Comments on: Should you create an infographic resume?

By: Dawn Yz

Dawn Yz — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:09:00 +0000

Thanks for using my resume! I’d like to offer you some validation from this humble artist’s perspective.

I actually used this resume twice and scrapped it in favor of a re.vu page. Thought I’d pass that a long. I was visually pondering the same question you posed in your article and reached a similar conclusion.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:37:00 +0000

In reply to Peter Erikson.

Peter, thanks for your comment. I must respectfully disagree that a traditional resume is an “obit.”

Good resumes, like strong online profiles, must be about the future as much as they are about the past. While a resume is not a deciding factor in getting a job, it can be a deciding factor in landing an interview for many people!

I’m not sure an infographic resume necessarily illustrates you know your way around the web. I think a social resume (professional website) is a good indication that you understand how to leverage an online presence.

In a perfect world, everyone would land a job because of their amazing networking prowess. I believe the social web allows job seekers to access contact they’d never otherwise know, and some people may be able to find work without using a strong traditional resume. However, it’s just as likely a networking contact will lead to a request for a traditional resume, so no job seeker should ignore this important job search tool.

By: Peter Erikson

Peter Erikson — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:26:00 +0000

You’re assuming, of course, that people are mostly searching for positions on job boards and dutifully sending their resume and cover letter. In that case, yes, a resume must be written in the proper style (no “I,” no articles like “the” or “a,” lots of keywords, no mistakes) and look like everyone else’s, save for a few font and style tweaks. But if you research the companies you want to work for, search for contacts on LinkedIn and other social media sites, the traditional resume takes on much less importance. You do need one, but showing an employer you know your way around the Web and can use new tools to showcase your abilities is equally as important, maybe more so. The traditional resume is a dry recitation of your career, a kind of obit, especially if you haven’t been working for a while. It’s never going to be the deciding factor in getting a job. Also, tracking systems are being used less and less as they do a poor job in spotting worthy candidates. It’s like letting HAL run your career hunt. Forget thinking outside the box. Use common sense.

Peter Erikson

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:33:00 +0000

In reply to nuzume. I'd be interested in learning more. Feel free to send a note via my contact form so I don't forget to follow up!

By: nuzume

nuzume — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:52:00 +0000

Thanks so much Miriam – it’s so challenging for an infographic resume to meet the requirements of being 1) information-rich, 2) visually interesting without being overwhelming, and 3) useful. No infographic resume really solves the applicant tracking system challenge for keywords, and most fall short in the areas of information. I’d very much value your opinion on what we’re doing at nuzume.com as we are trying to solve exactly these problems! -Tony

By: Miriam Salpeter

Miriam Salpeter — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:31:52 +0000

In reply to Michael Anderson.

Michael – I agree with you; it’s important to only use a visual or graphic resume when there is a meaningful, visual connection. I don’t necessarily believe these applications allow “anyone” to create a graphic resume will really help anyone stand out, as targeting is so important when it comes to job search.

By: Michael Anderson

Michael Anderson — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:37:00 +0000

Most of the Infographic resumes are created with some sort of graphic design in mind but not necessarily a meaningful visualization. When you design an Infographic, you need to pay attention to the information you are projecting, shapes that you are using etc.

Most of the Infographic resumes you find on a Google search miss all these points. Visual resume is not a graphic blob. It is a dashboard of your personality. People should not spend lot of time in understanding the information you are trying to share and it defeats the whole purpose behind this concept.

By: Mike Harding

Mike Harding — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:46:00 +0000

Hi Miriam, Thanks for the article it certainly articulates the position of the HR professional on infographic resumes.

However, the hiring managers and candidates we interact with each day have a different take: they love the form and the adoption we see shows that this approach isn’t going to die off anytime soon.

Disruption in most industries is greeted with skepticism – it’s natural. As a counterbalance to your opinion, I would encourage your readers to take the step of establishing a personal brand with a tool like http://re.vu/ because the time to set this up is before you need to go on the job search.

It is not (yet?) a replacement for LinkedIn or the common resume, but I can say that the hiring managers we interact with indicate overwhelmingly that they prefer to assess candidates with infographic resumes.

What’s the old cliche? A picture is worth 1,000 words.