Unless you’re a professional with a fantastic amount of desirability, the chances are that you’ll find job hunting to be a relatively tedious and sometimes soul-crushing experience. All of the hours you spend sending emails, searching for new opportunities, making phone calls, and simply trying to get noticed by potential employers can be enough to really get on your nerves.
Unfortunately, especially when it comes to resumes, people are more likely than ever to judge a book by its cover. This means that you will need to stand out from the crowd if you want any kind of chance of landing the job that you want.
So how can you be creative with your resume in a way that shows off your skills and keeps you at the top of the list for potential employees?
Design it Yourself
If you’re a creative individual within a creative profession such as product or graphic design, then you should use your skills as much as possible in the presentation of your resume. For example, try submitting your application for the job in the form of an appealing design. The application itself could be a design project used to show off your talents.
For example, Sarah Odgers made a 3D resume for her job application in an attempt to show off her personality and make a spectacular first impression. Although you might think that transporting something in 3D could be difficult, with customized shipping boxes, you could be delivering a reason for your potential employers to remember you.
Be Creative
A creative resume can come in many formats. Generally, what is creative for you will depend significantly on the professional area that you specialize in. For example, if you’re an expert at making clothes and personalizing fabrics, then why not follow in Melissa Washin’s footsteps and try sending out a resume that’s been sewn onto beautiful fabric. By presenting yourself in this way, you are giving the company something tactile which tells them about you, before they even start reading.
If you’re an expert in Google, then why not center your resume on something to do with Google. If marketing is your expertise, then create a poster or advertisement for yourself. A lot of people tend to assume that there is a set of stringent rules in place when it comes to what you can actually do with your resume.
However, the truth is that although a creative option could spark some laughter and jokes about your person, or even be ignored by some workplaces, in others, particularly in creative industries, it could garner the attention that you need and deserve.
Revealing Your True Character
In most resumes, you will have a portion in which you talk about your particular skills. However, simply listing what you are capable of is rarely as effective as showing your abilities first-hand. Give your intended audience an insight into what you can create for them, and you’re more likely to capture their attention and interest. Your resume should do more than just inform, it should encourage people to learn more about you.
