10 Canva Resume Templates for your Career Change

Black woman with curly hair in a white cable knit sweater sitting at a desk typing on a white laptop.

Have you ever seen someone else’s resume design and caught an instant case of FOMO? If that isn’t enough, does the FOMO hurt a little more because you feel you won’t be able to create anything 1/10th as beautiful and your resume will always blend in a sea of 12pt, Times New Roman black text on plain white paper?

Well I have the FOMO cure for you, Canva! 

If you haven’t heard of it, Canva is a free online graphic design platform to help non-designers like myself create drool worthy designs with their extensive library of templates. Canva has a wide range of easy to use templates for social media graphics, PDFs, presentations, and resumes. With it you can take your resume from blah to fully expressing yourself and your ability to fold into the design aesthetic of your future employer. 

If you’re applying for a design, marketing, or any design centric role a more designed resume is almost a must have. A few years ago you may have been ahead of the curve with a designed resume but nowadays it’s what most recruiters expect. You’re going to stand out with a clean, tasteful designed, easy to scan resume. I have broken down 10  of my favorite templates from Canva so you can get started creating a more recruiter ready resume.

 
Green Simple Professional Store Manager Resume.jpg

Green Simple Professional Store Manager Resume

This resume is built for a store manager but I think it works very well for an office manager or anyone with a very singular focus making who’s made (or is making) a pivot to another field. The objective is nice because it allows you to explain that switch and discuss what kind of role you’re looking to thrive in. 

The clean aesthetic makes it easy to read and gives the recruiter the opportunity to focus on you. 

>> Get it here


Pro-Tip! When you choose a template, update it with the colors of the company you’re applying for!


Dark Blue and Red Corporate Work Resume.jpg

Dark Blue and Red Corporate Work Resume

I nixed the “profile” section (a substitute for the objective section) from this template in order to allow more space for previous job experience. It’s great for a role where you have a lot of experience and are looking to grow in the same area. 

Including references here is a “nice to have” and I might replace with any continuing education you have completed.

>> Get it here


Dark Blue and Red Corporate Resume.jpg

Dark Blue and Red Corporate Resume

This template is pretty similar to the previous with the caveat that it’s geared to a slightly more junior employee as there is a really big chance that your high school experience is not as relevant now.

>> Get it here


Orange and Purple Server Food and Dining Resume.jpg

Orange and Purple Server Food and Dining Resume

This resume is a bit more designed and I love it because this is one of the few opportunities to deliver a resume in person now that the world is (mostly) closed. A printed version of this resume is really going to stand out on the often swamped desk of a restaurant manager whether you’re applying for a position as a server, bartender, or hostess if you find yourself needing to go fall back on your college server days until you can get back to your pre-pandemic career.

>> Get it here


Pink and Brown Duotone Advertising Resume.jpg

Pink and Brown Duotone Advertising Resume

This Elle Woods approved resume is both minimalistic and feminine and right on trend for many of the positions you’ll find on Career Contessa’s job board!

>>Get it here

Pro-Tip: I’ve removed references and the objective section to make more space for job experience. Always feel free to shift the content of these templates around in order to make them work best for you and your experience. These templates are here to help you shine and not to box you in!

Ready to make a change?

Grab my step by step guide Climb the Ladder: a Recruiters Guide to Landing the Job to help you stand out during each step of your journey.


Gray and White Corporate Resume.jpg

Gray and White Corporate Resume

A twist on the classic black & white resume this template is a great way to elevate yourself for a more classic brand. If you’re not sure why it looks so classy it’s the serif (or footed) font that makes this look like a classic green juice in a sea of sugary sodas. 

Use this if you’re applying at an old-school corporate company or for an elegant fashion house.

>> Get it here


Blue and Orange Corporate Resume.jpg

Blue and Orange Corporate Resume

I love the prominence this resume template gives to social media profiles which is pretty important if you are applying for a social media position.

Again, if you have more experience and are applying in the same area, feel free to skip the about/objective section and give more prominence to your work experience.

>> Get it here


Orange and Charcoal Minimalist Industrial Engineer Corporate Resume.jpg

Orange and Charcoal Minimalist Industrial Engineer Corporate Resume

This is a great resume if you have a lot to say and I love the way it breaks up the content into little buckets and makes it easier to read. Keep in mind, the further you get away from college, the more important your job experience is. If you’re 2-3 years+ away from college (or more) position your job experience over your education!  

>> Get it here

Pro-Tip: Always skip your address on your resume. For one, the world is crazy! Also, the job applicant tracker [LINK TO PREV BLOG ON THIS] may reject your application if your address is outside of the target area. 


Green and Pink Graphic Designer Corporate Resume.jpg

Green and Pink Graphic Designer Corporate Resume

Through its playful use of color and clean fonts this resume screams “a graphic designer made me!” I suggest. It’s a solid template for you to you use if you’re a graphic designer or in an adjacent field. 

>> Get it here


Blue Bold Minimalist Advertising Resume.jpg

Blue Bold Minimalist Advertising Resume

I’m not sure if it’s the “advertising creative” title or the bold look and feel but I’m getting total Mad Men vibes from this resume. I love the call out of awards and achievements which are just as (if not more than) important as your education and work experience.

>> Get it here




Your resume is made to help you shine after you’ve gotten through step one of the job application process (aka beating the bot). With one of these templates you’re going to get that extra bump that of handing over an expressive resume without the burden of having to learn how to design overnight.

Ready to make a change?

Grab my step by step guide Climb the Ladder: a Recruiters Guide to Landing the Job to help you stand out during each step of your journey.