Graphics on resumes?

I was listening to a presentation by a job coach/resume writer recently and he made a suggestion to the job networking group. He contends that adding a graphic to a resume was a good way to set you apart. Something like a puzzle piece or a dollar sign could be a subliminal message that the candidate is the missing piece of the puzzle or that the sales person is money-driven.

I am skeptical. I have reviewed a lot of resumes and I don't recall ever being swayed by something like that. I question whether it would do more harm than good.

There is a branding aspect, which makes a little more sense but you have to be consistent and it should not look like something copied from Clip Art.

What do others think about this?

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Permalink Reply by Amber on June 13, 2013 at 4:21pm

It's a shame that there really is so much crappy resume advice out there. I think this is ridiculous, and even IF one resume was improved somehow, you know there will be thousands more that take this idea and run to Crazytown with it.

All I want from a resume is basic: name, location, contact information, CHRONOLOGICAL job history, education/licensing, and not much else. Let it tell me what you have done, what skills you have, and that you can put together a pretty basic document.

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Permalink Reply by Kelly Blokdijk on June 13, 2013 at 10:19pm

Ugh! My guess is that "expert" has never hired anyone in his/her life and wouldn't know the first thing about how the process works. Adding gimmicky graphics to a resume may make it stand out from a visual perspective, but it won't matter if there isn't any relevant content to make it worth reading beyond the pretty pictures.

I feel sorry for the poor unsuspecting participants in that presentation that probably don't know any better and assume said expert is right. So sad!

I've seen a lot of so-called expert resume writers' work and much of it atrocious. For some reason, they think the fancier and more cluttered the better. They add all sorts of goofy junk that probably convinces the person that hired them to put it together that they got their money's worth, but what a pile of crap.

~KB @TalentTalks

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Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on June 14, 2013 at 12:58pm

Every time I read about shit advice like this a little part of my soul dies... I want to see specific, measureable accomplishments related to the job I'm interviewing for, not that you know how to drop cutesy word art into a document.

I have to go outside and scream now.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Grimmer on June 14, 2013 at 1:29pm

Thank you Amber, Kelly, and Amy. I didn't mean to raise your blood pressure. I just wanted to make sure that I hadn't missed some secret recruiters meeting where everyone voted that this was a good idea.

It should be noted that there was a lot of good advice that went along with the presentation but this one struck me as wrong. Obviously, resume reading can be very subjective and recruiters have different pet peeves. For me it's objectives, especially boiler plate objectives, and the phrase "References provided upon request."

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Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on June 14, 2013 at 1:59pm

LOL thanks Brian - and you're not alone!! I share your pet peeves. The hard part about offering resume advice (or calling out bad advice, for that matter) is that resume reading IS so darn subjective... what I can't stand some other recruiter might require. Sigh.

Whenever I sit on employer panels or dish out advice I ALWAYS include a caveat - "this is what I think, talk to recruiters at the companies you want to work for!"

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Hanneman on June 14, 2013 at 3:47pm

Yeah pretty much agree, poor advice. Stick to content and information about your success. While we are at it, "Keywords", I hate them. I am assuming you are punctual, truthful, hard working, friendly, etc.

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Permalink Reply by Tiffany Branch on July 22, 2013 at 3:26pm

I'm over all this "create your brand/personal brand" crap. Show me a well constructed, results driven, easy to read resume. If you have what I'm looking for, you will be contacted. Catchy phrases, graphics, etc, while sometimes livens up my day, still won't prompt me to contact you if you aren't selling what I am buying.

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Permalink Reply by Tiffany Branch on July 22, 2013 at 3:27pm

@Amy "Every time I read about shit advice like this a little part of my soul dies" I am dying laughing at that line. Good one!

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Hanneman on July 22, 2013 at 3:31pm

"ultra-visual" was a keyword on a resume today. Can someone tell me what that means? Is it like really really visual? Would I have to explain everything in picture form?