When to Use a Creative Resume Format A creative resume is the exception, not the rule. The times you should use a creative resume are fewer than when you should use a formal resume. Still, it’s a good idea to make your resume reflect your ideal work environment. If your dream job is creative, then you may want a creative resume to match it.
As professional resume designer, Rick Mundon, “In a creative business, it’s almost standard to have a creative resume.” You might use a creative resume when applying to a very innovative company, like Google, or when your future employer values creativity. A creative resume allows you to showcase your creative talent and skills on the resume itself. If you’re applying in marketing for example, a creative resume can show off your ability to sell something: in this case, yourself. If you want to be a graphic designer, you can show off your graphic design skills. Of course, even in creative fields, some companies will place more value on the traditional resume. So, it’s a good idea to have both a creative resume and a standard resume.
Following are some fields in which a creative resume can be a good fit:. Advertising/sales. Marketing/communications. Graphic design/web design. Visual arts.
Acting/theater. Fashion. Startups/innovative new companies Always pay close attention to any guidelines the company posts regarding resumes.
If they request a Word document in standard 12-point font, they probably aren’t looking for a modern resume. If they use an, some creative designs might not be read accurately by the software, so a simple layout may be a better choice. It’s also a good idea to find out who will be reading your resume, if possible. If you’re applying to a creative job but your resume will be read by recruiters who do not work in your field, the creative elements of your resume may be lost to them. Think a creative resume is right for you? Let’s find out what goes into producing one. Creative Resume Design With a creative resume, the sky’s the limit on what design elements you can play with.
However, there are several tried-and-true ideas to get you started. Here are a few of the possibilities you can work with: Color You can use color in more playful ways on a creative resume than on traditional or modern ones. It’s okay to use bold, bright, and multiple colors. Just make sure it’s still easy to read no matter what colors you choose.
If the company you’re applying to has a corporate color scheme (check their logo, website, or offices for ideas), you might want to reflect that in your design. This is a good way to subtly signal that you will fit into their work environment well. Graphics A creative resume might contain symbols or graphics that are related to your industry.
You can use a different icon for each section, or have a single graphic related to your field featured prominently on your resume. No matter what graphic you choose, make sure that it is of high quality and that it fits with the content of your resume. Several of our creative resume templates below have excellent built-in graphics. Professional Photo Maybe you’re applying to work for a quirky local business where personality is a bonus. Or maybe your field is in direct sales or marketing, where you will be interacting face-to-face and forming business relationships with new clients. In any field where your personality or professional appearance is a key component of the job, a photo is a good way to show that off. Including a professional photo of yourself is a great idea for creative resumes.
Make sure your photo is professional. A silly, heavily edited, or unconventional photo is a distraction. It doesn’t provide potential employers with helpful information about you and might hurt your chances of getting a job interview. Unique Layout Creative resumes have been made to look like everything from movie posters to subway maps. You don’t want to copy another candidate’s unique design, but you can use as inspiration, then use one of our templates to make your own attractive resume.
Get creative with your own resume layout, if it’s appropriate for the job you’re applying for. What documents are relevant to your field, and how might you model your resume after them? For example, a resume that looks like a playbill might be an interesting concept for a job at a theater.
A resume that’s modeled after a popular social media site could work well for a social media marketing position. Unique Format. Video or Online Resume. Some people may opt to make a creative resume in an exclusively online format.
Some job seekers have using the presentation software. Others have that tell the story of their achievements and work experience. Several websites exist specifically to help you make an. These can be viewed online or saved as an image to send to potential employers.Making an online-only resume is a risky choice that’s best for highly creative fields. However, some employers will be very impressed that you took that risk. If you think an online or video resume will help you stand out from the competition, go for it–just make sure you have a paper version handy.
Infographic Resume. The infographic resume uses a visual format to provide information about you and your experience. It might include a graph, a pie chart, or another visual way of presenting this information.
Or, the entire resume might be modeled as an infographic.Creating a good infographic resume from scratch can be difficult and time-consuming. There’s more to it than just making a simple table or chart. Instead of doing it all on your own, check out our to make the job easy for you.
Creative Resume Content Whichever creative resume design you choose, the content must be easy to find and logically organized. Think of a resume as a document that tells a story about you and your experience. Is the story arranged in a way that makes sense? Don’t waste a hiring manager’s time by including unnecessary information or making critical information difficult to find. Make sure your contact information is clear, prominent, and easy to read.
Include all the necessary information about your professional experience and education. You can still use a, or with your creative resume design. Whether you arrange it in reverse chronological order or not, be sure that key information like dates of employment is clearly displayed. If you go with a creative format, it’s still important that your resume is free of grammar and spelling errors. A creative design won’t hide sloppy proofreading; in fact, it may call attention to it.
Although it takes a different approach to presenting information, your creative resume should be just as professional and polished as a formal resume. A good creative resume design will enhance and highlight your content, not obscure or distract from it.
No matter how creative or unique your resume design is, it’s still the content that will get you the job. Creative Resume Ideas Here are some more links where you can find creative resume ideas and inspiration. – This is a guide to the pros and cons of creative resumes, along with good and bad examples.
– Get inspired by these cool resumes that were creative enough to be shared on one of the most visual social media sites. – A few more interesting creative resumes that were shared and loved on social media.
– These resumes are so unique that some employers love them and others can’t stand them. Either way, you’ll be fascinated by these extremely creative examples. – Check out these resume ideas that blur the line between a resume and an art project.
– Some creative cover letter ideas that go well with a creative resume–or any resume. This modern resume template has a decidedly American theme. Featuring the Statue of Liberty set against the iconic New York City skyline, this template is suited for professionals seeking extra attention for their location. While New York City is highlighted here, you can change the skyline to create a different resume theme. In this three-column format, you can highlight your work experience, skills, and accomplishments. Size: 183 B.
Downloads: 7841. Filename: transatlantic-america-new-york.docx. Uploaded: 2014-05-06 10:57:00 / 4913.
This template is a Professional Creative Resume template for Pages. It features a modern flat design and is catered to those in the creative industry, but can be customized to fit almost any industry. Plus it comes with 6 different color schemes for you to choose from to match the mood and feel you’re trying to create. It covers all the sections you expect it to cover such as a bio, personal info, contact info, portfolio links, word experience, skills, education, current position, previous positions, references, hobbies, and a cover letter. Everything you need to get a full and impressive resume put together. Each editable text field has been made into a true template text for easy updating, fancy features such as automatic date adding, as well as address book merge for the cover letter. It uses fonts that work and are available on the iPad and iPhone too. So no matter how or where you need to use it you are cover for your Mac or Mobile devices.
What you get with the Creative Resume Template for Pages: This template includes the following:.template – The true template file extension for a pages template. You can use this again and again and this template will remain intact and untouched.pages – The modern file type for Apple Pages.pages (iWork’09) – For those with older versions of Apple Pages If you don’t have Pages you can download it by going to.