Will a creative resume help you secure your dream job?

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When applying for your dream job, making your application stand out can be crucial.

One way to achieve this is to make their resumes look like a company’s website or product, or add key style elements used by the company to their resumes.

Eleonora Papini has often followed this approach.

“It’s difficult to squeeze my life, my experiences and my skills into one or two pages. Stunning graphics can help convey my passion and creativity far better than words would,” she told Make It on Health & Fitness Journal.

For a recent application to Netflix, she redesigned the streaming service’s home screen. The boxes, which usually show movie or series titles and images, contained their details instead.

In an application for the British cosmetics company Lush, she integrated elements such as the font and numerous Lush products that the company also uses on its website. Papini also added themed sections to her resume, such as an “ingredients” list that listed her skills.

Two examples of business-themed resumes, one for cosmetics company Lush and one for streaming service Netflix.

Resumes provided by Eleonora Papini, images by Make It on Health & Fitness Journal

Marketing graduate Lap Tran took a similar approach when she applied for an internship at Spotify earlier this year. He used the company’s color scheme and font and replicated the layout for his resume.

Do applicants think it’s worth it?

At the time, Tran thought it might be worth the extra time to differentiate himself and make his resume more attractive to a big company. But now he’s changed his mind.

“Looking back, it wasn’t worth the extra effort, but a good bit of experience with themed resumes since I wasn’t selected or even emailed that I wasn’t selected,” he told Health & Fitness Journal’s Make It.

Even Eleonora didn’t notice a big difference after applying to different companies. “Only one recruiter contacted me and praised my resume,” she said.

However, she still believes that for some applicants, creating creative resumes can be worth the time invested.

“I think it’s worth it if you like ‘playing’ with graphics. I like it and enjoy creating new graphics and testing new strategies,” she explains, but she believes the approach isn’t for everyone – especially if graphic design isn’t one of your most important skills.

The verdict of experts

Even experts seem to be cautious.

Professional resume writer Suzie Henriques, who lives in the UK, told Health & Fitness Journal’s Make It that a traditional approach is usually safer.

“Most of the time, the traditional text-based format is best,” she said. “The standard CV is universally understandable and remains the gold standard in the recruitment process.”

Career coach and resume writer Amanda Augustine, who works for US company TopResume, agrees.

“Rather than adding design elements to mimic the employer’s brand, it would be more effective to customize the content of your resume and cover letter based on the specific job posting,” she said.

Highly creative resumes could even decrease your chances of getting an interview, the experts say.

One reason is distraction, says Gaelle Blake, head of permanent employment at recruitment consultancy Hays.

“Critical details might be harder to find on a creative resume or potentially distract from your credentials,” she told Health & Fitness Journal’s Make It, adding that these key facts about skills and experience are the most important part of a recruiter’s resume.

In addition, many companies use software that reads and filters resumes. This can also lead to problems, explains Henriques.

“Some organizations use applicant tracking software to parse the information in your resume into their system, and an unusual or highly visual format may not be compatible with it, meaning the text you put in at the other end may not be readable. ” She says.

What to do instead

The only notable exception is highly creative jobs and industries, all three experts told Make It, adding that including links to portfolios is a good way for websites to showcase creativity.

Typically, standard resumes are no less effective, they say — but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Henriques suggests keeping the design clean and simple.

“I recommend using clear section headings and leaving plenty of white space. If you want to add some flair, borderlines, bullet points, and light shading can really draw the reader’s attention to key areas,” she says.

When it comes to content, Augustine believes resumes should be more than just a series of bullet points.

“You want your resume to read like a story that explains why you’re qualified for the job you want,” she says, adding that role-specific examples and data are helpful in doing this.

Meanwhile, Blake urges applicants not to overlook the basics — checking for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors is key, she says.

Her final advice goes beyond resumes, however. She thinks it’s just as important to be able to demonstrate your skills convincingly in interviews.

“Don’t rely on your resume to do all the talking for you,” Blake concludes.