Career Launch Resume Template

The Career Launch template is not a generic design reused for every job. It has a specific visual character that decides who it suits and how it behaves when exported to a screening system. This page explains both before you fill it in.

Who this template is for

• New graduates
• One or two internships
• Moving from an academic field into the job market

How it looks on the page

An open layout with a large heading, a two-line introduction and sections of equal height — attention is spread evenly across education, skills and projects because at the start of a career none of them dominates.

• Does not signal a lack of experience — the distribution says you have something to say
• Gives coursework projects legitimate weight
• Looks organised, which offsets a short work history

This template and applicant tracking systems

Sequential and clean, but be careful: equal-height sections can parse as equal weight, so the system may lose which section starts where. Put education first explicitly rather than relying on visual order.

The general rule: export the ATS version before applying through a portal, and use the designed version for direct applications and interviews.

What it will not do for you

• Equal sections leave the CV without a peak, which makes it harder to remember
• Wrong after three years — it will read as still a graduate

Common mistakes when filling this template

• Padding the experience section with an unrelated internship to fill space — an honest gap beats a line nobody asks about.
• Listing every course you took: the reviewer wants the skill, not the syllabus.

Keywords the reviewer actually searches

These terms do not improve how the Career Launch template looks, but they are what matches a search inside a screening system. Add them verbatim in the skills section and in the experience bullets:

• recent graduate
• capstone project
• internship
• skills
• volunteering

How to start

1. Open the editor and pick the Career Launch template — what you type appears on the page immediately.
2. Write each experience bullet as verb + task + measurable result, one line per point.
3. Export PDF for the interview and Word for editing, then export the ATS version if the employer uses a portal.

Frequently asked

What goes in the experience section with no experience?

Whatever resembles it: internships, part-time work, volunteering, a group project where you owned something specific. Do not invent a job, but do not empty the section — the reader needs evidence you work with others.

Should I include my GPA?

If it is high or required in your field, yes, in one line. If it is average, leave it out; its absence raises no question, a weak number does.

How many pages?

One, and nothing else. Anything more is padding while you have no professional record.

How is this different from journey-start?

Journey-start is calmer and puts less weight on projects, which suits traditional fields. This one foregrounds projects, which suits fields measured by work rather than by credentials.