FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A GREAT Resume ALWAYS Begins With GREAT Content!
But if your content is already written, our Distinctive Resume Templates will propel your resume to the next level, providing you with a clear competitive advantage and ultimately saving you heaps of time and money, potentially slashing days, weeks, or even months off your job search.
Distinctive Resume Templates are professionally designed, ATS-friendly resume layouts created to help you stand out — without starting from scratch.
Each template in our collection is adapted from real resumes written and designed by Michelle Dumas, a nationally recognized expert with over 30 years of experience. They’re built in Microsoft Word and structured to make it easy for you to copy and paste your own content into the right spots — so your resume looks polished and performs well, fast.
These templates aren’t just for DIY job seekers (though they love them). They’re also trusted by professional resume writers, career coaches, and recruiters who want strategic, modern designs they can customize for their clients. If you’re a career industry pro, our Insiders Membership Program gives you ongoing access to fresh, exclusive designs every month.
Bottom line: Whether you’re writing your own resume or helping others, these templates offer the strategy, structure, and visual polish you need to stand out — and get results.
Distinctive Resume Templates were created for two main audiences — professional resume writers and motivated job seekers who want better results, faster.
🎯 For Resume Writers, Career Coaches & Industry Pros
These templates are designed to let you focus on what you do best: crafting powerful content. We’ve taken care of the design. Each template is professionally built, ATS-friendly, and fully customizable — so you can deliver eye-catching, results-driven resumes that wow your clients.
Our Insiders Membership Program gives career industry professionals exclusive access to fresh template collections every month, plus personal support and usage guidance to help you save time and deliver top-tier work consistently.
💼 For Job Seekers
If your resume is already written and you’re happy with the content, these templates make it easy to upgrade the design — just copy and paste your existing resume into the template.
But more than that, the structure of these templates can inspire you to improve your content, too. For example, many include a “Snapshot” section to summarize the impact you delivered in each role — a feature recruiters love.
The templates are also:
- Easily adaptable for any career level — from entry-level to C-suite
- Designed for flexible length — most are two pages, but can be customized shorter or longer
- Created in Microsoft Word for easy editing and universal compatibility
Bottom line: Whether you’re writing for clients or updating your own resume, Distinctive Resume Templates give you the structure, strategy, and standout style to get noticed.
Most resume templates are generic. Ours are strategic.
Unlike the cookie-cutter designs you’ll find elsewhere, Distinctive Resume Templates were created by Michelle Dumas — a nationally recognized, multi-certified resume expert with 30+ years of experience and over 10,000 success stories.
Here’s what sets them apart:
✅ Proven to Get Results
Every template is adapted from real-world resumes that helped job seekers land interviews and offers — from entry-level to executive.
✅ Modern & ATS-Friendly
Designed with both humans and applicant tracking systems in mind. Our templates follow up-to-date best practices so your resume won’t get filtered out.
✅ Professional Without Looking “Templated”
These don’t feel like forms. Each resume layout is crafted to help you stand out — with a polished, custom-designed look that feels like you hired a pro.
✅ Flexible & Easy to Customize
Change colors, fonts, sections, or length with ease — no design skills needed. You’ll also get video tutorials, writing prompts, and pro tips to make editing simple and stress-free.
Bottom line: Distinctive Resume Templates give you more than a pretty format. You get the strategy, structure, and expert support to create a resume that actually works.
Yes — for best results, you’ll need the desktop version of Microsoft Word.
All Distinctive Resume Templates are built in .docx format and designed to be used in Microsoft Word for desktop. This ensures full functionality, proper formatting, and reliable ATS compatibility.
While tools like Canva, Google Docs, or Apple Pages may seem convenient, they can:
- Break layout and design elements
- Introduce ATS-scanning issues
- Display inconsistently across devices and platforms
If you don’t already have Word installed, it’s available for around $9/month — and still the industry standard for professional resume writing and submission.
