There’s been a lot of talk in recent years about how creativity is the new trend in resume creation. You might even be considering that creative approach for your next resume. After all, you know how important it is to ensure that your resume stands out from the crowd. But are creative resumes really all they’re cracked up to be? The answer in most instances is a resounding “No!” For a variety of reasons, you should never use a creative resume.
The Creative Resume and Graphics
You might think that using graphics and flashy colors is a great way to get your resume noticed. On the surface, that notion might make sense. You could include infographics, charts, or other visuals to convey information to a hiring manager. Doing so might even get your resume the attention you know that it needs to get you that interview.
The problem is that you’re more likely to get the wrong kind of attention.
The fact is that most hiring managers simply don’t want to see those things on a resume. When you turn your formal resume into a circus, you’re probably not going to be taken seriously. Besides, most hiring managers are vastly overworked. Many review piles of resumes each week. You won’t be doing yourself any favors by stepping so far outside the norm that you irritate their sensibilities. Stick to the tried and true formal resume format and leave the clever tricks to others.
The Creative Resume and Applicant Tracking Systems
Graphics and flowery prose can pose another problem – and this one is even more serious than an annoyed hiring manager. You already know that many companies now use Applicant Tracking Systems. When you get creative with language or fill your resume with images, you run the risk of getting rejected by those systems. Why? It’s really quite simple. Your use of non-traditional formats confuses many of those programs.
Applicant Tracking Systems are not designed to read or analyze images. They don’t appreciate colorful text, creative border designs, or any of those other tricks you might consider for your resume. Instead, the typical ATS wants to see black and white pages filled with text and white space. And that fact is that you have to give these machines what they want. Otherwise, you will never get your resume past the machine and into human hands.
The following should never be included on a resume:
Charts
Graphs
Tables
Graphics and Info-graphics
Images
Icons
Illustrations
Logos
Fancy Fonts
Including any of the items above will make it difficult for an ATS to screen your resume.
The Creative Resume and a Little Thing Called “Focus”
Finally, there’s this thing called “focus” that always ends up making a huge difference for your application. Creativity is a wonderful thing. In fact, you should be creative in your use of power words and other techniques designed to sell yourself as the best candidate for the position. Too much creativity, however, can cause you to lose sight of your objective. You must avoid getting so caught up in design and literary flourish that you fail to focus on the employer’s needs. Keep it simple and formal, and those issues won’t be a problem.
Always remember that hiring managers often have only a few minutes to review any given resume. Maximize your chances of landing an interview by concentrating on making your resume focused, easy-to-read, and clear in every respect. Creative writing and graphics can clutter up an otherwise sound resume and ruin your chances of getting hired. You can better guarantee your chance at an interview by creating the type of solid, formal resume that hiring managers want to see.
Written by
ZipJob Team
The ZipJob team is made up of professional writers and career experts located across the USA and Canada with backgrounds in HR, recruiting, career coaching, job placement, and professional writing.
