“A good design encourages a viewer to want to learn more.” ~ Alexander Isley
An infographic resume, or visual resume, makes the reader more curious and inquisitive to know you more.
This is a competitive job market, you need to do everything in your power to stand out from the crowd. Your infographic resume will be more readable and will make you stand out easily.
In the right hands, it can land you the job of your dreams!
Why?
Because an infographic turns all the heavy informational text into a more visually appealing resume.
This is your opportunity to present your experience, your interests, and achievements in an out-of-box way.
You don’t have to be a design expert to create an infographic. Thankfully, there are many free ad creative tools like Piktochart and Canva to help you create your first infographic resume.
Creating an infographic design all by yourself can be risky though. Your poor design could make you lose out on a job that a normal resume would’ve got you anyway.
If done right, your resume will attract the best employers. That’s why you need to remember these important tips to avoid making it a hodge-podge of a resume.
Here are the do’s and don’ts of infographic resume:
Don’t:
- Add long descriptions. Big walls of texts or paragraphs are not the way to go in an infographic resume.
- Go style over substance. Your infographic resume will be useless if it doesn’t highlight your skills and expertise.
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Do:
- Prioritize. Keep all the information relevant, crisp and minimal.
- Print it out. This to check if you need to change colors or format. It is also easier to proofread and edit your resume when you have it printed before you.
- Research about the role and add desired skills. This is to maintain relevant information on your infographic resume, not manipulate the opportunity.
- Look up similar resumes for the same role. A resume for the role of an IT developer may not work for a profile of a photographer. Doing this will also help you get more inspiration to create a unique resume for yourself too.
- Add personal references. Doing this adds more credibility to your regular resume.
The Actual Process of Creating an Infographic Resume
An infographic resume is much more than just colors, icons and shapes mixed together on a page. The process has some design principles that you need to follow. Doing this will make your resume more pleasing to the eye.
- Keep it clean and simple. Your infographic resume must not look messy. For example, use bubble charts to display years of experience. Don’t convert everything into charts or it may end up confusing the recruiter. Just add the relevant data that is part of your story.
- Pick the right color scheme. Blue and green are professional colors as they inspire trust. The background should be light so your font and other shapes stand out. Don’t use random colors. Pick just one color and use different shades or tones of it.
- Get Personal. Recruiters get dozens of resumes a day. Using cookie cutter template for stating your objectives or skill sets won’t cut it. Be creative and add your personality to your infographic resume.
Use Visual Elements
- Photos – A photo is not always necessary, but if you wish to add then make sure it is a professional one to make the best first impression.
- Statistics – Use charts to display your skills and expertise. A bar graph is the best choice for this type of data.
- Testimonials – If you have a quote from a former employer about you then add it as a recommendation.
- Timeline – This is a great way to showcase your employment history, important milestones, and promotions. A visual representation of your career is better than text, any day.
- Company Logos – People are drawn to brands and respond better to them. If you’ve worked for a well-known company, then be sure to add their logo for it adds more credibility.
- Headlines – Craft a catchy punchline to get the attention of recruiters, while also spelling out important information on your expertise and skills.
This is a guest article by Alice Clarke, who is a passionate writer. She works on a website of academic essay writing and prepares to publish a book. Follow her on Facebook.
