"With unemployment in the United States hovering around 10%, hunting for jobs can be a daunting endeavor.
Competition can be cutthroat, and job seekers have been using all kinds of unusual strategies to gain an edge in their searches, from donning sandwich boards advertising their skills to passing out resumes on street corners.
While some applicants have used these unorthodox strategies to secure a coveted position, others have used creative brute force, wielding new technology, unusual online outlets, and brand-new content creation tools to set themselves apart."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/09/creative-resumes-ideas-fo_n_530920.html
Please read through the article and enjoy the different portfolios and ask yourself:
Ask yourself for each of the portfolios: What is this person's contribution? How does this person want to be evaluated? How has this person gone about representing themselves?
Pick one of the portfolios you viewed and critique it in regards to the 3 questions above.
Let me know if you have any questions,
--Dr. M
I really liked the idea of “The Pocket CV”. This resume or portfolio was for an architect/designer. When looking at the image on this site you can see the images on the backs of the pages as well as the layout of information. I’m guessing the images were of this persons work. Then the pages are held together by what looks like a bolt showing their industrial flare. Being put in a slide book will definitely be more memorable than if they had put their information in a regular book. This person wants to be evaluated on creativity and design. Being an architect/ designer this is an awesome way to show that. I think this is a great representation of this person’s ability and potential.
When looking through the other resumes and portfolios they were all very unique and memorable. However some of them had so much information put in little areas it was hard to read or find what you were looking for. Some of them were so creative they were unreadable. The designs and layouts were definitely memorable and unique which is what you want in some aspects but the employer etc. still needs to be able to read the information and see exactly who you are not just on the layout but the information as well. I think the hardest one to read was the graph or the isometric resume. Very creative but I thinks it’s unrealistic.
My favorite resume was the very first one of the slide show. This resume was made by Alexis Trepanier and was a little video that as he talked about all of the skills that he brought to the table and his past experiences and accomplishments a box would pop up somewhere around him that could be clicked on to give more information about each of these things. There were 16 of these boxes around him and I think that he did a really nice job of talking himself up to sound more desirable to potential employers. I also thought that this type of resume would be very good for him because of the line of work that he was going into would probably be very technology based. I thought that his resume got his point across and had the right amount of detail without going overboard. He also added some humor to his resume because at the beginning he had a full head of hair, but as the video went on it disappeared. Then, as he was wrapping it up, he sneezed and all his hair came back.
I think that all these portfolios are very unique and would be a good way to get remembered when trying to get a job, depending on what kind of job you’re looking for, but I don’t think that the majority would be ideal for most jobs. A lot of them had a ton of information just on a single page that was difficult to read. I think a lot of times, employers might look at that and remember that it was unique, but might not remember anything else about it because it was hard to read. Also, some resumes, I thought, included too little information on them, like one done by Rich Hecker, where he made an animated video of his life. I also thought that a lot of employers might consider this too cutesy to take seriously. I think that if you’re a creative person looking for a creative job, one of these resumes would be a very good idea, but for other professions, I think that a person might be better off sticking with a more traditional resume.
I enjoyed looking at the different methods used for resumes. Some of them looked much more professional than others, and some provided much more information about the applicant. For instance, the collage resume was interesting to look at but didn’t convey the information in an organized manner. I felt the collage was interesting to look at and gave you a lot of information about the person’s personality and personal life. However, attaching business cards from previous jobs doesn’t give a lot of information about the person’s job experience without an in-depth interview. Photos of the applicant’s mom and dad which were also included don’t seem very relevant to a job application. I’m assuming the applicant was trying to convey that they are well rounded, with an interesting personality as well as job skills.
I also felt like the collage looked too thrown together. With the pages of information stapled down, and some pictures and business cards overlapping them it didn’t give off the impression of an organized business resume. Although I’m sure the collage was memorable to the interviewer, I have a feeling it was irritating to work so hard to look up every detail about the applicant since it wasn’t organized in the traditional manner. I think it’s important when trying to create a creative and unique resume to make sure not to leave out any of the details a traditional resume would include. For instance, there was no contact information on the college, references, or details about previous work experience and skills. I feel like in trying to be memorable creatively, the applicant lost out on all the advantages of being represented as highly skilled for the job. It’s important that the applicant is remembered for more than just their collage.
The resume that I thought was the funniest, and most memorable was the resume printed on the back of a t-shirt. This shows the applicant has a sense of humor, and definitely thinks outside the box. Although it may be a little inconvenient for the employer to carry around a t-shirt with their stack of resumes, I do think they would find it a little humorous and memorable. With this method, nothing is lost when trying to convert traditional methods into creative ones. All the facts about the person's skills, experience, references, and education is still included just on a different type of canvas!
I like the collage. I think it is very creative. Someone who has traveled a lot (for example my friend has been to europe, mexico, and japan, and he is a spanish teaching major) this would be ideal them. The template background could be a little more professional, but overall I like it.
