Modern job hunting is incredibly competitive, and technology has made it easier for your resume and application to be overlooked and discarded before you even get to the interview.
Fortunately, the technology is Likewise Here to help. There is no longer a template to apply for a job – you can use social media, websites, and even interactive campaigns to get your name out of a recruiter.
A resume format you may not have considered? Infographics. A very appealing and visually appealing infographic that explains your skills and qualifications can help you stand out from the crowd and serve as a work sample when applying for a job.
It’s important to note that an infographic resume isn’t a good fit for all applications. Submitting a resume in this format through an automated system could disqualify you if the technology cannot read visual information. It is therefore best to stick to the format prescribed in the job advertisement.
While an infographic resume can be a good idea for a more design-related role, it probably isn’t a good idea for most non-design roles. Here’s what six hiring managers have to say about infographic résumés – and how you can create one yourself.
How to create an infographic resume
1. Start with a good structure.
The first thing you should do is figure out which tool you will be using to create your infographic. You can create one in PowerPoint or use pre-made infographic resume templates on a design website like Canva or Venngage.
Once you’ve chosen your tool, you’ll want to identify a good structure. Would you like your name and a brief opening description above? Would you rather place the Education section at the beginning or at the end? Will you incorporate previous positions or just focus on the current one?
Additionally, you may want to find out if your focus is more on icons and pictures or on data.
For example, look at the differences between these two Venngage Infographic resume templates:
In the first Kyle Fisher example, you can see that he structured it so that there was a lot of white space; He also highlighted creative and software engineering skills, leaving room for hobbies.
In the second example from Linda Jackson, however, you’ll find that technical skills and pedagogical training make up the majority of the résumé, along with work experience at the bottom.
If you compare these two infographic resumes, you will find that the structure is very different. Also, consider the position you are applying for and what information is important on your resume regarding the position – and which you can skip.
2. Write down everything you want to include on your infographic resume.
Once you’ve chosen a structure, go to an existing resume and write down anything you want to transfer onto the infographic resume.
For example, if you want your infographic resume to be data-heavy, write down some key metrics about your current position, such as: B. “43% YoY Growth” or “12% MRR Increase”. It’s easier to style your infographic resume when you know what to include.
3. Choose a good color scheme.
A consistent color scheme is an important part of any good design, and this is no exception. Consider using clean, complementary colors – like white, black, and orange, or yellow and teal – to make your resume stand out without being distracting.
4. Have a strong opener.
This is a best practice for everyone continue, but especially for an infographic, start with a good, powerful opener. For example, in the following examples, I’ll write: “Passionate, creative, and motivated Elon graduate with leadership experience and strong communication skills.”
Ultimately, your opener is your value proposition – what will? you put in the role that the HR manager cannot find anywhere else?
5. Use good design principles.
After all, an infographic resume should use the same design principles as anything else.
These include:
- Create balance, with either symmetrical or asymmetrical designs.
- use contrast to highlight certain elements.
- Using Move to build a narrative and provide a high quality user experience.
- Make sure it is unit in your design – that is, the elements of your composition match.
look at it Everything you need to know about the principles and types of design for more information on the design principles.
6 hiring managers’ opinions on the infographic resume
To find out when, if any, infographic resumes are a good idea, I reached out to a few HubSpot recruiters to hear their thoughts.
Kenny Nestle, a G&A recruiter at HubSpot, told me, “Personally, I love infographic résumés. It’s different and stands out from your typical resume, and it’s easy on the eyes. “
Nestle adds, “I had graphs from candidates of the types of roles they supported and metrics related to their current role.”
Repeating Nestle’s perspective, Devon Brown, Executive Recruiting Manager at HubSpot, says, “I love it when candidates use infographics as an opportunity to showcase their creative or design skills.”
However, she urges candidates to ensure that their design is clean and easy to digest. “It has to be formatted so that it can just as easy to read as a typical résumé, “advises Brown.” The flow of information and its presentation are critical when a candidate chooses this path. “
Not every recruiter thinks infographics are a good idea. For example, Sarah Magner, Technical Recruiter, says, “I could understand why people applying for design, marketing, or branding positions use an infographic to stand out, but I always found it a bit distracting Graphics may differ from the actual content of the résumé. “
“I would prefer a legible résumé to a pretty one,” adds Magner.
Tríona O’Sullivan, HubSpot’s global marketing recruiter, agrees with Magner that infographic résumés are usually not a good idea. She told me, “It can be great to see the creative side, but sometimes a candidate can spend so much time designing the template that they are missing important information, mismatched details, or really obvious spelling and grammar problems present in the mix. “
O’Sullivan adds, “With the competition and employment in today’s job market, it is more important to make sure your resume is easy to review and that sets out your experience and accomplishments clearly and quickly because that is what someone will look for first when reviewing. “
Amelia Towle, Head of Brand Infrastructure & Design Team Manager at HubSpot, spoke to her design team about the potential benefits of an infographic resume, but agrees that it’s usually not a good idea. Towle told me, “When I think about the purpose of a resume, it’s a document that your target audience would normally want to scan as quickly as possible in order to get information in an efficient way. If you change the format drastically, you may be forcing more cognitive strain on a busy recruiter just trying to narrow down a potentially huge pool of applicants. “
Towle also told me that if a large company is using resume scanning software, changing the layout can prevent the resume from being interpreted by the scanner.
Ultimately, she believes infographics are usually unwise unless they fit the business you’re applying for: “If it’s a huge HubSpot-sized company, you can shoot yourself in the foot by changing the format beyond what was expected, a small agency focused solely on design could help stand out. “
Towle adds, “Infographics-for-the-sake-of-infographics are probably obsolete, in which case you might want to come up with something new.”
Finally, there are some recruiters out there who don’t necessarily care one way or another. As HubSpot Marketing Recruiter Erica Matos told me, “I don’t care what a resume looks like – instead, I look at the content and make sure they have experience that matches what I’m looking for. I would always love something visually appealing, but if I can’t clearly assess the candidate’s actual experience, it won’t help them get the job. “
You should only create an infographic resume if it makes sense for the role. If the role is design related, an infographic resume can help show some of your skills.
Even if the role is design-related, there are some risks associated with infographic resumes – including difficulty downloading or viewing on devices and design elements that affect the resume itself.
Because of this, you can consider alternative methods to showcase your skills.
For example, O’Sullivan said to me: “Although I don’t love super creative infographic-style résumés, I love it when someone hyperlinks to their portfolio or website, etc. 99% of the time I see a hyperlink for a job. review the cases. “
If you to do If you’re looking to create an infographic resume, take a look at some of these examples for inspiration.
Examples of infographic resumes
1. The colorful, graphic-heavy infographic resume.
The resume created below uses lots of pictures and numbers to highlight relevant information. For example, there is a graphic to showcase the blog posts I’ve written that deserve a spot on the first page of Google; there’s a big “12” to highlight the years of content creation under my belt; and there is even a picture of 10 stick figures to demonstrate my individuality.
2. The data-heavy infographic resume.
In the following infographic résumé (which was also created using HubSpot’s templates), you can see that I used data to highlight most of my accomplishments – like 45% year-over-year growth, 1,400 additional subscribers, or 24,000 hours of managing deadlines.
I also used symbols of a smiley face, pencil, and painter to demonstrate some of my skills in a more visual form.
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