Key Steps to Create an Infographic Resume Plus Tips and Tricks
– Infographic Resume –
Many employers are no longer following the standard application and wait for the application model. Now, they’re checking applicants on social media and visiting their personal sites.
In this article, we’ll review the key steps to use when creating an infographic resume.
What Is an Infographic Resume?
An infographic resume is a type of resume based on visual representations of your skills and experience such as timelines, graphs, icons, or bar charts.
Unlike a traditional resume style, which just uses text, an infographic resume uses graphic design elements. You have an A+ work ethic, an impressive portfolio of skills, and an epic list of accomplishments to your name.
Text-only resumes are yesterday’s news. The infographic or visual resume—which uses charts, icons, and other graphic design elements to show vs. tell a person’s professional story—is the new darling of the recruiting world.
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When to Use Infographic Résumés
Because many applicants are submitting résumés, on LinkedIn, with lengthy blocks of text and no images, an infographic résumé can be a visual relief to the hiring manager.
Instead of trying to skim through a large paragraph, infographics allow the reader to quickly see what is most important about you as an applicant and set you apart.
Who Should Use an Infographic Résumé?
Anyone can use a visual résumé, but that doesn’t mean you should. Typically, you will see these types of résumés in creative fields such as graphic design, marketing, or PR.
Doing so not only helps you stand out as an applicant, but it also can be a great way to showcase your artistic abilities and design skills.
While infographic or visual résumés may be tempting to use, most job seekers should stick to the traditional résumé.
How to Create Infographic Resume
To aid you in your job search, we’ve handpicked 5 examples of stunning infographic resumes that will make the perfect first impression on any hiring manager and inspire you to create your own.
1. Use Data Visualizations
Full of colorful data visualizations in the form of graphs and timelines, this infographic resume is unique in its ability to communicate a ton of information through visuals in just a few seconds.
If you want to impress recruiters who don’t have a lot of time to read through paragraphs of text, then this is definitely the way to go.
2. Visualize Your Interests and Skills Using Charts
An infographic resume gives you the opportunity to present your qualifications in a visually engaging way.
Look for dates, numbers, and key points in your graphic resume and use charts to visualize them.
3. Add A Decorative Border to Your Infographic Resume Template
A border is an easy way to make your resume template more eye-catching. Start by picking an image for your border.
Then, use a rectangle icon for the area where you’ll put your text: The result is an attractive resume that says a bit more about your personality than a plain old document.
4. Display Your Sense of Humor
You won’t get hired solely for your ability to make someone laugh, but emphasizing something a little lighter—like an icon about coffee or a note about Comic Sans—helps you convey that you won’t be a wallflower at the office happy hour.
5. Use Icons to Become Iconic
Rather than relying on charts and graphs, Matthew Hall interspersed simple but lively images in his resume to get the point of each section across quickly.
When to Use One
Unless requested, hiring managers typically prefer traditional resumes over infographic resumes.
Unless you are a design professional, it can be really hard to pull off a great infographic resume, and sending in a not-so-great one is likely to do more damage than good.
Another major downside of an infographic resume is that it can be missed in the job application process, as a company’s Application Tracking System, which automatically scans resumes for keywords, may not be able to recognize text in an infographic resume.
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Infographic Resume Tips and Tricks
Regardless of your experience, there are several guidelines you should always follow.
1. Minimize Your Use of Colors
The best bet is to stick to three to four colors, either varying shades or separate colors that work well together.
Blues and greens are a good starting point. Ideally, your background should be a solid light color, with darker text.
2. Remember this is a Professional Document
Avoid loud, cutesy, or cartoon-ish graphics that will detract from the content of your resume. Be mindful of your font use.
3. Ensure Your Layout Makes Coherent Sense
You should aim to follow some sort of logical, or chronological, flow of information.
For example, your name and email shouldn’t be at the bottom of the document. If you’re brand new, this is where a template will come in handy.
4. Keep it Simple
It cannot be stressed enough. Even if your design employs a masterful use of charts and uses beautiful colors.
If it’s hard to read or if the key components of your resume are challenging to decipher, the infographic resume is going to work against you.
Also, it pays to remember what you should not do when creating your resume, so check out this helpful guide on resume killers to avoid, too!
I hope this information was really helpful. Don’t hesitate to share with friends and family.
CSN Team.
