5 Ways an Infographic Resume Can Sabotage Your Job Search
Infographic resumes really are entertaining. Granted, they don’t have nearly as much content in the form of words, but supposedly the creative and clever ways the resume imparts the little information that is there makes up for the lack of detail.
If you haven’t seen an infographic resume before, you’ll often find employers represented by colorful logos; the duration of each job represented with color-coded timelines; software proficiencies expressed by something akin to a cell phone signal strength indicator; and job skills often expressed in pie charts. There appears to be no limit to the number of cute and clever ways some candidates have presented their information in order to “stand out”.
So, who should you use an infographic resume? ?Actually, almost no one.
5 reasons you (probably) shouldn’t use an infographic resume. Note: the first reason, alone, should be enough but we have an affinity for the number five – so we threw in another four reasons.
The vast majority of employers use resume-scanning software, called an ATS (Applicant Tracking System). The software essentially takes the information in your resume and attempts to place the content into pre-defined searchable fields. Many companies also use the ATS to automatically compare resumes to a specific job description in order to determine which candidates appear to be qualified. As a result, roughly 80% of all resumes submitted to a company are never seen by a human.
So, here is the enormous problem with infographic resumes: most of the information can’t be read by the ATS – as it can’t make sense of any graphics. In fact, even multiple columns, sidebars and automated tables can totally confuse an ATS and cause content to populate the wrong fields in the employers database.
2. Resume Tailoring & Updating
If you need to modify your resume for a specific position, infographic resumes are very difficult to tailor. Even the do-it-yourself, cookie cutter template versions you can find online create issues. And on custom designed versions, we’ve had candidates who couldn’t change their own infographic resumes because they didn’t have the software used to create it – or they couldn’t cost-justify paying the graphic designer to make repeated tweaks.
领英推荐
3. Unconventional Formatting
Most internal and external recruiters find infographic resumes highly annoying. They go through hundreds of resumes a day and have very little patience in trying to decode your work of art in order to determine if you’re qualified.
4. Unprofessional
Even if you’re able to circumvent the notorious ATS and go directly to a human, your infographic “art project” will likely look inappropriate and/or unprofessional unless you’re either a designer or an early to mid-career IT professional who simply needs to relate their technical proficiencies.?
5. Limited Content
Infographic resumes typically have less than 50% of the content found in a traditionally formatted resume – and with an ATS that almost always harms a candidate’s odds of getting their resume seen my a human.
In closing, your best friend might think your infographic resume looks cool, but unless your buddy is an algorithm – ignore him. Give yourself an edge by highlighting relevant skills and experience – not graphics and colors.
_________________________________________________________
Are you a professional looking for a position in the Greater Nashville Area? Let’s talk. From early career candidates to C-level executives, regardless of vocation or industry, just send us a message to schedule a confidential phone call, so we can learn more about you and recommend a job search approach. Note: Employers Pay for 100% of all fees.?[email protected]
Are you an employer looking for amazing talent in the Greater Nashville Area??Give us a shout. We charge employers a one-time 9.9% placement fee. There are no other fees. If you don’t hire anyone from us, you owe us nothing. We also provide a replacement guarantee.?[email protected]