Your son is applying for a job and asks you for help putting together a resume in Word. What's the smartest move?

Click File > New and pick one of Word's Resume templates. Word has dozens of resume templates with professional layouts already done. Pick one you like, swap your son's info into the placeholder spots, save it as his name. Way faster than building from scratch.

Summary & Final Check

Q: Your granddaughter is graduating and you want to write her a heartfelt letter. You sit down at your computer and open Word. What's the best pick on the Home screen?

Blank document — a personal letter doesn't need template formatting. A personal letter is mostly typed text in your own voice — you don't need fancy formatting. Blank document lets you write naturally without fighting a template's design choices.

Nice work!

You just learned three different ways to start a new Microsoft Word document AND you can pick between a blank page or a template depending on what you're making. That's the foundation. Everything else in Word builds on top of that.

Quick Recap

Word is a word processor — digital paper that lets you write, format, and save.
Word desktop is paid; Word Online at office.com is free.
Three ways to start a new doc: open Word and click Blank document; right-click the desktop and pick New (Windows only); or press Ctrl + N / Cmd + N when Word is already open.
Pick Blank for letters, lists, and most writing. Pick a template for resumes, calendars, invoices, flyers — anything with a standard format.
Templates are free, built into Word, and you can change anything in them.

One Last Knowledge Check

Two real-world scenarios. Pick the best answer for each.

Your granddaughter is graduating and you want to write her a heartfelt letter. You sit down at your computer and open Word. The Home screen appears with a row of template options.

What's the best pick?

Your son is applying for a job and asks you for help putting together a resume. You've never made one in Word before.

What's the smartest move?