Infographic resumes with graphs, charts, and other design elements are commonplace on the internet. They may look appealing compared to your plain, wordy CV. Are you thinking of creating an infographic resume to stand out? It is better to know some ground rules before diving into creating one.

Do's

1. Choose a Minimalist Design

You may want your resume to turn heads, but your resume is a professional document, and it should not be distracting with too many things going on. For example, stuffing your resume with too many design elements or complicated charts is not going to help your job potential.

Use a clean design template with a couple of simple graphic elements, and limit yourself to using one or two complimentary colors. Remember, the content of your resume is key to your next job, not the design itself.

Opting for a minimalist design doesn't mean leaving out details. An infographic resume is still a document to market yourself, and you have to add the necessary information like work experience, skills, education, and a professional headshot.

2. Have a Structure

Although your infographic resume is full of design elements, it is still crucial to have a logical flow in your resume. Placing things haphazardly all over the page is a no-go. For instance, you should put your contact details and summary at the top, followed by your work experience and skills. Your resume will look awkward if you change this order.

If you're unsure, follow the same structure as your traditional resume.

3. Keep It Short

You may have mile-long accomplishments and a handful of hobbies, but you need to be picky about selecting the right things to highlight on your resume. The description of the job you're applying for is the best place to start. Then, based on the job requirements, you can choose the relevant experience and skills to put in your resume.

Ideally, your infographic resume should be one page only. However, if you cannot squeeze in all the key details on one page, add another page, but keep that your upper limit.

4. Showcase Your Skills

Mind map showing how to write CV

One of the primary benefits of an infographic resume over the traditional resume is that you can stand out from the crowd with a one-of-a-kind CV. Your hiring manager will remember your unique resume among hundreds of others. So, use that to your advantage by portraying all your relevant skills. Along with your technical skills, don't forget to add your transferable skills.

Add visually appealing elements like bar charts and graphs to emphasize your skills.

5. Use It for Your Portfolio

An infographic resume is one of the best alternative formats to show off your work experience, skillset, and design skills. If you're in a creative or marketing field, an infographic resume can be perfect as a portfolio to showcase your design sense or sales data.

The infographic resumes are also visually appealing on your website and LinkedIn page.

6. Add Your Contact Details

Your infographic resume is also your portfolio, and you need the contact details and social media links for people to reach you. Place these where you can easily see them. Use symbols and logos to bring attention.

Don'ts

1. Go Overboard With the Colors and Fonts

When it comes to colors in your resume, subtlety is the way to go. Neon greens and pinks may be your favorite colors, but they don't have a place in your resume. You can only personalize your infographic resume within reason. So stick with greys, blues, and greens. Also, if you're adding more than one color, carefully choose colors that complement each other.

The same rule applies to your fonts too. Along with choosing a pleasant color, use a proper font. You can still opt for a nice font other than Arial and Time New Roman, but don't let it be too ornate or cartoonish.

2. Make It Your Only Resume

Infographic showing HR Selection Process

Have you applied for many jobs, waited for days, and not heard anything from the recruiters? You may feel like you've sent your resumes into thin air. But rest assured, someone has read it. Just that, it may not be a human recruiter—the ATS probably read it. Many companies and recruiters rely on ATS or Applicant Tracking System to select potential candidates.

ATS is a piece of software that collects, sorts, and stores resumes for recruiters. It saves time and makes it easier for recruiters to find the right candidate among thousands of applications. If you don't highlight your relevant skillset and experience with proper keywords, ATS will not consider you a close match for the job.

The problem with your infographic resume is that the ATS will not be able to read it. The bottom line is that using an infographic resume can sometimes cost you that job opportunity. It is wise to have a well-made traditional resume at hand. If your job application is online, where you fill in all the details, it's most likely going to ATS. Your best bet is to apply with your traditional resume in that case.

Also, not all hiring managers are open to an infographic resume—some traditional recruiters may perceive it as a non-professional document. So, it is a good idea to hold on to your usual resume. However, feel free to include your infographic resume along with your traditional resume so that your recruiter will have options.

3. Try the DIY Route (Unless You're a Designer)

Preparing an infographic resume from scratch needs skill and expertise. You should know special software like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. It is not easy to pull off a professional-looking resume if you're not a designer.

With so many online resume templates, making a stunning infographic resume is quick, easy, and fun. You don't need any special skills or spend hours designing your resume. Just find a template you like and personalize it.

Impress Your Recruiters With Your Infographic Resume

Having an infographic resume is a creative way to present your skills and experience. The graphic elements on an infographic resume look much better than the bullet points on your traditional resume. As a result, it catches your recruiter's eye better than your wordy resume.

But, not all infographic resumes are created equal. So, follow our rules and tips, and your resume is sure to impress your recruiter.