Canva, Google Docs, and Word resume templates — what ATS actually reads
Canva resume templates, Google Docs resume templates, and Word resume templates compared for Seek and Workday — when each works and when DocuResume is safer.
Searches for "Canva resume template", "Canva resume templates", "Google Docs resume template", and "resume template word" spike because people want something familiar. Familiar is fine for a human email. Familiar multi-column Canva often breaks Greenhouse and Workday.
Canva resume templates
Strengths: fast visual polish, great for creative leave-behinds. Weaknesses: text in boxes, columns, and graphics that ATS scramble. If you design in Canva, keep a plain ATS export for portals — or rebuild in DocuResume from the same facts.
Australian corporate and Seek roles almost never need Canva flair. Skip photos and icon skill meters.
Google Docs and Word
Google Docs resume templates are fine when the employer asks for an editable link or .docx — use a simple single-column template, not a three-column brochure. Word ("resume template word") is still requested by some AU government and agency workflows; export .docx only when asked, otherwise prefer PDF.
Whichever editor you use, standard headings and chronological dates matter more than theme colours.
Safer default for most applications
Build once in DocuResume, score against the job ad, export PDF for Seek / portals, and only switch to Word or Docs when the posting demands it. Keep Canva for portfolios that a human will open by hand.
Free ATS templates: /resume-templates ATS checker: /ats-resume Why Canva fails FAQ lives on /resume-templates Builder: Signup