50 Shades Of Resume #2: The Splash

 

Resume 2

Our second resume is from Eduardo Lino of Brazil. I call it the “Splash.”

Eduardo’s resume is an interesting mixture of a standard resume design that’s easily readable, but has many layers to it – it literally looks like a series of papers and sticky notes atop a paint-splattered surface. He’s’ also got an eye-catching black, white, and yellow color scheme that really catches your attention.

The High Points of this splashy resume are:

  • It’s both colorful and readable. He manages a resume that stands out and still can be easily understood.
  • There’s a bit of whimsy to it with the paper-and-notes metaphor. It shows a sense of humor.
  • It’s information-dense – he does a lot with one page – but it doesn’t feel overcrowded.
  • It’s subtle. This resume avoids going over the top with it’s design, and thus I think communicates his graphical skills well.
  • The rating of his skills shows honesty – he’s willing to admit “I just have the basics” for some things.
  • Frankly, it’s a generally attractive resume. It feels like it’s meant to be read.

The limits of “The Splash” are:

  • This is a resume that may not work well on two pages, or he’d have to redesign it.
  • There’s not a lot of room for detail on what was done at his past employers.

Steve’s Summary: If this resume was handed to me, I’d appreciate the balance of readability and style. There’s a thoughtfulness here in design that speaks to me and makes me want to know more about the person.

[“50 Shades of Resume” is an analysis of various interesting resumes to celebrate the launch of the second edition of my book “Fan To Pro” and to give our readers inspiration for their own unique creations.]

– Steven Savage

50 Shades Of Resume #1: The Progress Graph

Resume 1

So what’s our first resume? It’s this graph of progress by Branko Yamasaki, a combination of a regular resume and a graphical display of his career growth and skill usage.

Brako’s resume is a skills-based info graphic that shows how he’s improved in his skills over the years (and in a few cases, like Ruby, just sort of let the skill go), and where he used them. It’s a single-page hit of information that focuses on what he’s done, learned, and where.

The High Points of this resume-chart are:

  • Strong use of visual space to portray skills, progress, and where he worked.
  • Surprisingly keeping everything on one page.
  • Shows a definite sense of growth and progress in a compelling way.
  • It’s humanized – Branko’s smiling face and extra comments on the left bar personalize what could be an otherwise effective but ultimately not “human” graph.
  • Demonstrates his graphical talents.
  • It’s clever, in that a lot is actually done with visual space and elements to communicate.

The limits of this graph-resume are:

  • It’s definitely going to choke a scanning system. This is a resume to send to people or put in a portfolio to impress them, not send to any position on a message board.
  • It may get more crowded over time and need to be rethought.
  • It may need to be rethought if any career changes occur.
  • The left column is indispensable to keep the human side, limiting space available.

Steve’s Summary: If this came across my desk, I’d be intrigued, especially if Branko was applying for a data-visualization heavy job, and I’d like the honesty on his skills.  I also like the fact I have a feel for his personality.

[“50 Shades of Resume” is an analysis of various interesting resumes to celebrate the launch of the second edition of my book “Fan To Pro” and to give our readers inspiration for their own unique creations.]

– Steven Savage

Why You’re Stuck With Your Resume

I’m a fan of Laurie Ruettimann over at The Cynical Girl. She’s an HR Pro who seriously knows her stuff, and is willing to discuss said stuff in all of it’s important, cynical, and at times soul-crippling glory. Most of her bag is obviously HR, recruiting, and hiring.

Awhile ago she discussed the fact that, yes you still need a resume. I wanted to add my own thoughts because I’ve been hearing for years that the resume is going to vanish.

It’s not going to vanish.  Trust me.  I think that’s something to talk about in depth.

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