Does job searching feel daunting to you? When you put your best foot forward, it can be intimidating to be vulnerable in front of a recruiter, hiring manager, or future coworkers. Being confident of your skillsets begins with a strong resume. Because first impressions are so important, increasingly more job seekers are choosing to go the nontraditional route to set themselves apart from other candidates. But is an unconventional resume or CV simply a passing trend?
When should you use a nontraditional resume?
When might a more nontraditional resume be appropriate to use? Consider either your field (or the one you would like to be in). If you are a copywriter, for instance, having samples ready of a blog you have contributed to or an e-book you authored might be relevant. Say you would like to branch out into graphic design – can you provide an infographic or website you worked on? Use your best judgment and if you ever have doubts, keep a more conventional resume on hand.
However, if you feel that a different approach is needed, below are 4 examples of nontraditional resumes you can reference in updating your own.
Canva
Are you familiar with the graphic design website Canva? It requires no graphic design background and there are both free and paid versions. Choose from their extensive template library, or create your own by adding bold text, shapes, or colors.
With Canva, you can choose from hundreds of variations on the more traditional resume.
Interactive
Just like it sounds, an interactive resume is one that showcases your skills and experience in an engaging, creative way. One of the best-known examples is from Robby Leonardi, who created this interactive resume to showcase his talents in coding and UX/UI design.
One of the best known examples of an interactive resume is from game designer Robby Leonardi.
How does one go about this? Tableau released a webinar on how to create an interactive resume as part of their Generation Data series. You can also browse Dribbble (3 B’s, make sure you have them all), which features work from designers around the world.
Video resume
A video resume may be for you if the position you’re applying to involves editing, presenting, or performing. Identify the message you want your viewers – in this case, hiring managers or recruiters – to come away with. What is the best way to convey that message: voiceover, a demo, or even animation? Video is a powerful way to tell your story, but keep in mind that poorly edited or otherwise low-quality media could have the opposite effect of what you intended.
Watch a brief yet visually stunning example from cinematographer Mattias Larsson.
Your Turn
Now that you have seen a few examples of nontraditional resumes, would you consider creating your own? Are there any other fun examples we should know about? Share the links in the comments below.