Creative And Visual Resume Formats
When it comes to creative resumes, there are no specific formats. The resume itself is used as a work sample, depiction, or presentation of skills apart from the information provided. Young professionals in creative profiles have started the trend of using visual resumes, especially graphic designers and writers. On similar lines, developers have used HTML based resumes, animators and filmmakers have used video scripts, UI/UEx developers have used interactive flash files, and so on. Here are a few samples to take inspiration from.
Note:
It is important to understand that these resumes are not accepted everywhere and should be used with care. Also, they are difficult or impossible to run through application tracking software.
Real Estate Resume Objective Example
Only through a deep understanding of what a prospective home buyer is looking for can a real estate broker deliver an experience that drives value for both the home buyer and the real estate agent. This have been my governing philosophy over the last 7 years as a real estate agent and it has helped me to sell over 50 homes in that time frame.
Details About How You Made An Impact
Dont just include what you did. Include how well you did it too. Does a company want to hire the person who made sales calls or the person who followed up on 10+ leads a day, resulting in $200K in new revenue for FY 2019? If you created any new processes or were part of any big projects, include thatand the resultsas well. Adding details makes your achievements more concrete and shows prospective employers that youre someone who gets things done.
Recommended Reading: Include Gpa On Resume
Curriculum Vitae Format Guide
If youre pursuing opportunities in academia or looking for work outside the United States, you may need to create a CV for your job search. This document provides employers with a detailed account of your professional and educational history to decide whether youre a good fit for a job.
Formatting your CV correctly is necessary to make your document clear, professional and easy to read. There are three CV primary format options to choose from: chronological, functional and combination. In this article, we discuss how to create a compelling CV, provide formatting tips and examples.
If you aren’t sure how to format your CV, check out Indeeds professional resume review services.
Related: What Is a CV?
Next Steps: Tailoring Your Resume To The Job
Now that you know what sections to put on your resume, let’s talk about its content.
It’s essential that any information you’ve mentioned on your resume is relevant to the job.
We really cant emphasize enough how important it is for you to check every section you have put on your resume and make sure each one is tailored to the job/position you are applying for.
Why?
Because the hiring manager wants the job seeker that’s applying for THEIR position, not sending a mass application to 50+ different companies.
So, heres how youd tailor your resume to the job youre applying for. As step #1, take a look at the job ad and identify top requirements and skills.
Lets use the following ad as an example:
As you can see, the most important requirements are:
- 5+ years of experience in the field
- Skills in Copywriting, Photoshop, and email marketing
- Practical experience creating and optimizing landing pages
Now, you need to make sure you mention all of these in your resume, in whichever section theyre relevant.
Now that you know exactly what to put on a resume, we thought it would be helpful to also cover what NOT to put on a resume.
Read Also: How To Build A Acting Resume With No Experience
What Should I Do If My Skills Dont Match The Job Description
During your job search, youâre probably going to come across a job that looks perfect for your goals. Unfortunately, the employer asks for skills that you donât have. What should you do?
First, determine whether the skills are hard skills or soft skills. If a job requires specific technical skills to be successful and you donât have them, you likely shouldnât apply. You wouldnât do well in this position, and this is exactly the type of qualification that ATS scans are designed to filter out. You should spend your time on other job applications or learning those skills instead.
When youâre lacking soft skills, you can try to leverage similar experiences or transferable skills. You might not have experience managing a department, but you may have managed a project. Include that on your resume instead. If youâre not experienced at public speaking, mention your experience leading a meeting or being interviewed for a podcast instead. Do your best to relate the soft skills you have to the work experience you lack.
Keep in mind that some jobs have requirements that an employer wonât budge on. It is important to include every single one of these requirements in your resumeâs skills section. Identify these skills in the job description with the markers ârequirementsâ or âbasic qualifications.â In shorter job descriptions, you may have to infer which desired skills are the core requirements of the job.
Detail Your Work Experience
The work experience section is the heart of your resume. Employers look at this section closely to determine whether your job history and prior accomplishments make you a promising candidate.
Thats why its important to detail not only your job responsibilities but also your competence in prior roles. The work experience section is your chance to show recruiters and hiring managers how you have added unique value to other companies.
The first things a recruiter looks for on your resume are the job titles youve held and the caliber of companies youve worked with. Make this information easy to find by sticking to a familiar format.
