In a Wall Street Journal article, Special Résumé Looks Can Do Quite a Job at Getting You Noticed, published today, Sarah Needleman points out that recruiters and employers get inundated with hundreds of resumes for each position posted.  So, how do you make your resume stand out from the rest?  By getting creative.

In the story Needleman quotes a VP from a technology company who states that less than 5% of the resumes he receives use creative designs.  The rest follow the same “cookie-cutter” approach to applying for open positions.

For the full story visit http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB118764668396403385.html and for a longer version of the same story visit http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/resumes/20070821-needleman.html?cjpos=home_whatsnew_major

As a career change instructor and a source for the above story, I was quick to point out that creative resumes need to be used appropriately, however, and can have drawbacks.

First, many employers rely on resume software to scan incoming resumes.  Creative resumes often don’t fit the software programs’ parameters and as a result can get kicked out of the system.  To help ensure your resume actually gets reviewed by a human being, always send a hard copy of the resume following an email version – stating you will do so in your cover letter.

Secondly, companies often use entry level HR people to review the large amount of resumes to narrow the field.  If your creative resume is hard to read or follow your skills may get over looked.  Therefore, it is important to keep your creative resume simple and easy to read.

Thirdly, creative resumes tend to be wordy and lengthy.  Busy HR departments and hiring managers do not have, nor do they want, to take the time to read lengthy resumes.  To help offset this, make sure your creative resume “gets to the point” and displays your skills in an easy-to-find manner.

And finally, know your market.  If you are applying for a conservative position at a conservative company, use creativity sparingly.  Instead of sending a brightly colored resume with lots of charts and graphics to a law firm, for example, follow a more traditional approach and simply add a few pull quotes or logos (see above article).

I, for instance, have several versions of my resume … a press release I use for PR writing opportunities and a few creative versions of the more traditional functional-format I use for highlighting targeted management skills.

What is important is making sure your resume gets noticed, without getting thrown in the trash.  For specific examples, go to the library and check out resume builder books.  Many will provide examples of well and poorly done resumes as well as specific keywords for your industry.

Regardless of your resume approach, make sure you proofread proofread proofread.  Nothing kills a job opportunity as quickly as a typo.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 21st, 2007 at 8:40 am and is filed under World of Work. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.