Skip to content
Beacon CV template with a deep blue left panel with a photo, the name, contact details, skill bars and language dots

Shown with sample content. Every colour can be changed.

Modern template

Beacon CV Template — Free Download

Beacon gives you a deep-toned panel for your photo and the quick facts, with skill bars and language dots that are easy to compare. The main column stays wide, so a mid-career story with several roles never feels cramped.

  • Free PDF download
  • No watermark
  • Free account to download
Style
Modern
Layout
Two columns
Photo
Yes (can be switched off)
ATS-friendly
Partly (two columns)
Best for
Early and mid-career
Paper
A4 and US Letter

Who the Beacon template suits

Beacon is a good fit for early and mid-career. At a glance: a deep blue left panel with a photo, the name, contact details, skill bars and language dots.

  • Business
  • Project management
  • Operations
  • Tech

Designed around a photo, which is common in much of mainland Europe, the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia. For the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland, switch the photo off: the layout still looks complete without it.

Is Beacon ATS-friendly?

Partly. Beacon has two columns. Most current applicant tracking systems read two-column PDFs, but some older portals mix the sidebar text into the main column. Use Beacon when you email your CV or hand it over; for large online portals, a single-column template such as Vista is the safer choice.

Whichever template you pick, download your PDF and run it through our free ATS checker to see the text a tracking system extracts.

How to use the Beacon template

  1. 1. Open it in the builder. Click "Use this free template". If you already have a CV in the builder, it switches to Beacon and keeps your content.
  2. 2. Fill in each section. The live preview shows page breaks exactly as they will appear in the PDF.
  3. 3. Adjust the design. Change the accent colour, font size and spacing, or rename and reorder sections.
  4. 4. Download the PDF. Free, with no watermark, and you just need a free account to download.

Similar templates

All templates →
  • Honeycomb CV template with a pale amber right panel topped with a hexagon grid behind a ringed photo, with contact details and skills below and the name in a white main column

    Honeycomb

    Pale right panel with a hexagon grid behind a ringed photo, beside a white career column.

  • Juniper CV template with a leaf-green tinted left panel with a photo, skill pills and interests, and education first in the main column

    Juniper

    First-job CV with a leaf-tinted panel, photo and skill pills; education first.

  • Meadow CV template with a light green left panel with a round photo, interests and languages, and projects early in the main column

    Meadow

    First-job CV with a light left panel, round photo and skill tags; education first.

  • Contour CV template with a deep green left panel with faint topographic contour lines, a round photo, contact details and skill tags beside a serif name and white career column

    Contour

    Deep left panel with faint topographic lines on every page, a round photo and a serif name.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Beacon template free?

Yes. You can edit the Beacon template and download it as a PDF for free, as many times as you like. There is no watermark, and you just need a free account to download.

Is Beacon ATS-friendly?

Partly. Beacon has two columns. Most current applicant tracking systems read two-column PDFs, but some older portals mix the sidebar text into the main column. Use Beacon when you email your CV or hand it over; for large online portals, a single-column template such as Vista is the safer choice.

Can I use Beacon without a photo?

Yes. Beacon is designed around a photo, but you can switch the photo off in the builder and the layout closes up neatly. Leave it off for jobs in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland.

Who is the Beacon template best for?

Early and mid-career, especially in business, project management, operations. It works for other fields too: the content matters more than the design.

Can I change the colours and fonts in Beacon?

You can change the accent colour, font size, line spacing, date format and page size (A4 or US Letter), and rename, hide or reorder sections. Your content stays the same if you switch to another template later.