Web designer Robby Leonardi took a staple of the GenY childhood experience and used it to create a resume like no other — a side-scrolling video game reminiscent of Super Mario Brothers.

It includes such features as rising piranha plants that illustrate his proficiency levels in various skills, an air balloon that takes your character past his various awards and achievements (which can then be opened in a separate tab), and fun personal facts like his NBA fandom. (And yes, children of the ‘90s, it does include an underwater level, too.)

We’d describe more, but you really have to play it for yourself to get the full experience.

What do you think of Leonardi’s unique resume design? If you were looking for a Web designer, would you hire him?

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The post Web Designer Levels Up His Resume as an Interactive Video Game appeared first on Brazen Life.

Should you use a graph in line form or a pie chart?

Should you put a big number right up near the top so everyone can see that important stat?

Should you include company icons along with your job history?

If you set out to make an infographic resume on your own, here are a few key components of these creative resumes and how they affect the impact of your document:

1. The map

What does a map say about you? It could say you’re willing to move for the right opportunity, you’re not afraid of traveling for work or it could say you’re a carefree traveler and haven’t quite made up your mind about what you want to do.

If you’re looking to maximize overseas work or want to show your global reach for strategic management opportunities, using a map is probably a good fit. If you’re simply showing someone you’re adventurous, it could backfire.

When you put a map on a resume, you want to make sure it’s in line with both your personality and the job you’re looking for. If there’s a disconnect between either of those things, it’s probably a good idea to scrap it.

2. The praise, recommendations or quotes section

Often, in a more traditional resume, you’ll see references attached at the end: a name, title, number and maybe an email address for each person. But who says references have to be at the end of a resume as an afterthought?

The question to ask yourself is: Who are the three most important or well-known people (or people with recognizable titles) you could get references from? It’s important that important people think you’re important!

3. The QR code

This is a tricky one. QR codes are often misused and, even more often, don’t offer the kind of interactive experience they promise.

Should you use a QR code? If you’re going to direct somebody to a portfolio or some other interactive area on the Web, then this is acceptable. If you’re not going to give them something useful, forget about it.

If you’re absolutely sure about putting a QR code on your resume, here are some QR dos and don’ts:

DO link to portfolios, reels, an app you made, an interactive online piece you’ve created or a place where someone can buy your stuff.

DON’T link to your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, another copy of your resume, a printable version of your resume or a home page.

Instead, make the PDF interactive and include links where relevant. Besides, how often is this really going to get printed?

4. The skills chart

There are many different charts you can use to define skills. Two favorites are the skill bubble and skill growth charts.

Here’s an example of a resume with a skill bubble chart:

You can see the growth in this person’s skills going from tactical to strategic over her career. It shows willingness to take on tasks with higher levels of thinking and responsibility. It’s something an employer interested in developing people for management positions likes to see.

Here’s a resume with a skill growth chart:

You can see what this person has done over time and how he’s learned and augmented his skill set. This chart is powerful for showing growth as well.

If you can show an employer, who might think less of your resume if you haven’t held a job title similar to the one you’re applying for, that your skills add up to awesomeness, that’s a big plus. That’s what these charts can do.

No matter which components you use, everything will convey a different message depending on the way it’s applied. Tailor each attribute of your new, creative resume to the right audience, and you’ll be on your way to infographic resume success.

Hagan Blount is based in New York City and has designed 40+ infographic resumes. He’s worked with everyone from developers in Qatar to risk managers in Kenya to PR professionals leaving Australia for a shot at the Big Apple and is excited to work with new and interesting people from all professions.

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The post 4 Clever Ways to Use an Infographic Resume to Get Hired appeared first on Brazen Life.

That’s exactly what recent college grad Jannic Nielssen did. Nielssen designed an “interactive social resume” that looks like a Kickstarter campaign. The goal? To receive a job offer by May 1st or be forced to leave the US. (He’s a dual citizen of Jamaica and Norway.)

As Nielssen said:

Kickstarter is about supporting a product, but in my case, monetary funding would not make sense. Instead, I transformed the concept into social shares. This way I would get my resume in front of more people and eventually employers—similar to word of mouth on a digital level.

You can check out the full post here.

Did it work? On May 2nd, Nielssen accepted a position with Thrillist Media Group. No doubt they were impressed by the marketing savvy and digital innovation shown not just in his resume stats, but by his resume itself.

Have you ever considered creating an outside-the-box resume? What would yours look like?

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The post How One Job Seeker “Kickstarted” His Resume appeared first on Brazen Life.

So if you’re considering paying a designer to make a flashy infographic resume for you, consider these two points first:

1. Statistically speaking, infographic resumes are not for you

Most careers are not creative. You may enjoy dressing your cat in a hat at home, but once you get to your cubicle, you’re all spreadsheets and invoices, and that’s just fine.

Creative industries comprise four percent of all businesses and two percent of all employees, according to Americans for the Arts. That means that only two percent of you could probably benefit from a funky infographic resume.

Some careers lend themselves quite naturally to infographic resumes, such as those in graphic design, art or even interior design. But for the rest of us, it makes more sense to stick to the tried-and-true print resume format. A subtle dash of color in section titles or a colored paper as background is about as artistic as most of us should get with our professional documents.

