When a hiring manager scans through a resume, they are trying to assess a person’s experience and qualifications as quickly as possible. With hundreds, and sometimes thousands of resumes to look through each day, their job is to earmark talent and weed out candidates that show less potential. If they take more than a few minutes to look through each resume they are slowing down the efficiency of the hiring process. That’s why it is more important than ever to think of creative ways to showcase your talent.
A resume that stands out should not just tell, it should also show. That’s why this year we are seeing a huge increase in design-based resumes. A resume laid out as an infographic not only displays your qualifications in a way that is creative and easy to digest, it also shows off your computer and design skills. For examples of this kind of resume, do a quick search on Pinterest and you can see how people are creatively displaying their talent right on their resume. This kind of resume is especially important for anyone who is interviewing for a graphic design or layout job, but it can also be used by people applying for any kind of creative position to show that you believe in excellence and can pull off something that stands out in a really spectacular way.
You can also consider a video resume as long as you keep it short and to the point, a testimonial-style resume, or a resume that is laid out like an advertisement. If the job you want will involve creating presentations, make a PowerPoint resume. If you are a programmer, create a simple interactive resume online that proves your capabilities from the get-go. If there are unique skills that your job requires that you can display as your actual resume, that is a wonderful idea.
Pull inspiration from all of these suggestions and then use your specific skills and talents to create a resume unlike anything the hiring manager has every seen before. Just remember, when you are innovating and pushing boundaries, have a few people you trust look over your resume and give you suggestions about where you should reign things back in a little.
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