Not so fast.
While colorful and creative might help your resume stand out
from the white and mundane stack of papers (or win you a spot on the
refrigerator), it may not have the persuasive power that you hope for in
getting the job. In fact, the creative resume idea could just backfire on you
and your job searching dreams. Notice I said that it “could backfire,” not “will
backfire.”
 | |
| "It's pink and scented! Adds a little something extra, don't you think?" -Elle Woods |
The Mundane Majority
In reality, it all depends on the company. But the odds are
not in your favor. In a survey done by The Creative Group, 70% of employers
preferred a traditional resume (that is, white paper, clear format, and no selfies).1
But why? Remember those old-school, conservative folks that you were
determined to set yourself apart from? Well as it turns out, they are the ones
doing most of the hiring. And it is very likely that they simply aren’t
interested in all of your “creativity” shenanigans. Debbie Millman, president
of Sterling Brands, mentioned in an interview for Forbes that she would “discourage
[job seekers] from using any colors, icons, fancy fonts, background designs, or
infographs.” Other employers in the same interview mentioned any sort of
graphic resumes as being distracting, and as evidence that the seeker is trying
too hard to be noticed.2 A Human Resource specialist on even went so
far as to say that creative resumes are “tricks… used by less competitive
candidates.” 3
It’s also important to take into consideration that many
resumes must go through an applicant tracking system (ATS), which in short is a
machine that searches for key phrases in your resume in order to determine if
you meet minimum qualifications. While most of these systems can pick up of
phrases in resumes that are formatted differently, some can’t. This is one of
those times when you have to decide if it’s worth the risk of your beautiful
designs never even being seen by a human eye.
There is still hope for the Infographs
While 70% of employers prefer traditional resumes, the
remaining 30% do not. This is where your major comes into play. Are you majoring
in Finance? Sorry, whatever creativity you have will have to stay at home. For
more formal, corporate positions, resumes need to be traditional and concise.
Are you pursuing a career in design or advertising? Then the creative resume
may just be down your alley! For jobs in which graphics and creativity are a
must, it only makes sense to give the employer a “sample” of your expertise, so
have at it. There are also companies who are becoming much more intertwined
with the non-traditional work style. These companies, clearly, would also be
more accepting of creative resumes. Google, for example, recently hired a man
who formatted his resume to mimic, you guessed it, a Google results page.
Google also has its board meetings in beanbag chairs. Need I say more? That
being said, if you do decide to take the creative path, make sure whatever
creation you come up with remains relevant to the position (Glitter is still pushing it). And always, ALWAYS, have a back-up, traditional resume.
The Golden Rule
Whether you choose decide to go for broke on your resume, or
take the easier, more traditional path, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t
inform you of the golden rule of ALL resumes: Content is what matters most. If
anything in your resume requires the slightest sacrifice of lean, qualifying
content, drop it and don’t look back.
Need help with your resume? Swing by Career Services any
time between 3 and 5, Monday-Thursday for our walk-in resume critiques!
Links concerning creative resumes:
Image from: collegejuice.com
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