There are always two types of people even when it comes to building a resume.
The ones who like to play it safe, by the rules and the ones who want to stand out.
And as usual, for all the grey area lovers, there are the ones who like to stand out, but also follow at least some rules.
I’m the kind of person who tries to adapt and also listens to feedback, but at least I experiment and have some examples.
Note: *I work in marketing, so it is on the more creative side (but don’t build labels, any industry, any role can be creative if you consider it!)
In 2014 Prezi was cooler than PowerPoint, not many were using it, but I loved its interactivity, and I made the coolest CV ever. I got the job, and I was trusted to come up with “other cool digital ideas for all the campaigns”.
For UpWork I made a newsletter with MailChimp that served as a CV, and had a link to open it in a browser — like a webpage, but it was structured as a newsletter and was able to add images and links and have titles and sections. Pretty smart, huh?
Then…I made a PDF, but refused the European Pass format.
Can we resume people to only experience and education?
What about the things we are really good at and how we built up some of the skills that are useful for the role we’re applying for?
What if we experimented with freelance work and being an employee, and we actually took the time to understand our strengths and what we enjoyed from these two very different approaches?
I never abandoned this idea that a different style of CV can make a difference. But, I was applying for jobs in Switzerland.
Hello rules, hello ATS and hello time spending to get a job between 1 and 2 years!
I did prove this last theory wrong, and got my first job in less than a month.
Fun Swiss facts, that could make you actually cry: You have to add your age, address and marital status. Nope, I just can’t. Let’s close this subject here.
I got feedback on the CV from above from HR people working for big firms….
Read the rest here.
