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.