List each job in reverse-chronological order. Each job should have its own subheading that includes the following information:
- Company
You May Like: How To Change The Resume In Linkedin
What Are The Most Important Items To Include On My Resume
It can be difficult to discern which resume items are most helpful to include when applying for a job. A resume should feature your professional and personal strengths in a comprehensive yet concise manner. The Wisconsin Job Center has a helpful and thorough guide to composing a resume. If you want to avoid unnecessary or unhelpful information while featuring the most relevant and useful aspects of your experience and qualifications, then this brief guide should set you on the right track.
College Student Resume Objective Example
Diligent college student at the University of Pittsburgh who is equally committed to academic excellence and service looking for an opportunity at ABC Corp as a part-time employee to utilize these talents to improve customer satisfaction.
I’m looking for an internship where I can utilize my experience with natural language processing and building web apps for non-technical users to further the mission of Coursera in democratizing education across the world.
Don’t Miss: How To Update Resume On Linkedin
How To Pick The Right Resume Format
There are three types of resume formats: reverse chronological, functional or skills-based, and a combination of the two. The choice depends on the type of job you are applying for and your level of experience.
The 3 resume formats are:
1) Reverse chronological resume format – This is the most popular resume format and is ideal for people with plenty of work experience that is relevant to the position theyre interested in.
2) Functional/skills-based resume format If you lack relevant work experience because you are a student/recent graduate, or you are looking to make a career change, the skills-based format is a better choice.
3) Combination resume format The combination resume is a great choice for job-seekers with a very diverse skill-set. Its useful if youre applying for a role that requires expertise in 3-4 different fields, and you want to show all that in your resume. Say, for example, youre applying for a senior management role, and the requirements are expertise in Management, Sales, and Software Development.
So, which one do you go for?
In 90%+ cases, youd want to stick to the reverse-chronological resume format. This is the most common one, and most HR managers are used to this. Hence, in this guide, were going to focus on this specific format.
If youre a recent graduate, or possess a diverse set of skills & work experience, you might want to pick one of the other 2 formats. Check out our guide to resume formats to learn how to write either.
More Soft Skills Than Hard Skills
As mentioned earlier, employers have a preference for seeing hard skills on a resume. The right place to highlight soft skills is your cover letter or in an interview, where you can better demonstrate communication skills, interpersonal skills, active listening, and more.
So as you review your resume, its a problem if you find many soft skills but few hard skills and job-related skills.
In fact, you should be looking to highlight these job-related skills in practically every resume section, starting with your resume summary paragraph.
Read Also: How To Update Your Resume On Linkedin
General Resume Objective Examples
Throughout school and in my early career I’ve been laser-focused on delighting customers through helping them find the right products and making them feel valued. I want to bring that skillset to ABC Corp to help continue with your incredible growth.
Hard-working, driven, ambitious professional seeking a growth opportunity within a meritocratic company like ABC Corp. Always willing to debate and advance the best idea to achieve positive business outcomes regardless of the source of that idea.
I’m a voracious reader and that hobby has honed my ability to learn new concepts quickly and ask insightful and meaningful questions. Combined with my strong work-ethic I know I’ll be able to quickly learn and positively contribute to ABC Corp.
How To Format Personal Information On Your Resume
Resume format is one of the most important aspects of designing and writing a resume. Why? Because your personal details and resume info needs to stand out, look good, and be clear. If the hiring manager cant work their way around your resume easily, its already off to a rocky start.
Here are some important formatting facts to taking into account when writing your personal details on a resume:
- Use the same font, font size, and formatting as the rest of your resume.
- Keep each piece of contact information on separate lines.
- Always list your email address in lowercase letters as many recruiters copy and paste your email.
- Double-check spelling of important contact details such as your cell phone number.
- Dont list your details at the very bottom of your resume. Try listing them in a column to the side, under your name, or near the top half of your resume.
If you need more formatting tips such as a list of acceptable fonts for resume use, check out the rest of our website and blog for resume-writing tips.
Also Check: How To Put Typing Speed On Resume
Secretary Resume Objective Example
Patient, friendly, and organized secretary with experience working in offices of 10 employees all the way up to 200 employees. All newcomers to buildings I work in whether they be prospective clients or new employees are greeted like old friends. Looking for an opportunity at a growing organization like ABC Corp to maintain calendars and solve one-off office related problems for colleagues.
Resume Summary Or Objective
Your resume summary or objective should be a short, one to two sentence section that briefly explains who you are and why youre qualified. Carefully review the job posting for clues on which of your technical and soft skills will be most important and relevant.
Resume summaries and objectives are slightly different, and you should choose to include one or both depending on your background and the position youre seeking. A resume summary will describe your work experience, while a resume objective will state your short-term goals.
