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    How to make your resume creative and fun

    Synopsis

    Read on to know how you can give your mundane CV a makeover to grab the attention of recruiters and ensure an interview call.

    By Devashish Chakravarty

    Are you sick and tired of editing your boring resume each time you look for a new role? Your one pager is never going to do justice to your personality and abilities. Since the only role of a resume is to get you an interview call, there are other interesting ways to present your profile.

    Infographic

    Use an infographic or a visual resume format to showcase your achievements and work history using graphs, charts and images. Use a picture to depict a timeline and show experiences, projects and skills along that timeline. Make sure you convey similar information as you would in a traditional resume— contact details, professional and educational history, skills, achievements etc. The aim of this resume is to convey data in a visual format thus achieving greater impact as opposed to a text resume. Your resume will stand out from the crowd that has applied for that role. On the flip side, many employers use ATS (applicant tracking systems) to sort the thousands of resumes they receive. These systems will fail to read your images and thus your resume may be consigned to the junk folder. Prefer an infographic format if you are a designer, marketing person, visual artist etc where the resume will serve an additional purpose of showcasing your creativity. Use this format only where you are sure that a pair of human eyes and not a software will look at it and shortlist you. You can put this resume up on Pinterest or even Facebook and get attention for your efforts.

    Video

    A video resume is a fun way to present yourself and has the highest impact on the viewer. If you are adventurous, you can also upload your video on YouTube or Vine. Take a short video of yourself of least 30 seconds but not longer than 2 minutes. Speak into the camera as you would in front of an interview panel and describe your experiences and qualifications. Get the lighting, dress and impact right. If you can get help from an expert, edit the video to include images, infographics and slides with background music. Find samples of such resumes on the net to get an idea of what is possible. When you email the video or link across, also attach a copy of your traditional resume so that the employer can use it for internal administrative processes. The biggest advantage of a video resume is that employers are able to put a face to your name and assess your communication skills right away. A video resume is not recommended for senior professionals or where communication skills are irrelevant because either the firm may not take you seriously or find irrelevant weaknesses in your communication. It also does not work for companies hiring in bulk because the person shortlisting typically spends a few seconds per resume and will not go through your video. It works best where you are directly interacting with a decision maker and for roles where communication skills are critical.

    Online

    An online or social resume is one that is shared through a blog, a personal website or social media. This gives you immense freedom to present yourself in multiple ways including animations, videos, pictures, infographics and even adding your standard resume for people to download. Pay attention to visual design aspects and how you structure elements on your webpage to maximise readability and impact. Take inputs from friends and colleagues before you go online. Visit your page often and keep it updated. Link it to your other social media accounts. Finally, put your page as a link on your traditional resume. This method works best when you want to showcase your mastery of social media—PR roles, media managers, e-commerce, marketing, web design etc. It is a terrible idea to use this format if you are unable to creatively and continuously manage your website and a fleshed out online presence. A special case of an online resume is the portfolio resume where designers, artists and photographers can offer a visual showcase of their work. Cross linking to their social media profiles then drives relevant people to the site.

     
    LinkedIn

    A LinkedIn resume is special case of a traditional resume. Since most people have a LinkedIn profile which is visible to the world, it makes sense to work on it and make it a full resume. The key advantage is that there is no issue with formatting or structuring and it is extremely easy to create and edit. After making the resume, you can download and share a pdf with potential employers. Use the summary paragraph to highlight key skills, keywords and career objective. In the experience section, use the reverse chronological format and write more about recent jobs than older ones. Use numbers and benchmarks to showcase achievements. Add photographs, documents and links where relevant. Ask people to write recommendations and likewise write for people you know professionally. Endorse people for their skills and give them an opportunity to endorse yours. The more visibly networked you are, the more credible you appear. The biggest benefit of this exercise is that you get a strong LinkedIn profile making it easier for active recruiters to search and find you. Use this resume in all cases except where the work you do is sensitive.

    THE USUAL RESUMES

    CHRONOLOGICAL

    Write your work and education history in reverse order—the latest first. This makes it easier for the reader to focus on recent and relevant experience. Good for a fresher or if you have had a logical career path without significant gaps.

    FUNCTIONAL

    If you have had breaks in your career, diverse job profiles or are changing careers, it is better to take attention away from timelines and focus on skills and experiences. List dates and job history under respective skill headers.

    COMBINATION

    A combination format brings out details in work experience and crafts a better profile. Either organise jobs chronologically and break down each into skills or list skills on the top in a summary and follow it up with a resume below.

    TARGETED

    Works best when you have researched the job and prospective employer. Customise the resume to mirror the job requirements without compromising on accuracy. Detail out experiences and education that are relevant to the new profile.



    The writer is Director, Executive Search, QuezX.com
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