Lately there has been a lot of talk about how you can attract an employer's attention when there are so many people applying for so few positions in the work force. Many times we tweak our resumes, brush up on the company and put our best foot forward only to be overlooked again. A lot of people have decided that getting the upper edge means they need to put something completely different on the table. The Visual Resume.
A visual resume is exactly that, a resume that is based on visual materials like charts and info graphics. I stumbled upon a site called Visualize.me that takes all of your information from linkedin and turns it into a catchy, eye pleasing visual resume. I also found a wonderful pros and cons list associated with the program that had some things I didn't think of and wanted to share it with you.
Pros
1. Visual
This is a duh, but it’s nice to be able to just glance over a a well designed infographic instead of reading and skipping through the details of a resume. If you are just curious to learn more about a person or go through a lot of resumes, this could be a preferred way to go.
2. No Download Required
Sometimes I just want to browse. I want to take a peek at your Facebook page, scan your blog, or scroll through your pictures. (I swear I’m not a stalker.) Why not do the same with your resume? Browsing through a resume is boring, but browsing through an infographic is interesting.
3. It’s Easy
The whole process takes literally 5 minutes, so even if Vizualize.me never returns any benefit back to you, it’s not like you invested a ton of time. If you’re like me, sometimes it’s just fun to play with new web apps. Why not?
4. Professional Branding
If you have a website, chances are you’ve made it eye-catching and pretty. You want people to come to the site and eventually hire you either full time, or come on as a new client. In your “About Me” section, wouldn’t it be nice to send them to your Vizualize.me instead of your text block profile on LinkedIn?
Cons
1. Employers Still Want Traditional Resumes
An infographic version of your resume sure looks sparkly, but it takes away some features headhunters and recruiters are used to and won’t want to give up. How can they scan a web page for keywords to quickly find out if it is even worth reading your resume? What about taking notes or physically sorting resumes? Chances are your Vizualize.me profile will be a compliment rather than a replacement for your resume.
2. Lack of Customization
The best part of creative infographics is their uniqueness and ability to layout and display in whatever fashion they choose. Right now in it’s beta form, Vizualize.me gives you a few themes and options for changing color, font, etc, but no way to import or create your own themes or graphics. Granted this is still in beta, so it’s very possible that more themes and customization are on the way.
3. Practicality
The number one time you use your resume is when you are looking for a job. You go to a company’s career page and one of the first things they ask you to do is to upload your resume. You can’t upload a web page, and it doesn’t make sense to tell them to go to your Vizualize.me after the fact.
Any job leads you get from this will have to come from those actively seeking candidates and less likely the other way around. Like I said earlier, it doesn’t mean your Visualize.me profile wouldn’t be a good fit on a spot like your “About Me” or your social media pages.
A visual resume can be a powerful tool in the job hunt and Visualize.me can give you a fantastic stepping stone to test the waters of a visual resume in your field. I suggest a resume professional to make it perfect however.
Do you use a visual resume? How is it working for you?
By Jodi Sonoda
Jodi has been blogging for over 3 years, and is excited to currently be blogging with Nexxt for collegejobbank.com. She is a motivational speaker, mini-biographer and the founder of The 5 Dollar Project. The most important part of her life is her beautiful 3 year old daughter.
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