If a person is original in writing a resume and creates a fundamentally new form of response to a potential employer, then this CV will definitely not go unnoticed.

If you are actively looking for a job, a well-written resume will certainly come in handy. Of course, the list of your brilliant skills and previous jobs printed in ‘Word’ is OK, especially if you have already established yourself. However, having a stylish, informative, creative, and uncluttered CV will be a great advantage over other job seekers.

Why Should You Make a Creative CV?

Creativity is a rather broad concept. For some, this is about a bright design and various fonts, but for others, it’s a completely new and non-standard idea of writing a CV.

Your creative resume allows you to stand out from the crowd. Looking through lots of the same CVs, a recruiter will be happy to focus on a colorful document and carefully read the text. Let’s take a look at the main drawbacks and benefits of this type of resume.

Drawbacks

• Not every manager understands the essence of a non-standard resume.
• Preparation of such a CV can take a long time and may require financial investments.
  
• The internal anxiety of the candidate about the company’s opinion can negatively affect the creative process.
• If you aren’t self-confident and are afraid of criticism, then don’t even try to.
• This format isn’t suitable for all jobs.

Benefits

• Executives and recruiters can express their criticism of the submitted resume. Different views and competing opinions indicate the impossibility of working with the boss and the staff as one team.

• If you have little experience and need to stand out somehow, then this is the best option.

• A creative resume gives the job seeker a chance to make a stunning career. In a short time, a non-standard file can appear in the database of many, if not all, city companies. This means that you will receive job offers without any effort.

• You can make new acquaintances in a professional environment.

• Preference is always given to bright personalities in start-ups and developing companies.

• The attitude to you is better at the interview; they recognize you, smile, show more interest, and so on. The interview starts with asking about your resume, and this can reduce the initial stress.

• Your potential colleagues check your resume as well, so the attitude of the team is more friendly.

As you can see, there are far more advantages to a creative resume than disadvantages. However, it’s worth understanding when to stop. It’s also a good idea to know how to create such a resume correctly and what format to choose. Let’s now take a look at how to prepare your creative resume.

Some Tips for a Creative CV

• If we are talking about the idea itself, then you can draw creativity from anywhere. For instance, there are cool templates on OnlineCV,  Canva or Pinterest.

• One creative resume is good for one particular employer and position. Study the history of the company and show the knowledge in your original cover letter.

• Humor is highly desirable, and the resume should be fun and interesting. It’s good if this is some kind of professional humor. But just don’t overdo it. Humor can take no more than 10-20% of all information.

• Don’t be afraid of judgment and criticism. Do as you think is right. The main thing is to describe your skills and work experience.

• Tell your potential employer something about yourself, how you got into this specialty, about your conferences, community activities, volunteering, and so on.

• Even a creative resume needs to follow a common structure. All in all, the original design of such a resume stands out from the general background of official documents. But so many applicants don’t pay attention to the textual part. Some skip essential points; others, on the contrary, focus on minor details.

• An original CV, even with great work experience, must be short. The time that an HR specialist should spend studying it can’t exceed 2-3 minutes. 

• Your creative file must include a link to a standard formal resume and links to professional social media.

Creative Resume Ideas

It’s very hard to create such a CV. Creative thinking and knowledge of graphic programs is only the first step to creating a masterpiece. To get the employer’s attention, you should better come up with an unusual concept for this file.

HR specialists have shared information about which types of creative resumes are more popular with company executives:

• Infographics. The simplest and most common option. It allows you to beautifully design a story about yourself, highlight skills, experience, education, personal qualities, and so on. The design will depend solely on the imagination of the applicant. You can create and get inspired with Venngage.

• Videos. Another original way to demonstrate your creativity and skills is to create an animated video with a short story about yourself and the path of your professional development and growth. Use a screen and audio recorder to show what you can, and improve the video with good video editing software (DaVinci Resolve, Corel VideoStudio PRO, Pinnacle Studio, and others).

• Mobile apps. Employers are overwhelmed with such ideas. Design your resume as a mobile application for a smartphone. By dividing it into sections, you can highlight work experience, skills, and portfolio. Don’t forget to add ‘call,’ ‘write,’ and ‘share’ buttons.

• Covers. A high-quality and original idea will be a resume in the form of the cover of an imaginary glossy magazine. You can place not only samples of your work but all the needed information. This can be done in a photo editor (Corel PaintShop Pro, Adobe Lightroom CC, and so on) without any special editing skills.

• Envelopes. Most employers receive job seekers’ resumes by email. To stand out from them, you can send your resume by ‘real’ letter. You can show creativity not only in the method of sending but in the design (infographics or your QR-code with a video business card).

Certainly, it’s impossible to limit your imagination only to these ideas and tips. If you come up with something new that you find incredibly cool, be sure to give it a try. We have listed ideas that have already been implemented and liked by HRs. Good luck in finding your dream job!