📚 Want to know why Word is best? [Read this article →]
Yes — the templates work seamlessly on both PC and Mac, as long as you’re using the desktop version of Microsoft Word.
Our templates are delivered in .dotx format (Microsoft Word Template files). When you open a template, it automatically creates a new .docx document — so your original stays intact, and you can use it over and over.
Just be sure to use Microsoft Word for desktop (not the web-based version or alternatives like Google Docs or Pages) to ensure the formatting, design, and ATS compatibility stay perfect.
Yes — Distinctive Resume Templates are designed to be ATS-friendly, without sacrificing visual appeal.
Most resume templates on the market are not ATS-compatible — and that’s exactly why these were created. After seeing how many job seekers unknowingly used poorly designed templates (and missed out on opportunities because their resumes weren’t read), Michelle Dumas set out to design better ones.
Our templates are built with:
- Smart structure and clean formatting
- Standard fonts and file types (.docx)
- No hidden elements that break ATS parsing
While no template can guarantee perfect performance in every ATS (because systems vary widely), these are built to perform well in most modern tracking systems.
⚠️ Don’t fall for outdated advice: You can have a well-designed resume that’s also ATS-friendly — as long as it’s designed by someone who understands the tech. That’s what sets Distinctive Resume Templates apart.
📚 Want to learn more? Check out our blog articles on ATS myths, resume formatting, and design do’s and don’ts.
Yes — and Distinctive Resume Templates are specifically designed to help you use AI the right way.
While most templates ignore AI (or worse, clash with it), ours include strategic support to help you write faster and smarter — without losing authenticity.
Every purchase comes with the AI + Distinctive Resume Templates Playbook, a powerful bonus guide that shows you how to pair your template with tools like ChatGPT for maximum impact.
Here’s what’s inside:
- Step-by-step guidance on how to use AI effectively — without sounding robotic
- 40+ professional-grade AI prompts covering every section of your resume
- The Best Practices Prompt Block to ensure your AI outputs are clean, tailored, and ATS-friendly
- Detailed instructions to create your own Resume Context Pack — your personal data source that helps AI write like you
💡 This guide alone is worth the price of the template. It turns AI from a guessing game into your strategic writing partner.
Yes — and it’s a major reason Distinctive Resume Templates stand out.
Every template purchase includes a free bonus bundle worth $49, designed to help you get far more than just a great-looking resume.
You’ll receive three expert-created digital guides that show you exactly how to write and tailor your resume — even if you’re not a writer, and even if you’re using AI:
AI + Distinctive Resume Templates Playbook – Learn how to use AI tools like ChatGPT correctly with 40+ tailored prompts, a best-practices prompt block, and detailed instructions for building your own Resume Context Pack.
20 Actionable Resume Tips – A 50+ page guide packed with expert strategies and 55 real resume examples to help you modernize your resume and avoid costly mistakes.
The Ultimate Resume Checklist – A step-by-step checklist used by pros to polish and perfect resumes before sending them out.
These are the same strategies we use in our professional writing process — and you’ll get them free with any template purchase.
Bottom line: You’re not just buying a template. You’re getting a professional resume system designed to save you time, reduce stress, and dramatically improve your results.
Absolutely — the templates are fully customizable.
You can easily change the colors, fonts, and even add or remove sections to fit your personal brand or your client’s preferences. We include video tutorials with every template to walk you through how to make these updates in just a few clicks.
Want to test it out first?
Download an example free resume template and see for yourself how simple and flexible our ATS-friendly designs really are.
🎨 The structure is solid — but the look is all yours to personalize.
Honestly, I never planned to.
For years — even though many people asked — I resisted turning my resume designs into templates. Why? Because I believe (and know from experience) that a truly great resume starts with great content, not just design.
But after 30+ years helping more than 10,000 job seekers, I’ve seen the same painful pattern again and again:
- People using outdated, hard-to-read formats
- Or worse — using “pretty” templates that completely fail ATS scans
- And then wondering why they’re not getting interviews
That’s why I created Distinctive Resume Templates — to give DIY job seekers and career pros a better option.
