The Infographic Resume: Pros, Cons and How-To

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Infographic Resume

Infographic ResumeEDIT

Pictures are not only worth a thousand words, they can also help you get a job. Visual content is more appealing to look at and can illustrate quickly, making them ideal for resumes. While many creative types are using infographic resumes, there are some situations in which you’ll want to stick to traditional text in presenting your work history. Learn the pros and cons of infographic resumes, and get tips on how you can create and use one to land a job.



Pros of Infographic Resumes

1. Stand out from the crowd. Competition is fierce for jobs. Being able to differentiate yourself from your competitors is crucial.

2. Visual appeal. As already mentioned, graphics are more interesting and appealing than documents full of text and bullet points.

3. Clearly showcase information. Infographics are designed to sort, arrange and showcase data in an easy to understand manner.

4. Easy to share online. Infographics work well in social media including LinkedIn, Pinterest and posting in an online portfolio. With a single link you can showcase your expertise in a visually compelling manner.

Cons of Infographic Resumes

1. Not all jobs are suited to infographic resumes. Many employers require traditional resumes because that’s what they’re used to and expect. Some employers may use an Applicant Tracking System that scans and looks for keywords to measure the applicant’s fit to the job. That type of scanning doesn’t work with infographics, which means you’re resume would be weeded out.

2. Not all employers are open to infographic resumes. Traditions die hard. There is a difference between differentiating yourself and being annoyingly clever.

3. Infographic resume may be perceived as less professional.

When to Use an Infographic Resume

Because they’re still not accepted by all employers, you should continue to use a traditional text resume when applying for jobs. However, because employers will likely do a web search on you, having your infographic online can be a great way to show off your creativity and seriousness in finding a job. Some places to use an infographic include:

1) Your website or blog.

2) Online portfolio.

3) LinkedIn profile.

4) Pinterest page.

How to Create an Infographic Resume

There are services, such as Vizualize.me and Vizify, that will help you make an infographic resume based on your social media content. The key points to remember in creating an infographic resume are:

1) Cover all the important aspects required on resumes, such as education and job history.

2) Make it easy to read and understand. Your infographic shouldn’t be overly cluttered.

3) Condense data into readily understood snippets. Work timelines and other measurable statistics are easily represented visually.

4) Include a photo of you and contact information.

Infographic Resume photo via Shutterstock


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Personal Branding Blog The Personal Branding Blog is part of the Small Business Trends Publisher Channel, offering branding and career advice from Dan Schawbel and his team of experts. The blog helps professionals build a powerful brand to remain competitive in the job market.

6 Reactions
  1. Very balanced post about this because it is indeed a high risk/reward situation where I feel only a small percentage of jobs would value this type of creativity. I a majority of situations I feel it would be to your detriment to use this type of resume.

  2. I love the IDEA of infographic resumes, but unfortunately, if you apply for jobs online, they may not be processed by HR applicant tracking systems. In practical terms, this means that you may be rejected from a job just because you used a resume format that the HR systems can’t read. Don’t be rejected from a job because of your resume format. Use the free templates at beatresumesystems.com.

  3. I agree. You just cannot go and surprise employers by telling them that this is the new ‘in’ thing in resumes. They might glare at you for doing that. Stick to the old way in real life but put up a graphic one online.

  4. Infographic resumes definitely stand out among others when it reaches the recruiters. If a job seekers has to submit an online application initially, it’s best to give it a scan at Jobscan (www.jobscan.co) to see how well a resume matches the job according to keywords found.

    Do let us know if we what you think!

    James
    Jobscan Founder

  5. I have signed up for a couple of visual résumé sites in the past, but at this moment, I have a problem to remember their fancy names! 😉 Do you think that LinkedIn will come up with a visual alternative in the future?