Format

 

6 - Act Like a “Creative

Remember how you presented yourself in school. It was almost all visual - renderings, sketches, plans, etc. So why now, after all that schooling, are you presenting yourself differently, in a predominantly text-based format.

Don’t be afraid to use your creativity. Your resume should be unique. It should in no way resemble the resume of an accountant or lawyer.

7 - Your Old Boring Resume Can Live On

You know the resume I’m talking about. The one with the lists of your education, skills, work history, and so on. This resume can now hide at the end of your new  interesting resume, like the index in a book. It can live there just in case anyone wants to see the proof behind the creative masterpiece you are now about to produce.

Now that you’ve stopped thinking about those silly little resume rules that have held you back for so long, you are now free to really innovate - to create a format that will lure people in.

8 - Think About Yourself Web Browsing

What do you gravitate to online? Studies show that most people gravitate towards images and short snippets of text. If your resume isn’t interesting in the first three seconds, chances are the reader will go no further.

Entertain them fast or they will click something else.

9 - Sell Yourself Like a Company

Imagine doing a web search for a cool firm to work for. You open the homepage of the first firm and it’s just a list of their projects.  No images, philosophy or profiles. Just the list. How long do you think you would stay on this page? I’m guessing less than five seconds.

So if you agree with this scenario, why would you present yourself as just a list of projects and places you’ve worked? Surely you’re more interesting than just a list.

10 - Steal Ideas

Don’t plagiarize; just realize that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to come up with a creative resume. There are thousands of ad execs, graphic designers and the like that spend way more time and money than you do coming up with creative ways to sell things to people.

Magazines, the web, and TV are full of interesting attention-grabbing examples. Amazing things can happen when you apply these ideas to your resume.

11 - Forget Technology

Designer Bruce Mau once said “the problem with software is that everyone has it”. One clever way to break away from the masses is to go old school. A non-emailable resume. Make your resume something tangible. Something that needs to be mailed or hand-delivered.

 

12 - Small, Beautiful & Interesting

If you go with a tangible resume, it will need to be small, beautiful and interesting. Something that can’t really be filed with the other resumes.
 
  • Small enough to comfortably stay on my desk and continually remind me that you are out there looking for a job.
  • Beautiful enough that I would feel guilty throwing it away.
  • Interesting enough that I may look at it time and time again.

13 - Utilize Technology

On the contrary, don’t forget what year it is. Your ability to sell yourself utilizing new technology can really put you ahead of the pack.

  • Websites are easier than ever to put together.
  • How about a youtube video talking about your ideas and showing your work? (keep it short)

Showing off your technical know-how can also give your potential employer a sense of ways you can help the firm beyond the basic architectural stuff.

Continue - Content: 14-19