Resume Templates

If you just want to access google docs resume templates right now, this link will take you right to them. However, you won’t always have the link, so it’s useful to learn how to access the resume templates from google docs whenever you want – just follow these steps.

Step 1: Open up a new Google Doc in Google Drive

Step 2: Go to File → New → From Template

Step 3: Scroll down until you see “Resumes” and select your desired template

It’s that easy! If you don’t see the “Resumes” category, keep in mind that you can only access them if your google drive display language is set to English. This can be done under “Language” in your Google Drive settings.

2. Google Docs Resume Template Library

Below you’ll find google docs’ five resume templates, a description of each one’s special features, as well as what type of job seeker each template is best suited for.

In each gallery we’ve included the original template designed by Google, as well as five color variations to save you some trouble if the original palette doesn’t strike your fancy.

After clicking on any of the templates below, before you can use them yourself, you’ll need to go to “File” and then click “Make a Copy” to open them in your own Google Drive.

Swiss Google Resume Templates

Make a Resume in Minutes >>

Serif Google Resume Templates

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Coral Google Resume Templates

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Spearmint Google Resume Template

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Modern Writer Google Resume Template

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3. 5 Game-Changing Tips for Using Google Docs Templates

Finding and choosing your preferred google docs resume template is one thing, knowing how to effectively use it is another. The following five tips will help show you how to use google docs unique functions to aid you in the creation of the perfect resume.

1. Clear formatting when copy and pasting text

It’s easy for the formatting of templates to get ruined when you copy and paste text from another document or file. Fortunately, google docs has a solution for that!

All you have to do is clear the formatting of the pasted text. To do this simply highlight the text with your mouse, then go to format and click “clear formatting”.

Alternatively, after copying the text, instead of pressing [Ctrl + V], press [Ctrl + Shift + V] to paste (or [Command + Shift + V] on Mac). This will automatically clear the text’s formatting when you paste, saving you an extra step.

2. Feel free to get creative

Remember that google docs resume templates are exactly that – templates. Don’t feel bound by the exact resume sections and formatting each template provides.

For example, many of the google resume templates have an “Awards” section, but if you don’t have any noteworthy awards to show off, you can simply delete this section and use the extra space to buff up your work experience or skills sections.

You should also feel free to add bullet points where are none, and remove (or change) small things like dates wherever you feel necessary.

3. Utilize the revision history function

Everytime you make a change in a google doc it’s saved in your revision history. You can access it at any time to see changes that were made or revert back to older versions.

This function is particularly useful when using google resume templates because it’s easy to fix the format if you accidentally mess it up. It’s also great if you want to recover an older version of your resume.

To access the revision history, simply click on the gray “Last edit was…” text next to the help button in the menu (or “All changes saved in Drive” if you’ve recently made edits):

To view a specific version, select it in the sidebar on the right hand side:

To restore a version, after selecting it click the “Restore This Version” button in the top left:

4. Have friends use the suggestion function when proofreading

No matter what resume template or word processing program you’re using, you should always have someone proofread your resume. Even if you’ve proofread it hundreds of times yourself, and extra pair of eyes can often pick up on things you overlooked.

Google docs has a suggestion function that will allow whoever is proofreading your resume to make “suggested” edits directly on the doc – without officially changing anything. You can then later accept or reject the edits as you see fit.

It makes the whole editing process much more convenient, and you won’t have to worry about your friend making changes that you don’t approve of.

To access this function, all your friend has to do is click on the “Editing” drop down menu and change it to “Suggesting.”

5. Share the link to your resume with employers

A massive benefit of using google docs resume templates is that you can quickly and easily share your resume with potential employers, recruiters, or friends.

All you have to do is copy the share link and paste it in an email to a potential employer. You can access the link sharing settings by clicking on “Share” in the top right. Just make sure that the share link is set to “View Only”, as you don’t want the hiring manager accidentally make edits to your resume.

Also, although you should always create a unique and customized resume for every company you apply to, if you do plan to send the same one to do different companies, make sure you still create two separate docs.

Google Docs always displays the people currently accessing the document in the top right. It would be extremely awkward (and likely damning for you) if two hiring managers were to see each other accessing the doc at the same time.

Don’t have the time to figure out how to use a template and write your entire resume from scratch? Use our state-of-art resume builder to create your resume using professional templates in just 15 minutes!