7 Uncommon Ways to Make Your Resume Look More Impressive
A resume is an important tool in helping you find a job. But for every work vacancy, there are a million other qualified applicants waiting to fill that position. Many HR personnel browse through hundreds of resumes per day, and they can only afford to spend a few seconds looking at each one. Handing out the same, old, boring CV could mean that yours will get thrown out in the “better-luck-next-time” pile.
Traditional resumes often come in template black and whites, shying away from loud and colourful designs. Aside from their background and skills, most companies nowadays appreciate getting to know more of the applicant’s character through their resume. In this article, we list down 7 uncommon, yet effective ways to make your resume stand out.
Add a Splash of Colour
One way to express your personality or branding is through the use of colours. Different hues convey various meanings: red is used to demonstrate action or passion; orange is used to display determination or productivity; yellow is attributed to optimism and vision; green is connected with the environment or with growth; blue is often associated with trust and reliability; and purple is used to express luxury or inspiration. It’s safe to use more than one colour in your resume, but make sure they complement each other and your overall brand. Do not go overboard with colours to avoid producing rainbow-like resumes.
Think of an Engaging and Intriguing Theme
Create a theme for your resume that will grab the attention of prospect companies. Visual designer Eric Gandhi secured a marketing job at Google by drafting a resume that resembled the search page of Google. Sabrina Saccoccio, a producer-writer on the look-out for freelance jobs, banked on the popularity of Facebook by creating her resume in the manner of the social media’s interface. Philippe Dubost, a web product manager, advertised himself to possible employers by generating a resume made to look like an Amazon page.
Your resume can also demonstrate what kind of interests you have outside of work. Show your passion for movie classics by drafting an old film poster themed resume. If you’re applying for a toy company, a cardboard game themed resume can put you at an advantage.
Sell Yourself … Literally
Applicants should use resumes to advertise themselves to prospective buyers or clients. Why not turn your resumes into actual products and literally sell yourself? Deliver a 4-pack beer resume at the front desk office. Create a missing man milk carton resume complete with brand logo, “expertise” ingredients and “nutrition” skills. Entice coffee loving employers with your very own coffee bag resume. And who can resist taking a bite if you send out a chocolate bar resume?
Show Them What You Can Do
When you’re applying for a skill-specific job, words are not enough to demonstrate what you are capable of doing. Aside from having your skills certified through various Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programs, employers need to have a clear idea of the level of expertise you have. One way to solve this dilemma is to actually show them what you can do, through a video resume. If you’re planning on scoring a music gig at a local bar, include a short sample of your live performance. Seeing you on video helps company owners have a feel of your skills set and get to know more about the person behind the resume.
Add Testimonials
Instead of placing names and contact numbers under the reference part of your resume, why not include a few testimonials? Testimonials are a great way for employers to assess your past performances, from the perspective of people you’ve worked with. You can get good quotes from thank you letters, reference letters from previous employers, and review performances on your LinkedIn profile. Choose quotes that speak directly to a specific skill that is important for companies that you are targeting.
Make it Interactive
When people are encouraged to participate in any activity, they tend to pay more attention to the speaker. The same holds true for interactive resumes. You can create a multi-platform game resume, where one can enjoy the graphics and at the same time be informed of the applicant’s skills, work history and references. One applicant even included a link to her website by putting a QR code on her resume. This one by web developer Guillaume Juvenet showcased his computer and creative skills by providing prompts and commands for viewers to specific parts of his CV. Interactive resumes are a great way to get noticed because they invite viewers to act and participate in an exciting activity.
Maximise the Use of Social Media
More than just creating an impressive resume, you need to make sure that it reaches a wide variety of audience. Fortunately, the Internet has come up with a number of social media tools to help you in getting your resume noticed effectively. Applications such as Pinterest can help combine your online portfolios and other important work information into one organised resume. This applicant used the Twitter video sharing service Vine to create a 6 second video resume. Online services such as About.Me can help applicants create beautiful and compelling graphic presentations and can help link all your social profiles in one page. If the presentation created is good, it gets included in their “most popular” section, where thousands of entrepreneurs, managers, and executives can view your page.
But . . . Use These Tips With Caution!
It is important to remember that not all companies may appreciate these unusual resume styles. When drafting a CV, applicants should take into consideration the company’s objectives and vision so they can tailor the style of their resumes
A resume is your first introduction to any company you’re applying for. You only have a short time to catch the attention of the hiring committee. Drawing inspiration from these tips, you may now create a resume that can represent your creative side. A modern and out-of-the-box resume can boost your chances of standing out from a sea of usual resumes. And that can secure you an interview, and hopefully land you the job you’ve always dreamt of.
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