I really liked looking at the different types of resumes on this website. They took a completely new approach to a typical resume. I know the type of resume that you present depends on who you are giving it to. I think that, even though I like using a more unique resume, some companies wouldn’t accept anything but a traditional resume. However, since I really enjoyed some of the resumes presented, we will say that they are a great way of presenting information about oneself.
I watched the animated online resume about Richard Hecker. In his resume he showed that he was an entrepreneur who created an online advertising agency, he did consulting, created a television production company, dealt with finance, and many other things. He started his accomplishments when he was in high school and started at age fifteen.
Hecker wanted to be evaluated on his accomplishments that he has had started at such a young age. He says at the end that he wants to “take over the world”. I think he wanted people to know that he wanted to accomplish a lot and wasn’t going to stop until he is satisfied with what he has accomplished in life. It seems that he wanted to be evaluated on his previous work experience and past schooling.
In this resume, Hecker presented himself by having humor with important information. Doing it in an animation shows that he is smart because he was able to create this resume, which I know I never could do. He talks about himself in the first person and really owns what he is presenting about himself.
1.) I really thought the Sandwich Board was really creative and bold. Joshua Persky, a financial engineer, who 6 months ago lost his job has taken on a new look. Over his pinstripe suit, he wears a board telling his credentials and hands out resumes to passbyers. He stands outside of the enormous company, Charles Schwab, and hopes for takers of companies to look upon his for work.
2) Persky wants to be looked at as a well educated man that is desperate to find a job. You have to give him credit for standing out in a crowded street though. A company would look at this guy and probably thing, well he is courageous and very ambitious about getting a job and would do just about anything to get one. I think companies would like this in a candidate for a job because they know that no matter what, that person is going to try almost anything they can to get what they want. They also know that he is bold and hard working because he is standing in the middle of the street, looking like a goof, with boards on his back and chest, handing out resumes.
3.) This person is seeking to make himself look professional by wearing the suit. He seems well prepared and seems to go outside of the box as far as traditional methods of seeking a job. He is well prepared as far as having his resumes on hand and passing them out to people walking by.
I like the idea of a pocket CV. It would be very useful for those who have a lot for their portfolio and travel a lot. You can only pack so much when going on business trips and every little space counts.
I have a friend who made a 'movie style poster' for his resume. He is a theater major in Nebraska, so this would be ideal for those going into the arts.
The head shot portfolio is just plain confusing. There is too much information on there. The background of the person makes it ever more distracting.
I like the snack box template. This would seem ideal for a graphic design artist to use for their portfolio. It shows the strength of their talent, but this could be very easy to take the template from another source and just adding your information into it.
I would have to disagree with the 3rd post on here. I like the collage. I think it is very creative. Someone who has traveled a lot (for example my friend has been to europe, mexico, and japan, and he is a spanish teaching major) this would be ideal them. The template background could be a little more professional, but overall I like it.
The animated portfolio...I don't even know what to say. The idea is cool, but the format, dialogue, and music is not professional (I don't think the person was intending it to be). If you are going to make something like this, it needs to have a purpose, not about a song about a kid sleeping during high school.
Looking at all of the different types of resumes was very inspiring. They were all very creative and all of them were great ideas. My favorite was the Pocket CV. The Pocket CV is a portable portfolio and resume. It is about the size of a business card and it is easy to fit in your pocket and transport. It is almost like a brochure only in a miniature size. This was designed by Temitope Shoda, she is an architect and a designer. This is not only a resume but it is also a portfolio of the work she has done. It is full of little cards with images of her work on it, along with pictures of her work it also has excerpts which I am assuming describes her work more fully in detail, and explains more about herself as a designer and architect professionally. It is clear that Shoda wants to be evaluated by her work and creativity. It displays her work in a very positive light. It also shows that she is very innovative and can come up with something that is easily transportable and easy to access her work. She has done this with her creativity in creating the Pocket CV and this way if she runs into someone who may be a possible business connection she can hand them this easy Pocket CV and they can evaluate her work fully. This also shows how intelligent and creative she is. It would make her seem very desirable to anybody who is considering hiring her. I would definitely hire her. I’m not sure how effective this would be for someone who isn’t in the field of design. I don’t think an accountant’s work would be very well displayed with a Pocket CV, but for her profession this works perfectly.
All of the resumes presented at this site were unique and interesting. Each of them would probably work for a certain type of appeal. For example, the collage could work for an artist, a historian (I pronounce the “h” so a rather than an ;)), a travel writer, or a museum restoration specialist, among others. The isometric design resume might be perfect for a network design engineer, or some other related field.
In answering the questions for the purposes of this blog, I’ll critique what I feel is the least creative and professional resume of the ones presented – the t-shirt. The person using a t-shirt resume wouldn’t be contributing very much, as anyone can have one of these custom-made shirts for a reasonable fee. As far as evaluation of the t-shirt candidate, the person wearing (or submitting) a t-shirt resume would not seem very serious. They would either come across as too aloof, or too available. Also, even though appearances do matter, the t-shirt is going to be too casual for most jobs. The person has not really represented themselves very well, and appears to be following a trend, rather than showcasing their unique talents and abilities in a professional manner.
