Unless you are a desired professional, a job hunt is not the kind of activity you would enjoy doing very often. All the searching, sending, phone-calling, and trying to simply get noticed by the employer can really wreck your nerves.
The principle “don’t judge a book by its cover” is not widely used here – on the contrary, you have to LOOK good and stand out from the others to get the job. And looking good doesn’t only mean putting on a new shirt or a skirt, but most importantly – having a solid work resume and a cover letter.
Looks like these job-seekers didn’t have problems getting noticed by the employer. Building an informative yet creative resume is a good way to clearly present your personality and skills. And to get noticed, of course. Browse these resume examples for inspiration and get creative the next time you’re on the job market.
1. Melissa Washin & Her Sewn Fabric Resume
“Sewing is one of my biggest passions, and I wanted to convey that somehow in my professional resume.” Melissa printed the info onto iron-on paper, transferred it to white fabric, and sewed it to a variety of printed fabrics. The result was a tactile item that said something about her without having to be read. This unique design resume got Melissa a job right after graduation. [melissamakesthings]
2. Eric Gandhi & His Google Resume
After his resume design being featured in several websites, Eric got an interview with Google but later on he admitted that he never got the job. Nevertheless, he got a position in other company that appreciated his effort. [ericgandhi]
3. Benjamin Dooling & His Coffee Bag Resume
Benjamin has created a line of craft-paper bags filled with locally-roasted coffee and screen printed them himself. The coffee bags feature his skills, qualifications and represent Benjamin’s artistic philosophy. [benjamindooling]
4. Shakira Twigden & Her Badass Typographic Resume
“I wanted to grab someone’s attention. People take design too seriously, especially when searching for jobs. With my creative design I basically wanted to say “Hey, I know that you are busy and have a team full of great people, but I can get the job done too.” [shakiratwigden]
5. Brian Moose & His Vintage Resume Package
Brian sent a wonderfully crafted vintage package to Pixar Animation Studios and hopes to land a job at the company. [brianmoose]
6. Sarah Odgers & Her 3D Resume
“Why hand a boring, Word-based resume to a potential employer when you can showcase your abilities and personality to create a great first impression?” Though the employer literally laughed to her face because of the cool design, Sarah still got the job. [sarahodgers]
7. Miguel Rato & His Milk Box Resume
Miguel has created his genius milk carton resume specifically to get a job at a Wieden + Kennedy, an advertising agency in London. He’s still waiting for the answer. [miguelrato]
8. Victor Petit & His Talking Resume
“I realized during my previous job search that getting an interview at a communication agency is the hardest part of the process,” says Petit. “I tried to create a CV that would enable me to express myself vocally as soon as they read the paper version. The combination of a sheet of paper and a QR code felt like the best way to reach that goal.” [victorpetit]
9. Mike Freeman & His Bookable Resume
Mike Freeman goes straight to business and has put up a "Book a meeting" section next to his resume. If you do book one, you will be sure to get a "firm handshake, a limited-edition business card and resume hard copies". [mikefreeman.myshopify.com]
10. Kristian Leigh Walsh & His Board Game Resume
Kristian Leigh Walsh constructed his curriculum as a board game, with a little car tracing down her achievements and list of skills. [klwalsh.com]
11. Sabrina Saccocio & Her Facebook Resume
What better way to get everyone's attention than presenting yourself in a form that everybody feels so comfortable with? That's exactly what Sabrina Saccocio did, by incorporating her personal information into a Facebook profile format. Besides her life facts, this reveals that the woman is very savvy about the social media as well as creative and attentive to details. [stevepratt.com]
12. Jonathan Kaczynski & His Subway Map Resume
Comparing one's life to a road is a very wide-spread metaphore: this is sort of what Jonathan Kaczynski did, by presenting his resume in a form of a subway map. [achisutoshinzo.deviantart.com]
13. Joe Kelso & His Old-School Movie Poster Resume
"This resume was my secret weapon," says Jon Kelso, presenting himself in a form of an old-school movie poster. He admits he'd get invited to an interview every time he'd send this one out - however, once the crisis struck, his creative trick lost its power. [businessinsider.com]
14. Chuck D. Lay & His Old-School Newspaper Style Resume
A graphic designer from Louisiana found a good way to demonstrate his skills by presenting his resume in a form of an old-school newspaper style format. Deviatart was buzzing with compliments for this one! [chuckdlay.deviantart.com]
15. T-shirt Resume
Back in 2008, Kelly Kinney started hanging around various coffee shops and bars, wearing a T-shirt that read "I need a job" and her resume on the back. Shortly this idea spread enough to even turn it into a business plan, and now you can customize a T-shirt with your resume online. [articles.cnn.com]
Creativity can play a significant role in standing out during the job search process. Some job seekers go beyond traditional formats, incorporating interactive elements like QR codes that link to additional content, which can be a smart way to showcase one’s skills and personality.
For more insight into how QR codes can be used to make coding and digital skills appealing, you can explore innovative methods of combining coding concepts with engaging visuals.