Consider not only your position but the company you’re applying to. Would hiring managers there really appreciate an infographic? Some design companies are surprisingly utilitarian in their operations, even if they’re cutting-edge in their designs.

Even if you’re submitting a creative resume for an appropriate industry like graphic design, consider including a standard formatted resume as well, because it might be more suited for official purposes like recordkeeping.

2. Do it well, or don’t do it at all

Don’t bother with an infographic resume unless you’re going to design it yourself. Using a software service or designer just won’t be worth the money or time.

Why? Because if you’re offering an infographic resume, it’s to display your talents as an artist, not your outsourcing abilities. By paying someone else or using software, you could look lazy.

Worse, you might even end up with a subpar final product. As they say, if you want it done right, do it yourself.

The big lesson

Don’t make an infographic resume just because you’ve heard it’s a popular trend. Remember, this is the document that’s supposed to sell you and your skills to a potential employer. The only time you should venture into infographic territory is when you’re 100 percent positive it will work to your advantage.

Have you ever tried an infographic resume? How did it work out?

Erik Bowitz is a professional resume consultant for a leading online resume builder company and is also a freeform career enthusiast. He eats, sleeps and breathes resumes and particularly enjoys looking at the world of employment from unique and unexplored perspectives.

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The post Why You Should Think Twice About That Infographic Resume appeared first on Brazen Life.

You aren’t average, so why should you apply just like everyone else?

You eat ice cream with a fork. You go skydiving on weeknights to relax after a hard day at work. You don’t fit within a box, so you’ll be damned if you’re going to submit a resume just like the other sheep… err, job candidates.

Used well, a creative resume can really give you an edge over the competition. Creative resumes show you’re an outside-the-box thinker and a creative problem-solver. These are all sought-out traits in potential employees, especially since the problems modern companies are facing seem to solicit especially creative solutions.

Feeling pretty good about yourself and your creative resume? Don’t get too complacent. The truth is, for all the benefits creative resumes afford, they have just as many pitfalls. Truly creative resumes are a new frontier, and we all know those come with as many risks as rewards.

Knowing the major blunders will keep you from making the wrong impression. So here are some common traps less-savvy job seekers fall into when getting creative with their resume:

1. Forgetting your industry

Despite what the internet might tell you, creative resumes aren’t the right fit for every position. If you make a stellar infographic resume to get a job in the visual arts field, you’re well on your way to career bliss. Using this type of resume shows off your job-specific skills in both a creative and practical way. It makes sense.

But submitting a beautiful infographic resume for a job as an accountant will probably be less effective. It might be visually striking, but how many accountants do you know who need graphic design skills to crunch numbers? Forgetting to tailor your creative approach to your industry means hiring managers are more likely to roll their eyes, when you actually want them to be blown away.

2. Thinking creativity will mask sloppiness

You’re truly impressed with your idea of making a video resume. You can’t imagine how the moving images of your video will fail to wow hiring managers. In fact, you’re so impressed with your own stroke of genius, you’ve put zero effort into the information about yourself and your experience you’re sharing with that manager.

Spoiler alert: hiring managers and recruiters aren’t impressed merely because you’ve thought of something creative. They’ve been around the block a few times. They’re not going to hire you on the spot just because you’ve recorded a video resume. Plenty of other job seekers have had the same stroke of genius. And those job seekers probably realized video resumes have to be just as polished and professional as their paper counterparts.

Don’t expect your flashy method of delivery will make up for a lack of content. It won’t.

3. Skimping on relevant information

Some candidates see resumes that list work experience and job titles as a thing of the past. So instead of focusing on experience, these candidates focus on their skills and accomplishments. It’s a good way to personalize your skills and make yourself more than a list of dates and titles.

So what could go wrong? Plenty! Sometimes these resumes can make your accomplishments seem out of context. It’s important for employers to know not just how you’ve achieved something, but in what setting. Without proper context—and especially if you exclude dates entirely—employers might side-eye these resumes, wondering whether you’re hiding something.

Make sure to properly ground your accomplishments in your work or educational settings. Don’t skimp on the information employers need to understand how impressive you are.

What mistakes do you notice with creative resumes? How can we avoid them?

Josh Tolan is the CEO of Spark Hire, a video-powered hiring network that connects job seekers and employers through video resumes and online interviews. Connect with him and Spark Hire on Facebook and Twitter.

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The post 3 Common Blunders of Creative Resumes appeared first on Brazen Life.

The creator, Simone Fortunini, an online marketing manager, modeled the look of his resume on Google Analytics.

How cool is THAT?!

Business Insider writes:

Fortunini tells us that since his work experiences stem from online marketing and advertising campaigns, Google Analytics is a basic tool that those in his industry work with, and he wanted to create a resume illustrating his understanding in online marketing, graphic design abilities and HTML skills.

“My intent with this project is showing both the two sides of my professionality in digital: a good technological understanding and an online marketing knowledge,” Fortunini says. “Trying to analyze my professional path like a ‘web site performance’ has been hard, but helpful to get an objective point of view about current achievements and future goals.”

Want to see the resume? Click over to the full Business Insider piece.

Then stop back here and tell us what you think!

You might also take this a step further and ask yourself: If you were to turn your resume into a visual tool used by people in your target industry, what would it be?

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The post A Resume that Looks Like Google Analytics appeared first on Brazen Life.