I really like the graph resume by Michael Anderson. It has almost all the information of a regular resume but is interesting to look at. I feel like using a creative resume would be an easy way to catch an employer's attention. He includes previous work, education, and his primary skills. It also is set on a timeline which I like because it shows everything from college to current. It isn't the most specific of resumes but I think it would do a good job at getting your foot in the door based on curiosity alone.
It looks as if Anderson wants to be evaluated based on what he believes are his strong attributes and also on his creativity. The graph allows him to express the degree of his talents. He also wants to show that he has a sense of humor.
I think this is a great way to represent yourself. It's interesting and creative. It shows everything Anderson has done since college. The only thing I didn't really like is that there are no references or awards. Maybe this should just be one section of a resume. If I did a resume like this I would add some more information in normal resume format. I think the strongest part of this resume is that it allows him to show what he's best at without blatantly bragging like most resumes. I really like the idea of creative resumes because I think it makes it a lot easier for you to get noticed.
Despite the cutthroat competition of looking for a job, I understand that many people really don't know how the sell themselves. Despite the competition everyone has to use something different rather than the plain everyday resume or vita.
I like the idea of using the live action shot resume, and the head shot. The live action shot resume you can see yourself by showing your personality, and what you can do. The traditional way is filling out your job application and turn in a resume,if this idea can be uses in most companies seeing what you can offer before hand.
I really liked Joe Kelso's resume. It was definitely eye catching and made me want to read what was listed on it. I like the eye popping portrait of himself in the middle, it catches my attention and makes me look for the name of the applicant. I think this style would suit me as I enjoy pushing the envelope.
Alot of these resumes seem very creative, but I would imagine that some companies would be turned off by some of them. I think you have to be creative in your own right, compared to what job you're applying for.
I also liked Sam Garfield's idea. It's a nice way to showcase your skills and still keep the interviewers attention without being too brash. Personally, if I had to choose then I would go with Garfield's idea.
I have varied opinions about quite a few of these ideas, so we can start with those i liked. the architect pocket cv was brilliant. you can tell instantly that this person is unique, and has a modern flair. they want to stand out and be noticed, but not because they are loud, because they are a leader in their feild. the photos were large, and the information seemed organized well. by presenting this sort of resume the applicant will get noticed and remembered. being able to design a building is wonderful, and this sort of resume showed that design skills for this individual go beyond walls and concreate. personally, i loved the collage. its the sort of thing that suits my perosnality well, my life has been a collection of odd jobs, varied experiences, and is a bit unconventional. this sort of resume would definatly convey that. now, for those i thought needed help... why in the heck would you plaster anysort of job request across a womans chest if you want to be taken seriously? and for the record, pinky and the brain were not naked rats, and did he get his girlfrieds permission to use that photo? interesting?, yes, professional?, no. he could have done so much better to convey that he is a serious business man who has a quirky innovative edge. who wants to hire some guy who feels he's established enough to no longer need to appear to take work seriously? being young and making millions is great, but you have to wonder why he has so much experience if he is so young. does he lack professional endurance? I wouldn't hire him, but im sort of a big meanie like that. overall, you have to give these people credit for going above and beyond to try and get an edge in a tough job market... even if the sandwich guy was sort of creepy.
I agree with Jenny, I preferred the graph one too. It was a good layout with good use of color and shape. He may have not included awards because he hadn't received any that he wanted to highlight. His resume might be the best work he's done. I looked a little at his portfolio. I do think he should have included references. I think the time line was a good way to show information for him, but it wouldn't work as well for an older person who has had more jobs. The ring chart was a very creative way for him to show his some of his skills. Daily intake and output was kind of funny, but it would have been more funny if he had been in a field other than advertising/design. In nursing it would be hilarious(if you like body humor).
The pictograph was also nice.
There were a lot of really great CV examples on this website however; I really enjoyed the youtube resume by David Pedersen. I thought it was innovative, creative, and a smart marketing practice because youtube is so popular these days. It was a new modern and contemporary spin on such a traditional phenomenon. CV's have been around a really long time, and it's nice to see someone who thought 'outside the box' and be creative when making his CV. The only real criticism that I have for David is that he could have gone a little more in depth about his attributes/qualities and what type of work he was looking for because that wasn't made really clear in his youtube video. However; his creative thinking, and creative marketing strategy should get him many prospective employer's attention which is ultimately the main purpose of creating a CV. This person represented himself in a manner that was professional and put together.
I enjoyed all of the resumes because they were all unique in their own way, but my favorite one was the headshot resume. I thought that it was creative because it was personal, unique, and showed a lot of his qualities he wanted represented. He listed important information such as achievements, awards, intersts, seminars, skills, etc.. It was also appealing to the eye and neatly organized. The one thing that some of these people would want to be conscious about would be to not make it too crowded, messy, or cluttered where it's hard to read and get the main ideas from the resume. Even though it's creative, it may be turned down if the employers can't get a good idea of what the person's qualities and skills are.