How to Make a Creative-Looking Resume

How to Make a Creative-Looking Resume How to Make a Creative-Looking Resume 23KAre you tired of looking at your same old resume? Unless you’re a graphic designer or filled with tech-savvy creativity, the prospects of redesigning your resume to be a slick, creative, eye-catching, employer-inspiring document can seem slim. But there are ways to make a creative-looking resume without a degree in design. How do you make a creative-looking resume? With this handy, easy-to-use primer, you can add a little flair and creativity to your resume and increase your chances of catching an employer’s eye. And for more creative resume ideas (some of which are not for the faint of heart in terms of design), check out this   Pinterest board for creative resume examples. Understanding Creative Resume Elements There are specific elements in a resume that are prime spots for creativity, including: Color:  To help distinguish each section of the resume, to add a highlight around certain qualifications or accomplishments, and  to make a name or contact information stand out. Lines:  To clearly delineate between different sections  and to help guide the reader throughout the document. White Space:  So the reader knows where to focus,  to avoid overwhelming the reader with text, and to make your resume easier to skim and scan. Graphics:  To add interest and depth to important information, to help the reader visualize your accomplishments, to help the reader remember important stats and numbers, and to help the reader remember key information about your qualifications. Fonts:  To make section headers and your name stand out from the rest of the text  and to make your document more scannable for readers. Creativity in Small Doses Creative elements in your resume should be used to keep a reader’s attention on your accomplishments and qualifications, not distract from them. Creative  and  effective resumes aren’t unusual and interesting from top to bottom. Instead, they have small, creative style elements in meaningful ways. For example, perhaps the person’s name is in an interesting font. Or a chart or graph is used to demonstrate skills in a visual way. Or there are splashes of color. But there aren’t five different fonts, not everything is represented with a chart, and the whole page doesn’t look like a burst rainbow. By using creative elements in small ways, you’re engaging the reader’s eye and drawing their attention without overwhelming them. A Document That Matches the Audience When making a creative-looking resume, it’s vital to keep your audience in mind. People in traditional business fields can use creativity on their resume, but in ways that still respect the traditional nature of their work. People in creative or modern fields, however, have a bit more leeway when it comes to designing their resumes. In fact, for some types of jobs, like graphic or web design, a resume can act as a work sample. But for most folks who work in more traditional fields, creativity needs to be balanced with tradition. A quick  Google Images  search reveals thousands of creative resume examples, and can spark a lot of inspiration if youre looking for ideas. These three resumes do a good job of combining creative  and traditional resume elements: Bare Necessities and Essentials One of the best ways to create a resume that stands out without overwhelming the reader is to stick only to the bare necessities. Those include things like: Summary of qualifications or key qualifications section at the top Most recent  or  most relevant work history (the past 10 years are usually the most important) Contact information: Your name, email address, phone number, LinkedIn URL Degrees and certifications earned (only the relevant ones) Technical skills and skills/certifications that are crucial to your desired jobs Nowadays, if you’re an experienced professional (someone with at least a few years of work experience), your resume doesn’t usually need the following: Street address, unless geography is a key qualification of the job Complete work history Complete educational history, including high school info, college courses taken, thesis paper topics, etc. By ridding your resume of unnecessary information, you create white space that  helps the reader, and you free up additional space for the most essential information. Apply for a Job Today! Readers, do you have a creative-looking resume? What does it look like? Do you want it to be more creative? Leave a comment and tell us your creative resume plans!