A summary is good if you have at least some work experience that can be quickly summarized. An objective statement, however, is better suited for those who have recently graduated from high school or college, or who otherwise have limited job experience.
Your resume summary could say:
Thoughtful construction laborer with over five years of experience helping manage teams toward successful and safe completion of housing projects.
Your resume objective could say:
Recent graduate eagerly looking to expand construction labor experience with a growing contractor.
In both your resume section and your summary, its important to avoid talking about topics more suited to a job interview, such as how much youre hoping to earn.
Related: Does a Resume Need an Objective Statement?
Read Also: Cpr Resume
Utilize Your Space Effectively
CVs can become lengthy, especially if youve been in your industry for several years and have amassed a great deal of experience. To ensure youre using space effectively and your CV is easy to read, consider using the following techniques:
Organize with bulleted lists: Make lists, easier to consume by adding small bullets.
Use section headers: Distinguish section headers from the rest of your CV content by making them bolder, larger or underlined.
Bold keywords: In addition to section headers, consider bolding other important words, such as your name and job titles, to set them apart.
Remove irrelevant information: Use the limited space on your CV to promote only the most relevant and impressive information about your background. Remove experience older than 15 years and dates from your education section if you have five or more years of professional experience.
Related: Q& A: How Long Should a CV Be?
Write A Matching Cover Letter
Now that you know how to write your dream resume, you might be wondering: is a cover letter necessary? The answer is yes, always include a cover letter if you have the option.
Knowing how to write a good cover letter helps you round out every application you ever send out, and boosts your chances of landing an interview.
Cover letters are a valuable tool in your job-hunting arsenal because they give you an opportunity to provide context to your resume, show off your personality, and express enthusiasm for the job youre applying for.
Heres an example of what a resume paired with a matching cover letter might look like :
Read Also: What Does An Actor’s Resume Look Like
Focus On Your Most Recent Experience
Try not to emphasize the experience you had 10 or more years ago. Employers are most interested in what youve done lately, so the most recent work experience on your resume should have more bullet points detailing your achievements. Its a good idea to include five to seven bullet points listing your accomplishments and duties for your most recent positions.
You can include work experience from 8 to 10 years ago, but this content should have fewer bullet points. You should have approximately three unique bullet points for these older positions that show why this experience is important enough to include on a resume.
Be Ready To Explain Short
You may have started a job with the best of intentions, but something happened and you left a position after only a few months. Its okay to include a position like this on your resume if you can explain the circumstances in an interview, such as why you left after a short time. You can also talk about how the current circumstances are different and why, if hired, you plan to stick with this company for the long haul. Employers will appreciate your honesty as well as the insight on why working with their company is the right fit for you.
If you decide not to include the position, make sure youre ready to explain why theres a gap in your employment history.
Don’t Miss: Templates In Word 2010
Computer Programming Web Or Software Development
While there may be some overlap with the computer application knowledge you listed above, computer programming and web or software development skills deserve their own designation because theyâre so valuable. If youâre skilled with Python, JavaScript, Ruby, or other coding languages, you should put them on your resume. Experience with WordPress is also worth noting.
On top of the practical need for developers at nearly every business, programming skills demonstrate advanced problem-solving skills that can contribute to a well-rounded professional. Even if the position you’re applying for doesnât specifically require programming skills, it can benefit you greatly to include it on your resume if you have developed these skills.
Caregiver Resume Objective Example
I treat patients under my care as if they were my own family. Reliable, caring, and an ability to go above and beyond make me a great fit for the care giver position at Spring Retirement Community. Excited to help multiple patients get the most out of their senior years through fostering a sense of community.
Recommended Reading: How To Insert A Line In Word For Resume
Three Pages Or Longer
While three pages may seem like youre entering novella territory, this resume length can work for professionals who need the extra space.
Before going to multiple pages, take inventory of why you need the longer format. Ask yourself if your resume is built on quality versus quantity. Have you let go of early career experiences that don’t market you for your current goal?
A resume should not be an obituary of ones career, says Dagliano. To keep it concise, write with the employers needs and wants in mind. Hint: Review the job description to which youre applying and note what skills and qualifications the employer lists at the top.
Consider a three-page resume if:
- You’re a senior-level manager or executive with an impressive track record of leadership accomplishments.
- Youre in an academic or scientific field with a list of publications, speaking engagements, courses, licenses, or patents.
- Youre applying for a federal job that requires more information than a civilian application.
- You have a lengthy technical or project management background and need to provide case studies, project highlights, or lists of technical skills.