How to Make a Creative Resume? Ideas and Examples of Amazing Resumes

Finding a good job is like finding a treasure. Millions of people go out every day hunting for their job opportunity, yet only a few succeed. Companies are overwhelmed with candidates. The curriculum vitae arrive every day by the dozens and pile up in drawers one on top of another. In this situation, if you want to get a vacancy, you have to stand out among the hundreds who came before, and operating in the traditional way you won’t make it:

You need to stop being invisible, stand out from the competition, and seduce the company. That’s why we are going to talk about how to create a creative resume, a resume whose fate is not to die forgotten in a drawer.

Here are our tips and a few examples. Let us know if you find them useful.

Good things, when brief, are twice as good

Please, don’t start writing your work resume from your high school days when you were handing out Carrefour flyers. Summarize your work and academic experience on a single page, and if you need to explain time gaps, write a brief, very personal text (very you) at the beginning or end of your resume explaining why you have so much background. If you have very extensive academic training or work experience, keep the most important or the information that may interest the company you are applying to.

Time is a very valuable resource, so you must save it for those who will give you the job interview.

The first impression is what counts: catch the eye!

If you submit the predefined resume that comes with Word, keep in mind that your resume will be as ugly and boring as those of countless candidates who arrived before you. Make an impact! Submit a resume that stands out at first glance. It’s not that hard and you don’t have to be an advanced graphic designer. On Graphicriver you can find hundreds of creative resumes for less than 5 dollars. Buy one that matches your style and ask a friend who knows a bit of Photoshop to help you: your future is at stake!

If you know how to design or draw or vectorize, you have no excuse. Get inspired by these unique resume designs and create your own… original, disruptive, and creative:

Be different. Be special. Be unique. Be you.

As you have seen in the previous examples, those who stand out are different from the rest, and when we say “the rest” we mean the human mass looking for employment, which from now on will be “your competition.” If you don’t want to be part of the mass, you’ll have to do something remarkable for your resume. Here are some ideas:

1- Talk about yourself. Not everything in a resume is data and more data with dates interspersed; leave space to write about yourself, in a natural tone, with sincerity and without too much formality. Talk about your aspirations, your talent, your past and your future… Let them know a bit about you, seduce them for who you are…

2- The typical passport photo is boring. Try inserting a different photo in your resume. If you’re a chef, dress as one and take a photo with your signature dish. If you’re an IT specialist, put your photo inside a computer screen and wave to the camera. If you’re an office worker, surround yourself with filing cabinets and put a pen behind your ear… These are just ideas, find your style and take an original and casual photo that represents your profession, you will stand out from your competition and they will remember your face (and your resume). [divider_space]

Another option (alternative) is to not include a photo and replace this element with an image that represents you (a mythical animal, a caricature of yourself, a part of your body) or with a logical or aesthetic explanation for why you decide not to include your photo. This is also interesting.

Here are several examples of different photos in creative resumes:

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3- There’s life beyond the A4 sheet. If you really want to break the mold, escape the A4 sheet! There are countless creative physical supports to present your resume: (structures, boxes, containers, bags) and also digital supports (video resumes, websites…). Think about what you could do beyond paper and present yourself with a high-impact resume.

These success stories will inspire you:

• Robby Leonardi created an interactive application as a resume. SuperRobby strolls through different animated screens showing his career and skills. You need to know illustration, vectorization and programming, but if anyone knows how, there’s no better way to summon the Job God:

 

• Nico Castán made a video resume by building a message with a collage of commercials. The result is a wonderful zapping:

• Michiel Das got a job with only three business cards and the theory of six degrees of separation: how? by delivering business cards to people he knew might be connected to someone who was looking for a professional like him. A simple and creative idea that worked out great.

If you are going to submit your resume in paper format, print it on thick and shiny paper and take it personally to the company, or send it as a gift to the manager of the company, with a handwritten note, in a box with chocolate or other things that have to do with your personality and your work. If you do this, you will be remembered.

Everything counts, even the smallest details

While you create your resume, don’t overlook the details: if you want to work in a creative company, don’t put a black and white CV without images or any creativity; and if you want to work in a bank, you may want to avoid crazy fonts and bright colors. Adapt your resume to the company and the position you are applying for.

Finally, proofread your resume many times, have someone else read it, and review spelling and grammar carefully. Remember: there’s no second chance for a first impression.