Graphic Resumes

All You Need to Know

4 CONS

5 Risks

10 PROS

In today’s congested job market, in order to stand out, job seekers are turning to non-traditional ways of communication with employers.

One of the latest trends is

graphic resume. The logic is clear – a

picture is worth a thousand words. Brain processes images 60.000 times faster compared to text.

However, situation is never just black and white. Graphic resumes

also have their share of benefits, pitfalls and risks. Let’s dive straight into them.

BENEFITS

It’s of crucial importance to show as much relevant information as possible on your resume in a fast-digestive way. By its nature, graphically

presented information is ideal for this task

If executed right, graphic resume will raise a non-intentional smile on recruiter’s lips and after a brief

scan of needed experience and qualifications, your resume is going straight to the “short list” pile.

Benefits of Graphic Resumes

People like pictures more than words and recruiters are also human.

Benefits of Graphic Resumes

They clearly show information.

Instead of reading lines and lines of plain text, a recruiter can comprehend all of the needed

info on you in a much shorter period of time with a graphic resume.

Benefits of Graphic Resumes

They highlight strengths.

Using special graphics like bars, charts etc. clearly shows relative relationships between

different elements.

Benefits of Graphic Resumes

They help you with branding.

With a graphic resume, you can match the branding of your employer using

colors, logos and shapes and that’s an immediate attention grabber.

Benefits of Graphic Resumes

Additional positive info for the employer.

Using a graphic resume will show your potential employer your creativity and talent, your

adaptability to new trends and that you are forward thinking person with a good dose of courage.

Benefits of Graphic Resumes

Networking and Shareability.

It’s very shareable content and can be good for introduction and as a conversation starter.

Benefits of Graphic Resumes

Thankful for younger readers.

If you happen to communicate with a younger recruiter, a graphic resume

will be very appealing to him.

Benefits of Graphic Resumes

Uniqueness.

All classic resumes look similar at first glance. With a graphic resume, you can be

sure to have unique representation of yourself.

Benefits of Graphic Resumes Graphic resumes are easy to make.

You don’t have to be a graphic designer to make one. With widely available tools

(free and paid), you can make your graphic resume very quickly and easy.

Unfortunately, it’s not all milk and honey when it comes to graphic resumes.

Let’s see the biggest flaws of communicating your info this way to a potential employer.

PITFALLS

Pitfalls of Graphic Resumes Graphic resumes are not meant for Applicants Tracking Systems.

A lot of companies are accepting applications online only. It means your resume is going to

be scanned and stripped down by some software and those programs are not made for

graphics. They work exclusively with text.

Pitfalls of Graphic Resumes Graphic resumes can be perceived as less professional.

If it happens that your resume comes in hands of a conservative recruiter or hiring

manager, graphic elements can be a major rejecting factor as they can be seen

as a gimmick or unprofessional.

Pitfalls of Graphic Resumes

Employment gaps are highlighted.

If you’re making a timeline of your employment, it’s much more noticeable if you had a gap on the graphic timeline

than on standard text resume.

Pitfalls of Graphic Resumes

Glance logic.

Recruiters and HR staff are used to traditional resumes and know where to look for the info. Graphic resume’s elements can

be distracting and sometimes it’s not so obvious where to look for data.

As with everything, if things are done right, you will make great impact. On the other hand, if you mess up with a graphic resume, you messed up big time.

Here are the most common dangers that can put your graphic

resume in a ”rejected” pile faster that you can say “bad design”.

RISKS

Risks of Graphic Resumes

They can be unclear.

There are hundreds of graphic resumes that do exactly the opposite of what they are meant to

do. Instead of extracting and showing accomplishments, sometimes it’s not very clear what the candidate was doing on some job, not

to mention what he achieved.

Risks of Graphic Resumes

Bad design.

If you’re trying to add some value with design and then execute that design poorly, it’s

automatically a worse mistake than the one you can make designing a traditional resume.

Risks of Graphic Resumes

Too much or too flashy colors.

Choose your color set wisely, use 2 or 3 colors only, and use mild, pastel colors. Having a

resume half in screaming red, half in bright green probably won’t lead you anywhere.

Risks of Graphic Resumes

Distracting shapes.

When creating a graphic resume, always have in mind that graphic

elements are there to make info easier to read. If the opposite is true because

of the graphics, you’re doing it wrong.

Risks of Graphic Resumes

Industry specific.

Not all industries are suitable for graphic resumes. Conservative, traditional

industries are very sensitive to clear format. Alternatively, creative industries

are craving for graphic resumes.

Summary Benefits Pitfalls Help you stand out of the crowd. Not meant for Applicants Tracking Systems.

Interesting. Can be perceived as less professional.

Clearly show information. Employment gaps are highlighted.

Highlight strengths. Glance logic.

Help you with branding. Risks Thankful for younger readers. Too much or too flashy colors.

Uniqueness. Distracting shapes.

Easy to make. Industry specific.

Additional positive info for the employer. Can be unclear.

Networking and Shareability. Bad design.

And here are some examples…

It’s a predefined search on Pinterest, actually.

Click on the logo below.

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