These templates are:
- Professionally designed
- ATS-friendly
- Modern, flexible, and easy to use in Microsoft Word
💡 My goal? To make sure that even if you’re not ready to hire a professional writer, you can still compete — and win — in today’s tough job market.
And yes, I believe that once you see the difference these templates make, you might come back when you’re ready for help with the content. Or you’ll send a friend our way.
Either way — I’m glad you’re here. And I hope these templates help you get results.
Due to the digital nature of these templates, there are no refunds. All sales are final. We are here to help.
If you have any issues after your purchase, please email us at [email protected]
What Can You Do with the Templates You Have Purchased from Us?
You can use the templates to create a resume for yourself, a friend, or family member.
You can customize and change the design and/or content as you wish.
If you are a resume writer or career coach, or create resumes for clients in another capacity, you may use the templates with your clients on an individual basis.
What Can NOT be Done with the Templates You Have Purchased from Us?
You may not resell or transfer license to these templates in any capacity (unless you are an official affiliate of Distinctive Career Services, LLC)
Except on an individual basis for your own personal resume, you can not use the templates or images of the templates or resumes created using the templates on your website or blog, newsletters or emails, live or recorded trainings, or membership sites.
DISCLAIMER: While all efforts have been made to ensure resumes created with these templates will be ATS-friendly, it is impossible to guarantee ATS compatibility. The purchaser takes full responsibility for ensuring ATS compatibility, if this is important to them. Distinctive Career Services, LLC is not responsible for the content or effectiveness of any resume created with one of our templates.
If you have any questions about these terms, please reach out and ask.
You’ll get instant access right after checkout.
Here’s how it works:
- At checkout, you’ll be asked to create a password (or log in if you’re a returning customer).
- After your purchase, you’ll be taken directly to your account page, where you can download your templates immediately.
- You’ll also receive a confirmation email with your download link for easy access later.
- Need to download again? Just log into your account anytime using the same email and password.
📨 Everything is delivered digitally — no waiting, no shipping. You’ll have your templates and bonuses in minutes.
Due to the digital nature of these templates, there are no refunds. All sales are final.
However, we are here to help. If you have any issues after your purchase, please email us at [email protected]
It’s hard to know where to start when it comes to writing your resume. A resume is one of the most important pieces of paper you’ll ever write in your life, and it can be tough to know not just where to begin, but also what information to include.
When you buy a resume template–a GOOD resume template–it takes all of the guesswork out of the process. With the design all thought out and writing tips and prompts throughout our templates, Distinctive Resume Templates’ professionally designed resumes will help you stand out from the competition and land that dream job.
But please BEWARE! Don’t be fooled by the cheap and free templates you can find on the internet. This is also true of the free resume templates you might see in Microsoft Word. Sadly, like most things in life, you get what you pay for. And in this case, using a “free” resume template could cost you thousands of dollars, extending your job search by weeks or months. Most of these templates violate modern, accepted resume writing “rules” and best practices and are not ATS compatible. You may get zero response to your resume, and you won’t even know why. (exception: we want you to see the quality of Distinctive Resume Templates, so we do offer a free sample resume template that you can try out for yourself)
Distinctive Resume Templates are specifically designed to be ATS-friendly, and like Distinctive Career Services is renowned for, we have put the same quality care and attention to detail into them as we have EVERY product and service we’ve delivered for the past 25+ years.
Our most loyal customers returning again and again to Distinctive Resume Templates are professional resume writers, job search coaches, and others who work with job seekers and know the importance of resume design and how it can make or break the effectiveness of even the best-written resume. Many of these professionals are members of our Distinctive Resume Templates Insiders program, receiving a steady stream of new templates to use in their practices, plus personal support using the templates from Michelle Dumas, herself. In the video below, Michelle demonstrates the remarkable and dramatic positive difference that Distinctive Resume Templates make in providing job hunters with a competitive edge.