The formats employers actually ask for
Some CV formats are conventions with names — a recruiter asks for a Europass CV or a placement cell expects the IIM format, and a generic template will not do. Each of these is a free Word file with the structure already set.
India · B-school placements
IIM Resume FormatThe IIM resume format is a genuine convention rather than a design. It compresses an entire academic and professional record onto a single page, opens with a table of marks rather than a summary, and gives an unusual amount of space to leadership roles held outside work.
European Union · EURES and EPSO
Europass CVEuropass is the European Union's own CV standard. It exists so that a qualification earned in one member state is legible to an employer in another, and it is the expected format for EURES listings, EPSO applications to the EU institutions, and a great many public-sector and academic roles across the bloc..
Software engineering · the LaTeX standard
Jake's Resume TemplateJake's Resume is the template a large share of computer science students and working engineers actually use. It is a compact single-column LaTeX layout — Education, Experience, Projects, Technical Skills — written by Jake Gutierrez and released under the MIT licence, and it became the default largely because it is disciplined: tight spacing, no ornament, and just enough room for one page of real content..
Deutschland · tabellarisch
Lebenslauf VorlageThe German tabellarischer Lebenslauf, written in German — antichronologisch, with the personal details block and CEFR language levels.
UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
Gulf CV FormatThe personal details block Gulf recruiters screen on first — visa status, notice period, nationality and current location.
Not sure which you need?
If nobody has asked you for a named format, you do not need one. A plain single-column CV is the safer default almost everywhere — it parses cleanly and never reads as inappropriate.