Infographic Resumes - a new approach to resume writing

TheFORCE

What do you think about the Infographic resume format? Its a new approach to express yourself and maybe give you an edge, even though it hasnt picked up a lot I did see some samples online.

This is what an Infographic resume is.



I'm thinking, next time I'll update my resume I'll do it as an Infographic and try it out when applying for jobs testing the the common Word format vs the Infographic format.

Whats your opinion? Certainly it catches your eye.

Edit: attached are samples found on Google.

TechGromit

WOW, certainly colorful. Not going to help you much when your asked to upload your resume for an application were your restricted to black and white, I highly doubt they will support graphics and colors. So realistically not sure how much this will help you land an interview. You can certainly hand them your new resume format at interview time, but it's really not going to help you much to land that interview.

This would have worked better in the past, when you mailed your resume in when applying for a position, but most companies have online application systems now, half of the time, they don't even support Word format, you have copy paste your resume into a text based box the usually F's up your nice resume formatting, sometimes they allow you to upload your Word DOC file as well. Since the text based application system is searchable, it's far easier to sift though 100's applications, then to look at each Word Document resume. So your colorful resume may not even get a view when HR is picking applications to send to the hiring manager. It's a nice idea, if I saw it I'd give you a +1 for originality and creativity, but it's really not practical, not to mention how you going to copy paste that into a text based application system?

EANx

I always recommend two things about resumes: 1) Put in things that enhance the likelihood you'll be interviewed and 2) eliminate anything that could interfere with #1. This format could certainly be good for some industries and maybe some mediums but for submitting a resume, I'd say it violates #2. Too many organizations use things like key-word searches. In addition, you'll me making people figure out how your resume works. If I have to go through 50 resumes, the ones that make me try to find the info I need get tossed the fastest. Save the new format for a handout.

LordQarlyn

While we can all agree on that it is very important to get noticed, the recurring mantra is don't stray from the standard formats. In other words, you're expected to get your resume noticed, while keeping it the same style as everyone else.
The most glaring item of concern in both resumes is no field for accomplishments. In this day and age, listing your experience along with your technical skills is no longer sufficient. You need to put down things you accomplished in your previous jobs that 1) increased revenue, 2) lowered costs, or 3) improved output/productivity, or a combination of the three. This is especially the case when you move up the IT chain.
Personally, I like the creative format you showcased here, but unfortunately it probably won't fly too well with the corporate types.

McxRisley

I personally hate this, I would take one look at it and toss it in the trash. If I'm looking at your resume I wana see 3 things. 1) your education 2) your skills/certs that you claim to have 3) your job history. I don't wana see any of this nonsense that could send someone into an epileptic siezure.

N7Valiant

First one, no. Second one looks more appealing, mostly because it's less cluttered.

I'm not sure how I feel about this relative ranking of your own skill. You could say your skill in CSS is 7 colored bars out of 8. I'm not sure that means more to a recruiter than saying that you have 6 years of experience using CSS to design web pages for Company A, because the latter is objectively quantifiable whereas the former is like asking you to rank Pizza as a favorite food on a scale of 1 to 10.

It may be more eye catching to a human, but how will the ATS interpret all that?

Phalanx

It depends on the country as well as the culture of the company. I use a CV similar to this and it has got me an interview with every job I have applied for in the last 5 years. Mine isn't as graphics-heavy as you're showing, but it shows everything relevant in a readable manner either in detail or skim-reading, and it all fits on a single page. I've had more than one compliment on my CV layout when interviewing, but then I've never applied outside of the UK.

Danielm7

If you are applying for a marketing or design job, sure! In IT, not so much. As everyone else already mentioned too, my first thought was that an HR system would puke if handed one of those.

networker050184

I kind of like it but it depends on the type of job. Hip startup or stuffy corporate? Know your audience.

cyberguypr

As a Sr. person who hires my first thoughts are "HELL NO!" and the "NOOOO". From a candidate perspective it's a gamble and I am certainly not willing to risk losing a job for getting creative. I may be biased becuse I've always worked in business environments that dont react well to these "trends".

N7Valiant

networker050184 wrote: »

I kind of like it but it depends on the type of job. Hip startup or stuffy corporate? Know your audience.

Yeah, I was thinking a startup might specifically like that format over a Fortune 500 "just the facts maam" kind of company.

scaredoftests

..hmm no.